3D Surface Roughness and Wear Measurement, Analysis and Inspection

Remembering Jim Wyant

December 11, 2023

This week we are saying goodbye to James C. Wyant. Jim was a giant in optics and optical metrology for over 40 years, and his guidance shaped many of our

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medical device surface roughness and surface texture for bearing surfaces, bonding surfaces, blood flow

What surface finish does a medical device need?

November 14, 2023

For a medical device to function over a long lifespan, we need to accurately specify, measure, and control its surface finishes. Yet, most surface finish specifications rely on parameters that

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On November 28, Surface Ventures will be hosting their first Mini-Symposium, gathering renowned experts in the fields of tribology, surface engineering and metrology for a series of presentations on tribological coatings and surfaces.

Register for Free Tribology & Surface Roughness Mini-Symposium

November 13, 2023

On November 28, Surface Ventures will be hosting their first Mini-Symposium, gathering renowned experts in the fields of tribology, surface engineering and metrology for a series of presentations on tribological

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My surface got shinier…but the average roughness stayed the same!

October 31, 2023

Download this article as a PDF I have a surface with a certain average roughness value. When I polish the surface, it gets shinier…but the measured number hasn’t changed! What’s

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Average Roughness—in surface texture measurement, it's one of the most frequently specified surface roughness parameters. In this video we look at how average roughness (Ra, or Sa) is calculated for 2D (profile) and 3D (areal) measurements. We look at what Ra can — and can't — tell us about a surface. And, we discuss the differences between Ra and Sa, and some similar parameters that you may encounter in surface texture analysis software.

How Do We Define Average Roughness?

October 17, 2023

Average Roughness—in surface texture measurement, it’s one of the most frequently specified surface roughness parameters. In this video we look at how average roughness (Ra, or Sa) is calculated. We

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Honing Plates (Sharpening Stones)

September 26, 2023

Hone plates, or sharpening stones, are used to produce a fine edge on knives, scissors, and other tools. A kit of stones provides progressively finer grit sizes and spacings to

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How Do We Define “Roughness?”

September 13, 2023

“Roughness” can mean a lot of things, but in surface texture analysis, it has a very specific meaning. In this short video we look at how 2D and 3D surface

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Friction and surface roughness, Real Area of Contact and Apparent Area of Contact, how the difference affects frictional force, Leonardo Da Vinci, Michigan Metrology

Friction and the Real Area of Contact

July 25, 2023

If I need to push a long, heavy block, it seems like it should be easier if I stand the block up rather than laying it flat on its face…and

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Dashboard surface, highly engineered surface texture with both fine surface roughness to scatter light and larger roughness to hide wear

Dashboard surface texture

July 7, 2023

When you’re thinking about the most engineered surfaces in a car, you may think of cylinder bores, clutches, brakes, etc. But we’d like to put one more item on your

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Cavitation erosion

June 22, 2023

Cavitation is the formation of air bubbles in a fluid as it goes from high pressure to low pressure. The dissolved gas can grow into bubbles—and under certain conditions those

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Surface texture - a bearing surface may look shiny as it wears because the peak material with short spatial wavelengths has been removed during the run-in period. Michigan Metrology

Why do some bearings look shiny with wear?

April 25, 2023

We tend to think of “new” surfaces as shiny and smooth, and “worn” surfaces as rough, dull, or uneven. But for a bearing surface, the opposite is often true: the

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surface texture filtering animation - Michigan Metrology

Visualizing “filtering” — an animation

April 18, 2023

Surface texture can be described as a spectrum of spatial wavelengths. “Filtering” is the process to isolate the wavelengths that matter for our application. But what does that really look

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