I just finished reading this great book that nicely covers many aspects of surface roughness and tribology. The author, Laurie Winkless, is a physicist who loves communicating about science and technology. Her latest book addresses the huge range of ways in which friction shapes the natural and manufactured world. She documents how surface science has … Read more
Curling is an international, Olympic sport that is a challenge of both skill and strategy. If you search the Internet, you’ll find videos describing the immense amount of care that goes into preparing the ice surface. Not surprisingly, the concepts of sliding friction are at the heart of the matter. Contrary to appearance, neither the … Read more
Wear between two surfaces in contact can take the form of mechanisms such as ploughing, abrasion, adhesion, fatigue, etc. The initial phase of a component’s life will involve some period of “running in,” during which peak material will be worn away or deformed, and valleys will be filled in with debris. Run-in is inevitable and, … Read more
Artificial medical devices prolong life and preserve quality of living. To design devices that will function reliably and safely for decades requires careful attention to materials and surface finish. Accurately specifying, measuring and controlling surface finish are all of paramount importance. In this article we explore some examples of how surface texture affects performance of … Read more
Companies regularly need to replace metal components with plastics for reasons of weight, cost, performance, corrosion, etc. Very often, however, when the material is switched, the surface roughness specification stays the same. This practice can result in a number of quality and functional issues. Take the case of a fitting for a pressurized hose. Say … Read more
In plastic molding, parting lines can form on the component where portions of the mold meet imperfectly. These ridges and/or valleys may lead to several types of functional problems with the molded part. Appearance The eye is very good at detecting small steps and lines. We can easily see even small parting lines, which may … Read more
In the early days of 3D optical profiling, we needed to know an alphabet soup of measurement modes in order to operate the systems. Smooth surface? That’s one mode. Rougher surface? That requires another. A combination of both? We might not be able to measure it at all! Today’s systems are smarter, and measurement modes … Read more
Remembering the early days, Part 2 Michigan Metrology, LLC is approaching our 30th anniversary, and we’re taking a look back on some of the highlights of our history. In this article we’ll talk a bit about how we came to be measuring precision surfaces in Michigan in the early 1990s. Michigan, born and raised Michigan … Read more
If you rely on average roughness (Ra) to control your surfaces, check out this short animation. It shows that very different surfaces can all have the same Ra value…and Ra alone can’t tell you which one you’ve manufactured! If you want to know more about where to go “beyond Ra,” check out our Surface Roughness, … Read more
In the early days of 3D optical profiling, we needed to know an “alphabet soup” of measurement modes in order to operate the systems. Smooth surface? That’s one mode. Rougher surface? That requires another. A combination of both? We might not be able to measure it at all! Today’s systems are smarter. Measurement modes that … Read more