Surface Profile Gage for Blasted Steel and Textured Coatings
Digital spring micrometers measure and record surface profile parameters using Testex Press-O-Film™ replica tape.
- Ready to measure – no calibration adjustment required for most applications
- Produces a more accurate peak-to-valley height measurement
- Solvent, acid, oil, water, and dust resistant – weatherproof
- PosiTector interchangeable platform – attach any PosiTector probe to a single gage body
- USB, WiFi, and Bluetooth connectivity to PosiSoft PC, Mac, and Smartphone software
Simple
- Measures peak height (HL)
- Automatically subtracts the 50.8 μm (2 mils) incompressible film from all readings
- Minimizes inspector workload by reducing the number of replicas needed to ensure accuracy
- NEW Larger 2.8″ impact resistant color touchscreen with redesigned keypad for quick menu navigation
- NEW On-gage help explains menu items at the touch of a button
- RESET feature instantly restores factory settings
Accurate
- Produces a more accurate peak-to-valley height measurement. See linearized peak height (HL)
- Certificate of Calibration showing traceability to PTB included (Long Form)
- Conforms to national and international standards including ISO 8503-5, ASTM D4417 Method C, NACE RP0287 and SSPC-PA17
Powerful
- Statistics mode continually displays/updates average, standard deviation, min/max, and number of readings while measuring
- NEW Screen Capture—save 100 screen images for record keeping and review
- NEW Instant-on feature quickly powers up the gage if recently powered down
- NEW Up to 30% longer battery life
- USB port for fast, simple connection to a PC and to supply continuous power. USB cable included
- PosiSoft USB Drive—stored readings and graphs can be accessed using universal PC/Mac web browsers or file explorers. No software required.
- Every stored measurement is date and time stamped
- Software Solutions for viewing, analyzing & reporting data
- Software Updates via web keep your gage current
Durable
- NEW Weatherproof, dustproof, and water-resistant—IP65-rated enclosure
- Rugged indoor/outdoor instrument—ideal for field or shop use
- NEW Ergonomic design with durable rubberized grip
- Shock-absorbing, protective rubber holster for added impact resistance
- Two year warranty on gage body AND probe
Versatile
- PosiTector body accepts all PosiTector RTR, SPG, 6000, 200, DPM, IRT, SST, SHD, BHI, and UTG probes easily converting from a surface profile gage to a coating thickness gage, dew point meter, soluble salt tester, hardness tester, or ultrasonic wall thickness gage
- Mils/Microns switchable
- Selectable display languages
- NEW Auto rotating display with Flip Lock
How It Works
1 Prepare
Preparation of both the surface to be tested and the PosiTector RTR H are necessary before performing the test.
To prepare surface:
- Use cleaning putty to remove dust, debris, or residual blast media from the measurement site by firmly pressing the putty onto surface to be tested using your fingers and remove
To prepare the PosiTector RTR H:
- Clean anvils using included cleaning card. Swipe card through opening a few times while firmly pressing both probe buttons to remove dust
- Zero probe and verify accuracy with included shim
- Ensure correct grade of replica tape is displayed in upper left hand corner of LCD
2 Burnish
Testex Press-O-Film™ replica tape consists of a layer of compressible foam affixed to an incompressible polyester film of highly uniform thickness. When pressed against a roughened steel surface, the foam forms an impression, or reverse replica, of the surface.
- Select appropriate grade of replica tape based on target profile
- Pull a single adhesive-backed replica tape free of its release paper and apply to blasted surface
- Firmly compress replica film using the rounded end of the included stainless steel burnishing tool. Apply sufficient pressure in a circular and x-y rubbing motion for 30-60 seconds to fully compress all parts of the film. In general, too much compression is safer than too little.
- When complete, remove replica tape from surface
3 Measure
Placing the compressed tape (replica) into the PosiTector RTR H gives a measure of the average maximum peak-to-valley height of the surface roughness profile.
- Insert the burnished replica tape into the measurement opening. Ensure the tape is properly positioned so that the burnished region is centered within the opening in the probe with the adhesive (sticky) side down.
- To position the tape, move the Testex™ Press-O-Film™ replica tape to the back of the probe and align the two dots (printed on replica tape) with arrows on both sides of the measurement opening.
- Once positioned, firmly press both probe buttons simultaneously and hold until the PosiTector RTR H beeps and the measurement is displayed.
The gauge automatically subtracts the thickness of the polyester substrate from all measurements.
Linearized Peak Height
Two grades of Testex™ Press-O-Film™ replica tape, “Coarse” and “X-Coarse”, are available to span the primary range of surface profiles for the coatings and linings industry –– 20 to 115 µm / 0.8 to 4.5 mils.
An unfortunate characteristic of replica tape is that conventional spring micrometer measurements are most accurate near the middle of each grade’s range and least accurate at the outer ends of each grade’s range. That is why two other grades, Coarse Minus (< 20 µm / 0.8 mils) and X-Coarse Plus (> 115 µm / 4.5 mils), are used to check and, if necessary, adjust measurements at the upper and lower ends of the primary range.
Inside the primary range, Coarse and X-Coarse tape share a 38 – 64 μm (1.5 – 2.5 mils) “overlap” region. Measurements with conventional micrometers require a complicated and time consuming procedure of averaging one reading using Coarse grade and one reading using X-Coarse grade to achieve reasonable accuracy.
With a single measurement, the PosiTector RTR H produces a more accurate peak-to-valley height measurement HL from Coarse or X-Coarse tapes that has been adjusted for their non-linearity. There is no need to average two or more replicas from different grades of tape AND there is no need to subtract the 50.8 μm / 2 mils of incompressible polyester film. The advantages are a reduction in measurement uncertainty, inspector workload, likelihood of error, and the number of replicas needed by inspectors to assure accuracy.
The PosiTector RTR H can also display a height value (H) that is comparable to what conventional analog spring micrometers would display after the 50.8 μm / 2 mils of incompressible polyester film has been subtracted.
