There are two basic thickness gauge categories for measuring thin materials. Physical contacting gauges and non contacting gauges. Physical thickness gauges are simple and they can be fairly inexpensive. For on line industrial applications or high precision applications, you will likely need to consider a non contact thickness gauge.
Measuring plastic film requires a specialized set of tools because the material is compressible, very thin and requires good handling. SolveTech specializes in thickness gauging in this area.
Video Comparing Contacting and Non Contacting Methods
Contact Thickness Gauges
Contacting gauges will typically squeeze the material from either side and measure the displacement of the probe. They are typically accurate to +/- 1 micron.
For compressible materials, it is important to put a consistent amount of pressure on the probe. The gauge pictured uses a weight to do so, and some gauges will compress to a certain pressure and then you can’t compress them any more.
Selecting a measurement head on the probe can also be critical. The shape of this probe can affect your reading.
Non Contact Thickness Gauges
Non contacting thickness gauges measure a response and correlate that to thickness. Popular technologies include:
- Capacitance
- X-Ray
- Nuclear
- IR
- Ultrasonics
- Lasers
Selecting the best gauge for your application depends on your material and the thickness of your material. For plastic film for example, capacitance is an excellent choice, but for applications with conductive materials, it can not be used. For thick materials, typically less precision is required. However, the thinner the material, typically the more difficult gauging becomes.
Thanks for visiting SolveTech’s page on selecting a thickness gauge. Please contact us with any questions regarding your application.
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