In many situations surface texture properties are critical to the performance of components. The information provided by surface texture measurements can be used to control production, verify end products and develop new designs and product specifications that enhance functionality.

NPL provides a complete solution for all surface texture measurement requirements through a wide range of contact and noncontact instruments. This range of instruments includes high accuracy commercial instruments and several bespoke, NPL built systems, which provide the highest (sub-nanometre) accuracy and direct traceability to the metre for the most demanding measurement applications.

Two or three-dimensional (or 'areal') surface texture measurements can be performed on precision components, such as optical components (eg. lenses), machined parts (e.g. cylinders liners), industrial coatings (e.g. hard coatings on cutting tools), wafers for microelectronics and MEMS, etc. The techniques provide maps of the surface topography and traceable quantitative measurements of surface parameters and features. These measurements comply with measurement standards such as ISO 25178, BS 1134, ISO 4287 and ISO 5436.

NPL can support the traceability of in-house measurements by supplying or calibrating a wide range of surface texture standards, include step height samples, periodic samples and samples with random surface texture, for testing the overall performance of the instrument according to ISO 5436-1. These standard artefacts are used for verifying surface profile measuring instruments and providing measurement traceability.

SoftGauges

A SoftGauges website has been developed which offers online access to reference data sets (Type F1 SoftGauges) and reference software (Type F2 software standards) for calibrating the software aspects of surface measuring systems and testing the numerical correctness of such software.

Click here to read more about SoftGauges

Links

• Download flyer outlining Surface Texture capability overview ( PDF 944 KB)
• Download flyer outlining Surface Texture measurement services available ( PDF 522 KB)
• Surface texture calibration standards
• NanoSurf IV Facility for Traceable 2-D Surface Topography
• Metrological Atomic Force Microscope

Publications

• Leach, R K, Traceable measurement of surface texture at the National Physical Laboratory using NanoSurf IV, Meas. Sci. Technol., 2000, 11, 1162-1173.
• Leach, R K, The measurement of surface texture using stylus instruments. Measurement Good Practice Guide No. 37, July 2001.
• Leach, R K, Haycocks, J, Jackson, K, Lewis, A, Oldfield, S, Yacoot, A, Advances in traceable nanometrology at the National Physical Laboratory, Nanotechnology, 2001, 12, R1-R6.
• Leach, R K, Some issues of traceability in the field of surface topography measurement, Wear, 2004, 257, 1246-1249.
• Blunt, L*, Jiang, X*, Xiao, S*, Li, T*, Feng, X*, Brennan, J*, Scott, P*, Leach, R K, Harris, P M, Parkin, G I, Development and dissemination of SOFTGAUGES for surface topography, Centre for Precision Technologies, University of Huddersfield, July 2005.
• Blunt, L*, Jiang, X*, Leach, R K, Harris, P M, Scott, P*, The development of user-friendly software measurement standards for surface topography software assessment, Proceedings 10th International Conference on Metrology and Properties of Engineering Surfaces, St Ettiane, France, 4-7 July 2005, 105-111.
• Leach, R K, Chetwynd, D*, Blunt, L*, Haycocks, J, Harris, P M, Jackson, K, Oldfield, S, Reilly, S, Recent advances in traceable nanoscale dimension and force metrology in the UK, Meas. Sci. Technol., 2006, 17, 467-476.

Contact

Customer Service tel: +44 20 8943 8631
E-mail: dimensional_enquiries@npl.co.uk