
plating, anodizing, & finishing Q&As since 1989
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Measuring surface roughness on plastic vs metal
September 10, 2012
Q. Greetings all,
My question is very simple I hope. Can you use the same probe/stylus of a profilometer to measure surface roughness on plastic and metal? The plastic is delrin and the metal is 316ss.
- Stafford, Texas, USA
A. Yes you can. The reading might be a little less due to the difference in hardness and therefore a tendency of the plastic to get scratched. Remember the old acetate phonographic records? The stylus of the phonograph was diamond or other very hard material and they lasted many runs
Bill Marrufo
Monterrey, NL, Mexico
