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The luxmeter for lighting systems: Eurogroup Spa

What’s the luxmeter for in lighting systems?

Read on to find out and don’t miss learning more about our customer,  Eurogroup S.p.A.   Thanks to this tool, the quality inspections and maintenance at their plant run more smoothly.

What is the Luxmeter?

The luxmeter is a portable instrument used for the measurement of brightness, parameter involved in many areas such as environmental lighting, construction, road signs and advertising, safety clothing and horticultural sector, but not only.

It is used both for quality control and maintenance operations and this is well known by our customer Eurogroup S.p.A.

luxmeter

Who is Eurogroup S.p.A.?

Eurogroup S.p.A. operates in the design and construction of electrical and technological systems, telecommunications systems, data networks, security and automation.

Sizes

The company, projected in the national and international panorama, boasts more than 250 employees and a share capital of € 2,500,000.00.

History

In 1966 the company was already very promising.
Created to offer a qualitatively competitive response in the field of electrical plant engineering, it already showed much wider development prospects.
The role now held has been conquered over time.
Thanks to a path of continuous growth, the company went from an artisan to something broader, which projected it into the national and international landscape and making it become, in 1996, Eurogroup S.p.A.
The company stands out for being constantly engaged in the development of innovative sectors such as Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy and Building Automation.

Plant maintenance: service

Eurogroup s.p.A operates as part of the plant renovations and maintenance with the Global Service and Facility Management services and guarantees a 24 hours a day and 7 days a week service.
It is precisely in the field of maintenance that S.A.M.A. Italia S.r.l. play a key role.

Measurement of brightness parameters of systems: the role of the luxmeter

For maintenance, it is essential to measure the brightness parameters of the systems.
Eurogroup S.p.A. has, in fact, purchased a luxmeter, with the aim of making their work in the field of public lighting more performing.

Eurogroup spa eng

The luxmeter: how the relationship between S.A.M.A. Italia and Delta OHM was born.

Eurogroup S.p.A. has chosen the Delta OHM luxmeter, an instrument used for the measuring brightness.
It is a parameter involved in many fields such as environmental lighting, construction, road signs and advertising; ideal for quality control and maintenance operations.
Delta OHM is an Italian company specialized in the design, production and calibration of portable, desktop and industrial scientific instruments for the measurement of physical quantities.
The sales network is entrusted to several distributors and S.A.M.A. Italia is an authorized dealers for several years.

 

Delta ohm and Sama Italia srl

 

 

The photo on the left was taken during one of the refresher courses, directly done at their headquarters.
This commitment, linked to the rapid response to customers, has allowed us to create a relationship of mutual esteem and to be selected as retailers for the region Tuscany, Marche, Umbria, Liguria, Abruzzo, Veneto, etc.

Your satisfaction is our goal!

Innovation, the ability to work in teams, investment in training and long-term vision are the key principles that guide Eurogroup S.p.A. towards constant growth.
Every satisfied customer is a source of great pride for us, but it is precisely when we are chosen by large companies with high standards, including Eurogroup S.p.A., that we understand we are on the right track.
S.A.M.A. Italia is a dealer of instruments branded Delta Ohm, such as the above mentioned luxmeter, in addition to being a manufacturer of instruments branded SAMA Tools, all available on our website!

Would you like more information or assistance?

If you are looking for information on a specific model of luxmeter or would like to know more, contact our technical department.
You can call us at 0584/392342 – 0584/392453 or, alternatively, fill in the online form to contact us in writing.

 

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Gloss vs Brightness: What’s the difference?

The difference between gloss and brightness is that gloss is (uncountable) a surface shine or luster/lustre, while brightness is the quality of being bright.

The glossmeter performs measurement on flat surfaces and operate like a refractometer.
Gloss and brightness of a particular surface is measured in “Gloss” and it is an optical property, based on the relationship between light and the physical characteristics of the surface, which means the surface capacity to reflect light in a specular way.

Gloss importance

Brightness is one of the most important parameters of a surface, because it can alter the perception of profiles and shapes, influencing the visual experience.

Brightness acts on the surfaces according to different aspects: angle of incidence of light, observer position, physical properties of surface and observation conditions.

This parameter plays a key role in several production sectors where metrological instruments are relevant in order to standardise the quality control.

Brightness measurement was consolidated according to international methods approved by ASTM, DIN e ISO.

Basic physical principle for gloss measurement

When a light source radiates a surface undergoes a double effect: partly dispersed, partly reflected with opposite angle but with equal amplitude, with respect to the initial radiation.

The brightness of a surface is calculated according to this specular reflection.

This last element determines the gloss level of a surface.

Specular reflection intensity is determined by the material and angle of incidence of the illuminating measured according to certain conditions.

Measurement scale

Values are conventionally expressed in units of gloss (GU : gloss units) and they refer to a scale based on the index of refraction of a black glass mirror with a reflection 100GU in relation to a specific angle.

All non-metallic materials, such as paints or plastics, can have a value associated to this data, while for highly reflective metal surfaces, such as laminates and other crude materials, the user can measure get up to 2000GU.

Geometry Types – When and Which one to Choose?

Gloss meters are divided into two types, mono-angle (60°) and tri – angle (20°/60°/85°).

To have more angular references of the illuminant allows improving measurement accuracy according to the level of brightness of the surface.

 

• Measurements at 20° are more indicated for very bright surfaces;
• Measurements at 60° are more indicated for medium bright surfaces;
• Measurements at 85° allow to obtain optimized values for little bright surfaces.

60° geometry is widely used thanks to its range of median use, however it is recommended to refer to 20° value for measurements above the 70GU, while 85° is preferred for measurements under 10GU.

Example: Measurement of the specular brightness of a painting film

The moment we are going to paint a wall, we need to decide even about the finish: matt, satin or glossy?

Colour can change according to the brightness grade.

EN ISO 2813 provides for the use of the gloss meter to measure the mirror brightness of a painting film.

Caparol Media, the web portal for colour, decoration, isolation and restoration, shows us in 5 steps how to make measurements.

 

1. Prepare the sample to be measured by applying a paint film and let it dry at 23°C and with 50 % UR;
2. Wait 16 hours for conditioning at constant temperature and RH rate;
3. Calibrate the gloss meter
4. Repeat the measurement six times in different positions, in a parallel and perpendicular direction to the drafting of the film;
5. Calculate the average of measured values and identify the reference ranges.

 

Upon request, we can carry out calibration report on the whole instrument or on the different angles (20°-60°-85°).

Which are the 5 strength points of the 3 angles digital glossmeter by Sama Tools?

  • Attractive design
  • Compact size
  • Three-angle geometry of the lamp
  • High-precision
  • Ideal for quality control on production line or in the field

Thanks to the master supplied with the instrument, calibration could be performed in few seconds.

The 3 detection geometries, respectively 20°, 60° and 85° allow maximum flexibility of use, covering low, medium and high brightness surfaces.

 

 

Glossmeter applications:

– Brightness measurement of ink, paints, sealing wax prints.
– Cladding and processed wood products
– Decorative building materials: marble, granite, glass, glass blocks, etc.
– Plastics or papers

Who was the inventor of the glossmeter?

According to Wikipedia, the first one who realize an instrument for brightness measurement (of paper) was Ingersoill in 1914.

The “Glarimeter” (as it was initially called), was based on the principle that light was polarized in a specular way.

The light was incident at an angle of 57.5 ° and employed a contrast method to subtract the specular component from the reflected light with a polarizing element.

 

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