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The glossmeter is a tool used to measure the shine and gloss of surfaces. Before reading about why to choose the three-angle glossmeter for painted and polished surfaces, let’s see where it’s mainly used.

Where is the glossmeter used?

The glossmeter is employed in many sectors that work with painted and polished surfaces. The main industries that use this device are:

Automotive
Furniture manufacturing
Metal polishing
Industrial painting

In general, the glossmeter is used in any area where the surfaces must be high quality and meet specific standards of shine and gloss.

How does the glossmeter work?

The glossmeter releases a beam of light on the object’s outer surface and measures the intensity of the reflected light. Based on this principle, the glossmeter can determine the degree of gloss of the surface. We’ve already written an article on the physical principles of the glossmeter, which you can read about.

There are several types of glossmeters, each of which is designed to obtain precise measurements based on the detection geometry and the degree of gloss of the surface. For example, some are equipped with three measuring angles, which allow accurate measurements regardless of the degree of gloss of the surface.

The SAMA Tools three-angle glossmeter is ideal for painted and polished surfaces

The SAGT526 high range tri-angle glossmeter by SAMA Tools is an indispensable tool for those who work in the painted and polished surfaces industries. Thanks to its three measuring angles, this glossmeter allows you to obtain precise and reliable measurements regardless of the degree of gloss of the surface.

As already mentioned, this tool is designed to measure the gloss of a surface without damaging it, which makes it ideal for use in a wide range of industries. With an extended measuring range, automatic calibration and high accuracy, this instrument is one of the most professional available on the market.

One of the main advantages is its ability to provide reliable and reproducible results. This is particularly important in fields like the automotive industry, where vehicle surfaces must be high quality and meet the high shine and gloss standards set by car manufacturers.

Why buy a SAMA Tools glossmeter?

There are several reasons why buying a SAMA Tools glossmeter is a good idea for quality control in any company. Here are a few:

Precision: The glossmeter provides precise and reliable measurements of surface gloss.
Repeatability: The glossmeter provides repeatable results, so consistent results can be achieved for every measurement. This is very important to ensure the quality of the products.
Non-destructive: It’s a non-destructive instrument, so it doesn’t damage the surface during the measurement. This makes it ideal for surfaces that cannot be damaged during quality control.
Easy to use: It’s an easy tool to use and has a digital display that makes reading the results clear and simple.
SAMA Tools Guarantee: Thanks to the numerous positive reviews we’ve recieved, you can be sure you’re making a quality purchase.

Why should you calibrate your glossmeter?

The calibration of the glossmeter can be seen as a “snapshot” of the state in which the device is at that particular moment in time. It provides information about the accuracy and reliability of the instrument, as well as revealing any problems or defects that could affect its ability to provide accurate results. Furthermore, it can be used as a reference to evaluate the evolution of the instrument over time and verify whether it is still able to provide reliable results.

Therefore, it’s important to calibrate the glossmeter because this important process allows one to check the operating status of the instrument and ensure its accuracy and reliability.

What are the risks associated with using an uncalibrated instrument?

Not performing periodic calibrations, may result in inaccurate readings that could affect business decisions or the quality of the finished product. Furthermore, calibration is important to ensure that the instrument always delivers accurate results, regardless of whether it hasn’t been used for a long period of time or if it’s been subjected to harsh environmental conditions.

Secondly, calibrating the glossmeter can help to identify any problems or defects that the instrument may have, which, once resolved by means of fine-tuning, allow to obtain reliable results again.

In conclusion, purchasing a glossmeter for quality control can be a good idea for the many industries that work with painted and polished surfaces. The glossmeter offers accuracy, repeatability, non-destructiveness and is easy to use, making it an ideal tool for ensuring the quality of surfaces.

If you’ve enjoyed reading about the glossmeter, we think might be interested in reading about measuring color and brightness.

Don’t hesitate to contact our team of experts for more information and fill out the form. S.A.M.A. Italia can help your company ensure the high quality of your product surfaces, and the calibration of your equipment.

Quality control in automotive painting and coating is an essential part of the production process, as well as in any industry, as it helps ensure the best possible results for both the manufacturer and the end user.

This is especially true of the automotive industry, where multiple components are assembled into one product, the automobile.

Therefore, quality control can take place in several production units, even within a single plant.

Here we will talk specifically about quality control in the production unit for auto body painting and the coating of its components.

Painting quality control before production

For the painting production unit, it’s of vital importance to execute quality control on the materials supplied by the supplier before they are applied.

In the automotive industry, the incoming materials are not only paints for car aesthetics, but also different types of coatings that provide protection to very important parts such as the chassis, for lasting durability.

For best results, there are specific material properties that need to be verified prior to application. Let’s see some of them.

Viscosity

Determining the viscosity of the paint is essential in the automotive industry as it is applied by spraying the nebulized paint with special nozzles.

In most cases, the paint viscosity is so low that it atomises, but not so low as to create problems like coating failure. This is why it’s crucial to check this parameter. It also has an impact on different performance standards such as:

Pressure
Flow
Coating speed
Coating film build up
Color matching
Chemical resistance

Viscosity also has a direct impact on the paint transfer and thus on the quality of the finished surface.

In any case, the production unit dealing with automotive painting should have the right equipment to control the viscosity of the paint.

Among the most suitable measuring instruments for these applications, we must certainly mention flow cups and rotary viscometers.

PH

Although automobiles were initially made of steel to balance the cost between durability and workability, aluminum is more widely used nowadays, as it’s lighter in weight without sacrificing safety.

Specifically, the paint and coatings provide the corrosion protection of these metals. Therefore, a series of steps are employed to prepare the chassis and other car components for such protection.

In general, corrosion can be reduced through pH control and the use of corrosion inhibitors.

To check the pH in the paint production unit, manufacturers can rely on tools such as portable pH meters, thanks to which, they can test the pH anytime, anywhere, quickly and easily.

Conductivity

After electrodeposition, the accumulation of excess paint that adheres to the surface, but not bound to it is rinsed through an ultrafiltration unit, to ensure the uniformity of the surface.

However, this can create a water-stain contamination problem on the coated surface. To avoid this phenomenon, well-deionized water is used. Therefore, conductivity must be constantly monitored to ensure positive results.

For this phase, it is essential to have a reliable conductivity meter.

In photo: portable pH meters

Quality control post-production

We have seen some critical aspects of quality control before painting the body and the car components. Now it’s time to see how to ensure high quality even after the end of production.

Once the paint and coatings are applied, colorimetric measuring tools must be used to ensure high quality results. Let’s take a look at some of these tools.

Spectrophotometers

The spectrophotometer is one of the most high performing tools for painting in the automotive sector.

Two objects, which are illuminated in the same way, may have the same color, under a given light source, but a different color, under a different light source. Therefore, two objects of the same color, but produced at different times and with non-identical products, can reflect light in different ways.

Spectrophotometers use the principle of combined spectroscopy, which is to separate light according to a certain wavelength range. This way, they carry out the complete spectrographic analysis of the color, covering the entire wavelength of the painted piece, confirming the spectral curves and the metamerism. This allows one to verify that an entire production batch has the same color, guaranteeing repeatability and consistency.

If you are interested in light and color analysis, please read this article on our blog to learn more about spectrophotometers.

Color Difference Meters

This tool, also known as a colorimeter, allows you to measure color differences to check their uniformity. To find out more about color difference meters, click here.

Glossmeters

The glossmeter is an interesting tool for the automotive industry as it allows one to determine the gloss and brightness of the paint; two essential characteristics that makes the car much more appealing to the human eye.

If you’re curious about how it works, read everything you need to know about the glossmeter here.

Other indispensable tools for production include: thickness gauges for paints and coatings and hardness and cross hatch testers to check the durability of coatings. The point is that quality control is a must in this industry.

You can also learn more about this topic by reading our article about the 10 Instruments for First-Class industrial Coating.

The calibration of instruments in the automotive sector

Last but not least, we must remember about calibration. These tools must be calibrated to ensure accurate and reliable results, which is why we consider it a priority service for all our customers.

Why calibrate measuring instruments?

The calibration of the measuring instruments is absolutely necessary to be in accordance with the UNI EN ISO 9001, and more specifically with paragraph 7.6, which deals with the management of the measuring equipment.

We have already explored this important topic.

Who is responsible for the calibration of the measuring instruments?

Calibrations can be performed both by independent laboratories that offer their services to different companies and by laboratories within the company itself, as long as they adhere to the same legal requirements as external laboratories.

When is an instrument considered calibrated?

An instrument is said to be calibrated when it’s subjected to a sort of “photograph” which helps to define the metrological characteristics of the instrument itself. This service is optional when purchasing the instrument and takes place by means of comparing measurements with a reference instrument, called a sample.

S.A.M.A. Italia can assist your company’s needs, both by providing you with the measuring instruments mentioned in this article, and by providing our calibration services.

We can issue calibration reports with traceability to primary samples, or we can provide you with ACCREDIA certificates, in collaboration with the best accredited laboratories.

Do you have other questions about the differences between these two services? Don’t worry because our technicians receive dozens of requests like this every day and are always available to assist you.

If you want your instruments calibrated but you’re not sure if you need to receive a calibration report or a LAT certificate, contact us. There’s no obligation.

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