Introduction

The size and frequency of surface structures on substrates affect the quality of gloss coatings. Paint orange peel texture, named after its appearance, can develop from substrate influence and paint application technique. Texture problems are commonly quantified by waviness, wavelength, and the visual effect they have on gloss coatings. The smallest textures result in gloss reduction while larger textures result in visible ripples on the coated surface. Understanding the development of these textures and its relation to substrates and techniques are critical to quality control.

Importance of Profilometry for Texture Measurement

Unlike traditional 2D instruments used to measure gloss texture, 3D non-contact measurement quickly provides a 3D image used to understand surface characteristics with the added ability to quickly investigate areas of interest. Without speed and 3D review, a quality control environment would solely rely on 2D information that gives little predictability of the entire surface. Understanding textures in 3D allows for the best selection of processing and control measures. Assuring quality control of such parameters heavily relies on quantifiable, reproducible, and reliable inspection. Nanovea 3D Non-Contact Profilometers utilize chromatic confocal technology to have the unique capability to measure the steep angles found during fast measurement. Nanovea Profilometers succeed where other techniques fail to provide reliable data due to probe contact, surface variation, angle, or reflectivity.

Measurement Objective

In this application, the Nanovea HS2000L measures the paint orange peel texture of a gloss paint. There are endless surface parameters automatically calculated from the 3D surface scan. Here we analyze a scanned 3D surface by quantifying the characteristics of the paint orange peel texture.

The Nanovea HS2000L quantified isotropy and height parameters of the orange peel paint. The orange peel texture quantified the random pattern direction with 94.4% isotropy. Height parameters quantify the texture with a 24.84µm height difference.

The bearing ratio curve in Figure 4 is a graphical representation of the depth distribution. This is an interactive feature within the software that allows the user to view distributions and percentages at varying depths. An extracted profile in Figure 5 gives useful roughness values for the orange peel texture. Peak extraction above a 144 micron threshold shows the orange peel texture. These parameters are easily adjusted to other areas or parameters of interest.

Conclusion

In this application, the Nanovea HS2000L 3D Non-Contact Profilometer precisely characterizes both topography and nanometer details of the paint orange peel texture on a gloss coating. Areas of interest from 3D surface measurements are quickly identified and analyzed with many useful measurements (Dimension, Roughness Finish Texture, Shape Form Topography, Flatness Warpage Planarity, Volume Area, Step-Height, etc.). Quickly chosen 2D cross-sections provide a complete set of surface measurement resources on gloss texture. Special areas of interest can be further analyzed with an integrated AFM module. Nanovea 3D Profilometer’s speed ranges from <1 mm/s to 500 mm/s for suitability in research applications to the needs of high-speed inspection. Nanovea 3D Profilometers have a wide range of configurations to suit your application.