Machine measures coating thickness

Paper makers, the steel and aluminium and food packaging industries may benefit from a new instrument that can measure the thickness of a fine coating as it is being applied.

The OMNI is one of the applications of the Thin Film Measurement Instrument, developed by CSIRO. The technology offers manufacturers the ability to quality control automatic coating processes.

It is used to measure the thickness of transparent solid or liquid layers on rough and smooth surfaces over a range of less than a nanometre to micrometres.

According to CSIRO scientist Dr Scott Martin the technology is able to measure coating thickness in real time, which will make it easier to assure the consistency and uniformity of a layer. This will remove the need for downstream sampling.

The OMNI is now available on a purpose built basis. Using non-contact optical technology in a patented solid-state compact design it is possible to collect data, in real time, at high speed in hostile (ie factory conditions where heat, moisture, dust and other conditions make measurements difficult) environments.

Variants are available to suit particular classes of industrial processes: the sensing head can be mounted on a scanner system to enable monitoring of the full width of a manufactured product.

Some industrial processes prohibit positioning the instrument close to the product - a new development in 2000 was a version of this instrument that will work up to one metre from the surface of the product.

Item provided courtesy of Science Industry