This section provides an overview for surface roughness measuring gages as well as their applications and principles. Also, please take a look at the list of 10 surface roughness measuring gage manufacturers and their company rankings. Here are the top-ranked surface roughness measuring gage companies as of June, 2023: 1.Toolsavings, LLC, 2.Accusize Industrial Tools, 3.AppMet.
Table of Contents
Surface roughness measuring gauges are measuring instruments used to evaluate the state of microscopic irregularities on the surface of a workpiece as a numerical value.
In the past, surface roughness was evaluated subjectively by inspectors visually or by touching the surface with their fingers or fingernails. A surface roughness measuring gauge makes it possible to control the desired condition of a workpiece surface using quantitative values.
Surface roughness measuring gauges are mainly used to analyze minute surface irregularities, for example, to check the finish of metal products. Surface roughness is especially important for metal products that come in contact with other parts, and is a very important factor in the field of tribology, which specializes in friction and wear.
Surface roughness is often used to evaluate the sliding surfaces of mechanical parts and the rolling surfaces of rotating shafts and bearings. It is also used in a wide range of other fields, such as medical care, research and development, and production sites.
Surface roughness measuring gauges are classified into the following two types. Since there are significant differences in the shapes and materials that each method is good at measuring, appropriate operation is required according to the purpose.
The contact type measures by directly touching the object to be measured with a stylus. Although this method provides measurement results of the surface profile itself, it is not possible to measure a shape smaller than the diameter of the stylus or a part that cannot be physically touched, such as a narrow part where the stylus cannot enter.
In addition, since direct contact is involved, the stylus needs to be replaced periodically, which may damage the object to be measured. In particular, when measuring hard objects such as metals, the stylus may be damaged if it is accidentally pressed with more force than necessary. Handle with care.
The non-contact method uses light instead of a stylus to perform measurement. Typical examples are the confocal method, which measures by reading the reflected light of irradiated light, and the white interference method, which measures by interference fringes created by synthesizing the reflected light of the object to be measured and the mirror when white light is irradiated.
The non-contact method is characterized by its short measurement time, but it cannot measure well in areas where light cannot reach or in shapes where reflection cannot be obtained properly. It is necessary to measure from multiple directions by changing the placement of the object to be measured, or by cutting a portion of the part to allow light to reach it.
There are a great many definitions and parameters for evaluating surface roughness, but the best known is arithmetic mean roughness, which is written with the symbol Ra. It is often used because it is an image of calculating the average value of an uneven surface. In some cases, parameters other than arithmetic mean roughness may be desirable, such as in bearings, where the depth and size of the grooves that collect oil may affect the function of the part.
Other known parameters include maximum height roughness (Rz) and ten-point average roughness (Ry). Roughness parameters are defined in ISO and JIS, but they have been revised several times, so care should be taken when looking at old drawings.
In general, the stylus of contact-type surface roughness measuring gauge is subject to wear and requires periodic replacement. If the tip of the stylus is chipped, it cannot measure correctly, so it is important to check it periodically with a magnifying glass.
The material used for the stylus is diamond or sapphire, which are very hard materials that may damage the surface of the object to be measured. Particular care should be taken when repeatedly measuring the same spot or moving the stylus at a high speed.
*Including some distributors, etc.
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Mitutoyo America Corporation was founded in Aurora, Illinois in 1963 by Mitutoyo Corporation of Japan as its American sales, marketing, and service subsidiary. The company provides parts service, manufacturing, and turnkey solutions for metrology equipment for aerospace, alternative energy, automotive, semiconductor, and other industries. The company’s product offerings include coordinate measuring machines, sensor systems, test equipment, and vision measuring equipment customized for customer needs. The company’s services include calibration and repair, installation, contract part programming, and training and education for operation as well as calibration.
Micro Quality Calibration Inc MQC) was founded in 1978 as a technology-oriented calibration, repair, testing, and first article inspection facility for precision measurement test equipment. MCQ follows in strict compliance of ISO-9000 (series 1, 2, 3, and 4) specifications. MCQ offers services in calibration, inspection testing, repair, database management, and analytics. Calibration services are often provided for automotive, electrical components, aerospace, and secure communications, for which MCQ is ISO 17025 accredited.
Toolsavings, LLC is based in Chicago, Illinois and is a supplier and distributor of industrial supplies for both individual and corporate customers. Toolsavings offers an extensive catalog spanning over 10 categories such as Cutting Tools, Toolholding, Air and Power Tools, Fasteners, and Measuring Instruments from brands such as 3M and Destaco. Cutting tools include drills, reamers, and saws. Toolholding includes boring heads, retention knobs, and sawholders. Air and Power Tools includes blow guns, grinders, and tire gages. Fasteners includes screws and pins. Measuring instruments includes calipers, microscopes, and squares.
AppMet, Inc was founded in 1993 in North Charleston, South Carolina. AppMet is a calibration and testing company offering dimensional, physical & mechanical, and electronic & electrical calibration services in climate-controlled laboratories as well as on-site calibrations when possible. AppMet is ISO/IEC 17025 as well as Full Service ISO-99001 certified. Electronic calibrations are made with all types of electrical and electronic test equipment from analog multimeters to RF spectrum analyzers. Physical and mechanical calibrations and tests are performed with equipment ranging from analytical balances to vacuum gages. Dimensional calibrations are performed with equipment ranging from 1-2-3 blocks to angle plates to thickness gages.
Precision Calibration Systems was started in 2009 and is headquartered in Morristown, Tennessee. The company is a full-service ISO 17025 accredited calibration laboratory providing both small firms and Fortune 500 companies in automotive, manufacturing, aerospace, food & drug, and other industries with calibration services for a wide range of measuring instruments. The company offers onsite and in-house calibration services on many types of devices such as medical thermometers, analytical balance scales, pneumatic pressure gauges, optical comparators, and electrical multimeters. The company also offers equipment sales from companies such as Mitutoyo, Starrett, Tohnichi, and Ametek.
Accusize Industrial Tools was born in Toronto, Canada in 2008. Accusize is a distributor of measuring tools, cutting tools, and machine tools for metalworking companies. A portion of offerings that Accusize offers includes collet blocks, expanding arbors, air tools, power tools, die maker tools, annular cutters, bore gages, boring bars, boring heads, BT40 tooling, CAT40 tooling, calibration, layout, & machine setting tools, calipers & attachments, carbide inserts, end mills, force gauges, and metrology and material testing equipment.
MSI-Viking Gage, LLC was founded over 50 years ago and is headquartered in Duncan, South Carolina. MSI-Viking provides manufacturing support to the automotive, aerospace, metals, plastics, medical, energy, food & beverage, and machining industries. MSI-Viking product offerings include 3D scanning systems, 3D additive manufacturing, air gages, bore & hole gages, calipers, CMMs, computed tomography, data collection, depth gages, fixture systems, indicators, laboratory equipment, vision systems, and thread gages among others. Services include calibration, metrology, repair, embedded services, training, and metrology pre-op services.
Ranking as of June 2023 in United States of America
Derivation MethodRank | Company | Click Share |
---|---|---|
1 | Toolsavings, LLC | 33.3% |
2 | Accusize Industrial Tools | 33.3% |
3 | AppMet | 33.3% |
Ranking as of June 2023 Globally
Derivation MethodRank | Company | Click Share |
---|---|---|
1 | Toolsavings, LLC | 18.2% |
2 | Accusize Industrial Tools | 18.2% |
3 | Chris-Marine AB | 9.1% |
4 | Filmetrics | 9.1% |
5 | Mitutoyo America Corporation | 9.1% |
6 | Thread Check Inc. | 9.1% |
7 | Precision Calibration Systems, LLC | 9.1% |
8 | Micro Quality Calibration, Inc. | 9.1% |
9 | AppMet | 9.1% |
Derivation Method
The ranking is calculated based on the click share within the surface roughness measuring gage page as of June 2023. Click share is defined as the total number of clicks for all companies during the period divided by the number of clicks for each company.Number of Employees
Newly Established Company
Company with a History