A high quality finish is the top priority of many industries handling gloss. Orange peel and haze caused by coating formulation, substrate, as well as application and technique conditions can cause a finish to fall flat. To ensure the highest quality, one must test for these effects that can reduce visual quality, a task that a standard gloss meter cannot do. The Rhopoint IQ-S is a unique Tri-Gloss Meter that can measure these appearance effects
in addition to providing gloss values at three angles. Measurements like these are highly valuable in industries handling products where the gloss or surface appearance is vital to the products. To name a few of these types of industries are automotive, aerospace, consumer electronics and many more. IQ-S is specifically suited for low gloss measurement at 60˚, with improved accuracy for measurement of low gloss samples (< 10 gloss units) and can be used for materials such as paint, plastic, leather, automotive interior trim. Typically a 60˚ gloss meter should not be used under 10 GU due to the fact that it has a non-linear response, however, the Rhopoint IQ-S overcomes this problem through more accurate calibration over this range.
Haze can be defined as the light that has been reflected by small surface structures adjacent to the main specular component. Haze can have a significant effect on the quality of a finish. A no-haze surface shows deep reflection whereas a surface with haze shows a loss of reflective contrast. It is often visible as a milky or cloudy finish on high gloss surfaces. On a curved surface such as an automobile, low haze will show minimal halos, while a hazy surface shows multiple halos. There are several causes of haze between coating and raw materials, curling and post coating. Dispersion, particle size and pigment properties all can cause haze during the coating process. Drying conditions and cure temperature affect haze during curing while polishing marks and oxidization may arise post coating.
Orange peel, a surface texture that resembles the skin of an orange, also affects the quality of a finish. Many different incidents can cause orange peel during application and coating. The distinctness of image, or DOI, is the aspect of gloss characterized by the sharpness of images of objects produced by reflection on a surface.
The Rhopoint IQ-S measures all aspects of reflective appearance with a new highly – sensitive, high-resolution sensor, which allows for improved measurement of visual quality. A feature that separates this instrument from a standard gloss meter is the benefit of a high definition 512-element LDA at 20°+/- 7.25°. It is sensitive enough to detect finish differences to get the most accurate measurements possible. The 512-element sensor mathematically determines the gloss angle while a standard gloss meter has trouble measuring non-flat surfaces.
Thanks to the Rhopoint IQ-S, haze and orange peel are things of the past. Now you can get more extensive, reliable and consistent measurements than the standard gloss meter can deliver. Use the Rhopoint IQ-S and yield the highest quality finish.