Digital Glossmeter: A Comprehensive Guide to Measuring Surface Gloss

Gloss meter, also called digital glossmeter, is an instrument used to measure the surface gloss of ceramics, paints, inks, plastics, marble, aluminum, hardware and other materials. According to the angle, the precision gloss meter is divided into three types: gloss, medium gloss and low gloss.

Gloss is a surface property that can provide important information about surface quality. From building materials to automotive paint finishes, from medical devices to furniture, gloss can help us understand the quality of surfaces. With digital gloss meters, we can measure the gloss of surfaces accurately and quickly.

A digital gloss meter is an instrument used to measure surface gloss. It measures the reflectivity of a surface, as well as its uniformity and smoothness. It can help us better understand the quality of the surface, and whether the surface meets the requirements.

The main components of the digital glossmeter include: light source, reflector, sensor and computer control system. The light source is a light that emits steady light, the mirror is used to reflect the light onto the surface, the sensor is used to detect the reflected light, and the computer control system is used to calculate the reflectivity, smoothness and uniformity of the surface.

Measuring principle of gloss meter:
Gloss is a physical quantity that evaluates the ability of the surface of a material to reflect light under the specified geometric conditions, and has a direction-selective reflection property. Gloss is completely different from the concept of “smoothness” or “roughness” in the machining industry, which is a continuation of the slight unevenness of the surface of the material.

The measuring head of the instrument is composed of a transmitter and a receiver, and the transmitter is composed of an incandescent light source and a lens group, which produces a specified incident beam. The receiver consists of a lens and a photosensitive element for receiving the cone beam reflected from the sample surface. Specular Gloss is a relative measure of specular gloss.

The reference standard is black glass with a refractive index np=1.567. Assuming that the plane is in an ideally polished state, the natural light beam is mirror-reflected by the plane, and the gloss value at this time is defined as 100.0 gloss units.

According to the gloss value, the gloss board is divided into three types: high, medium and low. Gloss panels are made of black optical glass or other materials. Medium-gloss and low-gloss panels are available in glazed ceramic or black optical glass frosted.

The gloss meter uses the principle of light reflection to measure the gloss of the sample. That is: the sample is irradiated under the conditions of a specified incident angle and a specified beam, and the reflected light in the direction of the specular reflection angle is obtained. The gloss we usually refer to refers to “mirror gloss”.

Many optical properties of materials can be explained qualitatively by wave theory. According to the wave theory, the ratio of the energy W of the incident light passing through a unit area per unit time to the energy W of the reflected light can be derived.

Before using a digital glossmeter, proper surface preparation is required to ensure accurate measurements. The surface must be clean, free of stains, and must maintain a certain roughness for accurate measurements. The process of measuring surface gloss requires some experience.

First, determine the measurement requirements, such as reflectivity, smoothness, and uniformity requirements. Then, install the digital glossmeter in the right place to get the most accurate measurement results. Finally, a measurement is performed and compared to the requirements to determine if the surface meets the requirements.

Measuring principle of gloss meter:
Gloss is a physical quantity that evaluates the ability of the surface of a material to reflect light under the specified geometric conditions, and has a direction-selective reflection property. Gloss is completely different from the concept of “smoothness” or “roughness” in the machining industry, which is a continuation of the slight unevenness of the surface of the material.

The measuring head of the instrument is composed of a transmitter and a receiver, and the transmitter is composed of an incandescent light source and a lens group, which produces a specified incident beam. The receiver consists of a lens and a photosensitive element for receiving the cone beam reflected from the sample surface. Specular Gloss is a relative measure of specular gloss.

The reference standard is black glass with a refractive index np=1.567. Assuming that the plane is in an ideally polished state, the natural light beam is mirror-reflected by the plane, and the gloss value at this time is defined as 100.0 gloss units.

According to the gloss value, the gloss board is divided into three types: high, medium and low. Gloss panels are made of black optical glass or other materials. Medium-gloss and low-gloss panels are available in glazed ceramic or black optical glass frosted.

The gloss meter uses the principle of light reflection to measure the gloss of the sample. That is: the sample is irradiated under the conditions of a specified incident angle and a specified beam, and the reflected light in the direction of the specular reflection angle is obtained. The gloss we usually refer to refers to “mirror gloss”.

Many optical properties of materials can be explained qualitatively by wave theory. According to the wave theory, the ratio of the energy W of the incident light passing through a unit area per unit time to the energy W of the reflected light can be derived.

How to use the gloss meter
1. Turn on the instrument switch. Usually the power button of our gloss tester is the measurement button, long press the measurement button to start it!

2. Calibration. If the standard board is dirty, please wipe the standard board clean with a special lens cloth, and then buckle the main unit into the base. The main unit is not tightly attached to the standard board, please buckle it into the base again.

If there is a major change in the ambient temperature, the instrument should be restarted for measurement after the temperature of the instrument is close to the ambient temperature and after confirming that there is no condensation on the lens in the instrument test port and the standard plate on the base. Eliminate the above reasons, buckle the host into the base again, and the instrument will self-diagnose again. If the fault is eliminated, it will display “OK” and automatically enter the self-calibration mode.

3. Select the measurement mode. In order to cope with different usage environments, our gloss meter has a variety of modes, and you can choose according to your own needs.

4. Start measuring. The size of the measured sample should be larger than the measuring caliber of the gloss meter. If the surface has a certain curvature, a gloss meter with a smaller measuring caliber should be selected for testing.

In summary, a digital glossmeter is an important instrument used to measure surface gloss and it can provide important information about surface quality. Proper use of a digital glossmeter can ensure the accuracy of the measurement results and the quality of the surface meets the requirements.

Gloss meters AGM-580 are mainly used in the surface gloss measurement for paint, plastic, metal, ceramics, building materials. It conforms to the DIN67530, ISO2813, ASTM D523, JIS Z8741, BS 3900 Part D5, JJG696 standards and so on.

AGM-580_Gloss Meter with 3 Angles (20, 60 and 85º)

Features:
• Only 80 grams weight，size as small as name card
• Pass metrological certification
• Single measure time less than 1S
• Continuous measure 10000 times after rechargeable
• Auto Calibration (no need manual calibration, measure
immediately after power on, intelligent)
• Calibration base,Anti-pollution, calibration at any time,
to ensure long-term accuracy .

AGM-500PRO_Gloss Meter with Single Angle

Lisun Instruments Limited was found by LISUN GROUP in 2003. LISUN quality system has been strictly certified by ISO9001:2015. As a CIE Membership, LISUN products are designed based on CIE, IEC and other international or national standards. All products passed CE certificate and authenticated by the third party lab.

Our main products are Goniophotometer, Integrating Sphere, Spectroradiometer, Surge Generator, ESD Simulator Guns, EMI Receiver, EMC Test Equipment, Electrical Safety Tester, Environmental Chamber, Temperature Chamber, Climate Chamber, Thermal Chamber, Salt Spray Test, Dust Test Chamber, Waterproof Test, RoHS Test (EDXRF), Glow Wire Test and Needle Flame Test.

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