Elcometer 480 Gloss Meters

Why measure Gloss? Visual appearance can determine a person's perception of a product.

Perception is subjective. A key measurement parameter used to define and quantify a product's overall visual quality is gloss.

Gloss is measured by directing a constant intensity light beam, at a fixed angle, on to the test surface and then monitoring the amount of reflected light from the same angle. This specular reflectance is measured using a glossmeter.

Different surfaces require different reflective angles.

High Gloss

Surfaces with a brilliant or highly polished finish reflect images clearly. This distinct reflection is caused by the incident light reflecting on the surface in a specular direction.

Semi & Matt Gloss

Surfaces reflect images less distinctly and with reduced intensity. On semi or matt surfaces light not only reflects in a specular direction but also is scattered causing the reflected image to appear diffused.

Choosing the correct angle for gloss measurement Gloss measurement is based on the amount of light reflected on the surface relative to a polished glass reference standard, measured in Gloss Units (GU). The amount of light that is reflected on the surface is dependent on the angle of incidence and the properties of the surface.

Gloss is categorised as either matt, semi or high gloss. In order to determine the most appropriate measurement angle start with a glossmeter set at a 60° angle of incidence.

If the result is between 10 - 70GU, the coating is termed 'semi-gloss' and should be measured using the 60° angle. If the result is less than 10GU, the product is 'low gloss' and should be measured using the 85° angle and if it is greater than 70GU, the product is known as 'high gloss' and should be measured using the 20° angle.

All three angles should be recorded (20, 60 & 85°) when measuring gloss on anodised metals to ensure a complete understanding of the specular reflectance between the coating and the metal substrate. Gloss Range 60° value Measure with High Gloss > 70GU 20° Semi Gloss 10 - 70GU 60° Low/ Matt < 10GU 85° % Reflectance (%) % Reflectance compares the amount of light energy transmitted and received by a glossmeter and expresses the value as a percentage.

The shinier a surface is, the closer the value will be to 100%. Whilst the Gloss Unit (GU) scale is linear, each angle of incidence has a different measurement range; 0 - 2000GU (20°), 0 - 1000GU (60°), 0 - 160GU (85°). % Reflectance displays the measurement value as a percentage relative to the selected angle of incidence.

For example, a value of 1000GU at 20° would be expressed as 50%20 and 500GU would be expressed as 25%20, but at 60° this would be expressed as 50%60.

Haze (HU)

Haze causes a drop in reflected contrast and causes 'halos' to appear around the reflected light sources, dramatically reducing the visual quality. In accordance with ASTM D4039 haze is defined as the numeric difference between the specular reflectance at 60° and 20°.

This is expressed in Haze Units (HU)

Elcometer 480 Glossmeter Small, robust & ergonomic 3 - 10 readings per second Repeatable, reproducible & accurate Multiple angles - 20°, 60°, 85° 40,000 reading memory in up to 2,500 batches Date and time stamped readings USB & Bluetooth ® data output PC, iPhone or Android™ compatible Automatic gauge & tile diagnostics Auto calibration tile recognition via RFID (Radio Frequency Identification; patent applied for) 40 user definable limit standards Standard, auto repeat and scan modes Differential mode with pass/fail The Model Range The Elcometer 480 Glossmeter is available as either a simple entry level 60° glossmeter or state of the art Single, Dual or Triple angle gloss meter variants. The Elcometer 480 Glossmeter is available with (Model T) or without (Model B) memory.

The Elcometer 480 Model B gloss meter is a 60° unit, Model T gloss meters are available as single, dual or triple angle variants with %Reflectance and Haze. .

Accuracy & Repeatability

Advanced electronics and a superior optical design combines highly accurate, repeatable and reproducible measurements with industry leading inter-instrument agreement - across its entire 0-2,000GU range. Range 0-10GU 10-100GU 100-2000GU Repeatability ±0.1GU ±0.2GU ±0.2% Reproducibility ±0.2GU ±0.5GU ±0.5% Calibration and Diagnostics Every Elcometer 480 Gloss Tile is fitted with an RFID (radio frequency identification) tag which allows automatic identification of the tile's serial number and calibration data when the tile is attached to the base of the gauge.Additional calibration tiles are available from the range of Elcometer 480 accessories Measurement Speed The Elcometer 480's rapid LED technology accurately and repeatably measures up to 3 angles at the same time.

Standard Mode 1+ reading per second, (70+ readings per minute); < 0.3 seconds per angle Auto Repeat Mode 3 readings per second, (180 readings per minute); ~ 0.1 seconds per angle Scan Mode 10 readings per second, (600 readings per minute); ~ 0.03 seconds per angle Display Modes Fully customisable, scratch and solvent resistant colour LCD allows the user to display: Gloss, % Reflectance or Haze readings Statistics Readings and Differential with pass/fail Trend Graph Analogue Scan Bar Triple angle readings Gloss, Haze & %Reflectance Readings & user selectable statistics Readings & differential - pass / fail Run chart & statistics Readings & differential with analogue scan bar Standard, Auto Repeat & Scan Modes No two inspections are the same. It is for this reason that the Elcometer 480 is equipped with three measurement modes: Standard Mode : Press the measure button to take an individual spot measurement.

Auto Repeat Mode : When the glossmeter is slid over the surface a measurement of all three angles is automatically taken at a user definable rate between 10 - 180 readings per minute. When enabled all the individual readings are stored into memory.

Scan Mode : As the glossmeter slides over the entire surface area the gauge measures all three angles at a continuous rate of 10 readings per second. When stopped, the gauge displays and stores the average, highest and lowest values - ideal for checking a sample's overall uniformity.

Memory and Batching

Store 40,000 date and timed stamped readings in up to 2,500 user definable alpha-numeric batches. Readings can be transferred to PC, iPhone, Android™ or other mobile devices via USB or Bluetooth ® for instant reporting using ElcoMaster ® software Limit Standards and Differential Mode with Pass / Fail When visual appearance is critical Master Standards are created.

These are generated and approved by the customer and then used by manufacturers as part of their quality control inspection regime. As these Master Standards have been visually approved they often do not have numerical gloss values assigned.

In order to avoid subjectivity between inspectors, the Elcometer 480 can automatically generate and store the nominal (target), highest & lowest acceptable gloss values (Limits) from the Master Standard. Up to 40 Limits for each customer's Master Standards can be stored within, and recalled from, the gauge's 'Limit Standard' memory.

When Limit Standards are used in combination with the gauge's Differential Mode, the Elcometer 480 displays the measurement value together with the difference from the nominal (target) value. Readings outside the Limit Standard are displayed in red, providing quick Pass/Fail analysis.

Due to the Elcometer 480's industry leading inter-instrument agreement, once a Master Standard Limit has been created, the gauge can transfer these values to other Elcometer 480 glossmeters, via the ElcoMaster ® software's Library of Limit Standards, at any time. Information from multiple glossmeters can be combined into a single inspection report within ElcoMaster ® , ideal for multiple production and assembly lines.

Create instant reports with ElcoMaster ® What you do with the collected data is just as important as taking the readings themselves. ElcoMaster ® is a fast, easy to use software solution for all your data management and quality assurance needs, preparing professional inspection reports at the click of a button.

Data transferred to ElcoMaster ® includes; 20° 60° & 85° Gloss Units (GU) Haze Unit (HU) % Reflectance (%) Date & time for each reading Limit Standard values Batch information & statistics Calibration information including date/time, serial number & tile values Whether you are in the field or on the factory floor, using the ElcoMaster ® Mobile App users can; Store live readings directly on to a mobile device and save them into batches View graphs in real-time whilst carrying out the inspection Add notes to individual batch reading Add photographs of the test surface to each individual batch reading at the click of a button Plot individual readings on to a location Map photograph or diagram via the mobile device's internal GPS Inspection data can be transferred from mobile to PC for further analysis and reporting Generate instant .pdf report for submission The new ElcoMaster ® is a fast, easy to use software solution for all your reporting requirements