New Rhopoint TAMS (Total Appearance Measurement System)

New Rhopoint TAMS (Total Appearance Measurement System) - Image 2

New Rhopoint TAMS (Total Appearance Measurement System)

NEW metrics for paint appearance measurements
Suitable for raw materials, e-coats, primers, top coat and clear coat
Characterization of common surface irregularities including defects, waviness and roughness

Category: Surface and Appearance Analysis

Description

What is the Rhopoint TAMS^®?

Instrumental analysis of surface appearance, roughness and waviness in the automotive painting process.

A product jointly developed by Rhopoint Instruments and Volkswagen AG. A beautiful smooth finish is a key aim when painting a vehicle. The quality of this finish is determined by the surface roughness & waviness of the raw material to be painted and the effectiveness of each subsequent coating process as well as any polishing or sanding operations.

The coating system is built of many layers. As each layer is applied, it tends to smooth the material. Measuring the surface at each stage gives opportunities to optimize the overall paint process and understand the factors which most influence the final appearance.

The Rhopoint TAMS® can measure and map surfaces at all stages of paint processes from raw material to final topcoat.

This innovative device has many of the advantages of the high-resolution analytical tools combined with the portability and accessibility of a hand held device.

What Does Rhopoint TAMS Measure?

What does Rhopoint TAMS^® measure?

Optimap3, the unique portable solution for surface inspection, allows rapid large area measurement and analysis of all types of coated or uncoated surfaces.

To evaluate the suitability of raw materials, to optimize individual processes and to build a complete picture of how the quality of the final product is influenced at each paint stage, analytical data is needed to understand how each paint process fills, smooths and masks the underlying roughness from the base material such as steel and aluminum.

Widely used laboratory devices producing 3D topographical maps with a sub-micron accuracy and resolution can only be used off-line, and measurement time is also a limiting factor as capturing a representative area on a surface may take many minutes or even hours. The high costs of the equipment and complexity of use usually limit deployment of analytical tools to central development functions in the OEM.

Fully portable TAMS® measures these surfaces with sub micron resolution, in situ in under 10 seconds . Measurements are taken according to DIN EN ISO 4287 (like optical Ra), or DIN EN ISO 25178 for a real topographic information (like Sa), but all topographic information may be exported in open *.res format for deeper analysis with commercial topographical analysis software.

The Rhopoint TAMS® can measure:

Waviness
Contrast
Dominant Structure Size
Sharpness

The Rhopoint TAMS® Technologies:

Phase Measurement Deflectometry (PMD)
Provides ISO 16610 compliant high-resolution 3D altiude maps
Consistent readings of raw materials, surfaces in the painting process

The Production of E-coating

The intermediate production step of E-coating (also known as Electrophoretic Painting, Electrocoating, Electropainting etc.) is a high-tech process that has a impact on the final quality and thus requires as much control as any other production step.

Controlling the E-coat with Rhopoint TAMS® and its advanced quality parameters, e.g. ISO GPS texture analysis topographic roughness indices like Sa, gives complete documentary overview of the paint process.

This can result not only in better final quality but also in lower unit costs.

Topographical Analysis Software

All measurements are compatible with Rhopoint’s own free image analysis software “Optimap Reader” included in the price of the TAMS®.

Similar to the Raw Material mode, all topographic measurements taken are compatible with Rhopoint‘s Optimap Reader software or any commercial topographical analysis software.

Not only relevant topographic indices can be analyzed. For simplicity, Rhopoint TAMS® enables easy documentation and reporting by using Rhopoint Quality indices to judge overall quality of an E-coat.

Clear Coat Measurement

Clear coat measurement

For maximum visual impact, an automotive paint finish must instantly produce an appealing visual sensation for the customer

Improved correlation to visual perception and its easily communicated parameters gives the Rhopoint TAMS® a major advantage other methods currently used in the automotive industry which product complex results.

The appearance quality, as judged by the consumer, is determined by surface texture which reduces its visual impact.

Clear coat measurements are made by the Rhopoint TAMS® by measuring a 2D area of the surface from a fixed measurement position.

Rhopoint TAMS Measurement

Measurement that match visual perception

Measurements that match visual perception

In addition to providing major surface parameters, customer visual preferences can be judged by unique Quality and Harmony indices.

Quality

One single value predicting the visual rating of the total appearance quality of a surface, with 100% indicating a smooth finish with perfect image forming characteristics.

Harmony

Based on extensive human perception research by Volkswagen AG and AUDI AG this value indicates the acceptability of adjacent parts.

A value of >1.0 indicates that parts are not similar and if viewed together (e.g. door to door) will detract the eye from overall visual quality.

Ethically Sustainable

The Rhopoint TAMS is made from an all aluminium construction which means it can be recycled at the end of its long life.

Sample results and correlation

Features

Specifications

Downloads

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