GENERAL/OTHER

SolveTech specializes in thickness measurement of plastic film products or any material that meets the following guidelines:

• Non-conductive
• No excessive heat or moisture

SolveTech's Measurement Theory

Figure 1 - Simplified Measurement Head (single channel) showing an electric field between two measurement electrodes.

The basic set-up: SolveTech's measurement head generates an electric field between two measurement electrodes. When a material is placed in the field, it will respond to the imposed electrical stress. For insulating materials, the resulting polarization of the material has a proportionality constant which is referred to as the Dielectric Constant. This polarization response is a basic property of the material. The gauge is sensitive to the degree in which the material responds. In addition, the gauging system allows for the response to be calibrated into meaningful measurement units.

Figure 2 - When a material is placed in the gap, it will respond to the electric field. The gauge contains circuitry which is sensitive to this response.

How will you material respond to an electric field? For materials which are uniform in comparison and structure, the dielectric response will increase as thickness or quantity of material increases. The gauge can be calibrated to read in standard units of thickness or weight/area. Since different types of materials can respond to varying degrees, a known thickness (or weight/area) of actual material of interest should be used to establish gauge calibration. Be alert to the fact that changes in moisture or temperature of the material being measured may cause the reading to shift.

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