Testex Replica Tape is a long-known method for characterizing a surface. It is simple, relatively inexpensive, and shows good correlation with results from other methods. It has the advantages of ruggedness, relatively low start-up cost, good repeatability and the option of retaining a physical replica of the surface being evaluated. The method is widely used and widely understood. It is particularly useful for measurements on curved surfaces that are difficult to measure directly with other instruments.

It is therefore not surprising that it has become the most popular field method for measuring surface profile. Its operation is described in a number of international standards including ASTM D4417, ISO 8503-5, NACE SP0287, and AS 3894.5.

The PosiTector RTR 3D arrives fully calibrated and ready to measure. A Long-Form Certificate of Calibration traceable to PTB (for H and HL only) and NPL (for Ra and Rt) is included, which documents actual Rt and Ra readings taken by your instrument at our calibration laboratory on standards traceable to a national metrology institute. Beware of 'Certificates' or 'Certificates of Conformance' offered by competitors. These typically do not include actual instrument readings, and are often insufficient to meet common quality requirements.

A black and white two dimensional (2D) image is essentially a photograph of the burnished tape. It reveals a pattern of dark and light spots similar to what you might see if you put the replica tape in front of a light source. The bright areas are higher compressed tape (peaks) and dark areas are lower compressed tape (valleys). This image can be exported for inspection reports. Advanced models only.

The PosiTector RTR 3D uses a light intensity versus thickness algorithm to produce three dimensional (3D) images of the replicated surface. A low-resolution color image is quickly generated and displayed on the PosiTector which can also be exported into inspection reports. Advanced models only.

3D Thumbnail Images What software does DeFelsko recommend for use with the PosiTector RTR 3D?

The FREE PosiSoft Desktop software provides a simple, easy to use interface to import and analyze high-resolution .sdf files generated by the PosiTector RTR 3D. Within PosiSoft Desktop, a trace from the 3D plot can be analyzed, filtering settings can be modified, and 2D and 3D parameters can be viewed. If more detailed analysis is required, DeFelsko recommends OmniSurf and OmniSurf 3D produced by Digital Metrology (www.digitalmetrology.com).