Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge Tutorial
Guide to Plastic Thickness Gauges and Measurement
Plastic, Fiberglass, and Composites
As the use of nonmetallic engineering materials in manufacturing has increased, so has the need to measure their wall thickness for quality control. Most common plastics, fiberglass, and composites can be measured ultrasonically using plastic thickness gauges, with access to only one side of a material required. Precision ultrasonic plastic thickness gauges can help manufacturers ensure industry standards for quality and safety.
What Plastics Can Be Measured Using Ultrasonic Plastic Thickness Gauges?
Some common examples include:
- Bottles and containers: Manufacturers of blow-molded bottles and roto-molded containers need to check wall thickness, which is usually inaccessible to micrometers. Ultrasonic gauging can measure without needing to cut the bottles or containers.
- Plastic pipe: Both in-line and off-line measurement of plastic pipe wall thickness can be performed to ensure concentricity.
- Plastic tubing: Small tubing with diameters as small as 2 mm or 0.080 in., including catheters and other including medical tubing, can be measured with focused transducers.
- Cable jacket and wire insulation: Thickness of plastic insulation on both large and small electrical and fiber optic cable can be measured to ensure concentricity and compliance with minimum thickness specifications.
- Plastic preforms: Both structural plastic and barrier layers can be measured in the preform stage to help ensure proper thickness in the final product.
- Multilayer containers and tanks: Ultrasonic plastic thickness gauges can measure gas barrier and other layer thicknesses in multilayer bottles, food containers, fuel tanks, and similar products.
- Fiberglass pipes and tanks: These products can be measured both in manufacturing and following installation to verify wall thickness and detect delaminations.
- Fiberglass boats: Boat manufacturers and marine surveyors can measure hull thickness using high-penetration gauges if necessary for larger boats. Gelcoat thickness can also be measured with a second setup.
- Composite structures: Aerospace composites in the form of wing and body panels, radomes, and similar fabrications can be measured for thickness and tested for delaminations with simple ultrasonic gauges.
Plastic Thickness Gauges
The following thickness gauges are well suited to the accurate thickness measurement of plastic materials. These gauges can also be utilized to measure the thickness of other materials, such as metals and glass.
72DL PLUS
The 72DL PLUS™ advanced ultrasonic thickness gauge delivers precision thickness measurements at high speed in a portable, easy-to-use device. Compatible with single element transducers up to 125 MHz, this innovative thickness measuring tool is ideally suited to determine the thickness of ultra-thin materials, including multilayer paint, coatings, and plastic. It can simultaneously display the thickness of up to 6 layers.
45MG
The 45MG advanced ultrasonic thickness gauge is packed with standard measurement features and software options. This unique thickness measuring tool is compatible with our complete range of dual element and single element thickness gauge transducers.
Magna-Mike 8600
The Magna-Mike™ 8600 Hall-effect thickness gauge uses a magnetic probe to accurately measure the thickness of nonferrous and thin materials such as plastic bottles.
39DL PLUS
The 39DL PLUS™ gauge is field-proven and reliable for virtually every ultrasonic thickness inspection. It works as a precision or corrosion thickness gauge to meet the challenges of demanding applications across industries, including maintenance, manufacturing, and energy production. With world-class ultrasonic capability, fast scanning speeds, and fully integrated wireless connectivity, this handheld gauge delivers results you can trust in a seamless workflow.
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