RHOPOINT INSTRUMENTS LAUNCHES AESTHETIX,

THE ULTIMATE SURFACE CHARACTERISATION TOOL

Rhopoint Instruments has launched its new Aesthetix optical surface characterisation tool: a brand-new product of exceptional versatility containing a camera that mimics visual surface perception. Aesthetix is the ultimate in surface characterisation tools because it offers measurement of the following appearance characteristics:

• Traditional gloss and new perception-based contrast gloss
• Haziness and waviness of surface
• Reflected image sharpness
• Surface texture and roughness
• RGB colour analysis
• Sparkle and graininess

Rhopoint’s Aesthetix comprises a screenless hand-held sensor that combines built-in hardware as standard while offering customisation in design and use. When paired with Rhopoint’s modular Appearance Elements software, the hand-held Aesthetix sensor offers unrivalled versatility for surface measurement through the options afforded by exchangeable design components. The standard hand-held sensor has a magnetic base that is removable and interchangeable and allows for non-contact measurement of materials, as well as curved surfaces and small components, which further extends the versatility of the sensor.

Essentially, Aesthetix becomes the ultimate instrument for measuring high-gloss surfaces by overcoming the well-known limitations of traditional gloss meters. Aesthetix allows the measurement of haze, orange peel and poor DOI which are not characterised in traditional glossimetry techniques.

Aesthetix may be plugged directly into a Windows 10 or 11 compatible device and may also be used in conjunction with collaborative robots (‘cobots’) in automated workflows such as high-throughput experimentation. It works through USB-3.0 connection, operates without batteries and is ideally suited to the laboratory environment, but also offers some portability by being tablet-compatible. It also boasts no less than nine interior light sources – six of them arranged in a ring – and offers on-screen resolution of 10 μm/pixel – a power similar to a 100x laboratory microscope; Rhopoint Appearance Elements software facilitates digital image capture of any surface under analysis. The product is the result of extensive R&D co-operation with scientists at the University of Leuven in Belgium and a broader research co-operation with some of the world’s leading surface coatings manufacturers.

Rhopoint’s modular Appearance Elements software system is under continuous development and three different modules are already available to industry. These modules offer the metrics to measure surface brilliance, effect finishes and textures.

• The surface brilliance module offers a combination of metrics for the characterisation of any high-gloss surface by measuring the following: gloss, visual gloss, haze, sharpness, distinctness of image (DOI), waviness, luminance, and RGB colour.
• The effect finish module is for coatings containing effect pigments for sparkle and coarseness. It measures coarseness, RGB colour, luminance, haze, sparkle density, sparkle visibility, waviness and gloss and is ideal for companies in the automotive and consumer goods industries.
• The texture module is ideally suited to industries where textured surfaces and finishes are in widespread use such as automotive interiors, leather and powder coatings. It measures cell amplitude, cell count and size, reflectivity, luminance, RGB colour and gloss.

Further software modules will be released in the future.

Try it before you buy it! Rhopoint Instruments offer an online demonstration of Aesthetix with measurement of your surface samples LIVE on Microsoft Teams, which includes a consultation with an application specialist. Alternatively, you can submit samples of your company’s surface or surface finished material and receive a comprehensive report in return.

For more information on Aesthetix and the accompanying Appearance Elements software available from Rhopoint Instruments, visit www.rhopoinstinstruments.com or email sales@rhopointinstruments.com