ACCURACY OF REPLICATION OF SURFACE TEXTURE WITH A CONTACT PROFILE METHOD

Surface texture is of great importance in specifying the function of a surface. The surface finish of products influences the friction performance, wear resistance, bearing, sliding, lubricating properties, functionality, etc. Replicas of surface textures are widely used in many industries for evaluating the condition of textures when no measurable surfaces are available for measurements or in the case of non-dismantled objects of immense dimensions. The replication’s reliability and accuracy are significant concerns in actual applications. Although there are several parameters, Ra and Rz are still most often defined in technical product documentation as the indicators of whether a surface texture is within certain tolerance limits. In real production conditions, tactile stylus profilometers are still the most common instruments for measuring surface texture. For all the reasons mentioned above, the accuracy of the Technovit® 3040 replica was analysed. The quality of the Technovit® 3040 replica was researched on 15 samples processed with six conventional machining methods. Average roughness parameters Ra and Rz were measured on original surfaces and then compared to replica surfaces. A qualitative comparison of the profile geometries of original surfaces and their replicas was discussed.