Appearance measurement system Rhopoint TAMS™

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Product overview
The Rhopoint TAMS™ (Total Appearance Measurement System) captures comprehensive surface appearance data using parameters that emulate human perception: contrast, sharpness, waviness, dimension, quality, harmony and topographic roughness. It measures surfaces from mid-gloss to high-gloss across stages such as e-coat, filler, basecoat and topcoat on aluminium and steel in the automotive process.

Raw Material Measurement
Delivers high-resolution 3D topographic maps to characterise how coating and paint processes fill, smooth and mask substrate roughness. Uses Phase Measurement Deflectometry (PMD) and Optimap Reader image analysis software for fast, high-resolution altitude maps. Metrics such as areal topography (Sa) and optical Ra align with ISO 16610, DIN EN ISO 25178 and DIN EN ISO 4287.

E-Coat Measurement
Evaluates electrophoretic coating quality with topographic roughness indices (Sa) and related metrics to support documentation, reporting and control of the e-coat process.

C-Coat Measurement

• Contrast – Quantifies visual impact of haze and orange-peel on high-contrast colours.
• Sharpness – Measures reflected image accuracy and clarity at showroom viewing distances.
• Waviness – Detects visible surface waves at showroom distance to assess appearance quality.
• Dimension – Indicates dominant structure size (typically 1–6 mm) important for harmony between adjacent panels.
• Quality – Calculated from Sharpness and Waviness to rate overall appearance (100% = smooth finish with ideal image formation).
• Harmony – Calculated from Waviness and Dimension to determine acceptability of adjacent parts (value >1.0 indicates dissimilarity).

Features

• Dual-focus camera to capture complete appearance data
• High-performance processor for fast operation
• Easy-to-navigate touchscreen menu
• Push-and-start pressure-sensitive auto-measurement
• Rechargeable removable lithium polymer batteries
• Optional RFID for production integration

Instrument specification (summary)
Menu interface: 5 capacitive sense buttons
Operation: tactile button, capacitive sensor, push&start auto measurement
Capture/processing time: ~5 s capture; ~2 s processing
Color screen: full-colour IPS
Power: rechargeable Lithium Ion batteries (≈1500 typical measurements); charging ≈5.5 h
Memory: 32 GB internal + 32 GB SD; data transfer via SD card
Optical system: variable-focus machine vision
Spatial resolution: 37 μm/pixel; field of view: 27 x 16 mm
Object curvature: radius > 400 mm; min object size: 40 × 80 mm
Processor: ARM Cortex
Production integration: optional RFID TAG reader
Dimensions/weight: 172 x 136 x 56 mm; ≈1.0 kg (with batteries)
Operating conditions: 15–40 ℃; relative humidity ≤85%
Additional sensors: accelerometer, orientation, 4 pressure sensors
Construction: aluminium instrument case

C-Coat indices & measurement (summary)
Contrast (C [%]) and Sharpness (S [%]) range 0.0–100.0, resolution 0.1; repeatability (SD) ~0.3; reproducibility (SD,max) C:0.5, S:1.0. Measurement technique: Optical Transfer Function. Waviness (W) 0.0–30.0 (res 0.1) and Dimension (D [mm]) 0.5–6.8 (res 0.1). Techniques: reflected image line deformation analysis (W) and Phase Measurement Deflectometry (D). Correlation with Volkswagen AG and AUDI AG perception studies.

E-Coat / R-Mat (O-Rough) indices (summary)
Sa [µm] and RaX/RaY [µm] ranges 0.0–20.0; display resolution 0.05; repeatability (SD) ~0.1; reproducibility (SD,max) ~0.3. Measurement technique: Phase Measurement Deflectometry.

Technical specifications

• Model: Rhopoint TAMS™
• Measured parameters: Contrast, Sharpness, Waviness, Dimension, Quality, Harmony, Sa, RaX, RaY
• Measurement technologies: PMD, Optical Transfer Function, Reflected Image Line Deformation Analysis
• Capture time: ~5 s; processing: ~2 s
• Spatial resolution: 37 μm/pixel; FOV: 27 x 16 mm
• Object curvature supported: radius > 400 mm; min size: 40 × 80 mm
• Memory: 32 GB internal + 32 GB SD; data via SD card
• Power: rechargeable Lithium Ion; charging ≈5.5 h; battery life ≈1500 measurements
• Display: full-colour IPS; menu: 5 capacitive buttons
• Processor: ARM Cortex
• Production integration: optional RFID TAG reader
• Dimensions/weight: 172 x 136 x 56 mm; ≈1.0 kg (with batteries)
• Operating conditions: 15–40 ℃; RH ≤85%
• Additional sensors: accelerometer, orientation, 4 pressure sensors
• Construction: aluminium case
• Standards: outputs aligned with ISO 16610, DIN EN ISO 25178, DIN EN ISO 4287