Coatings do more than protect surfaces from moisture, UV rays, and chemicals. They also shape how things look and feel. From the soft glow of a wooden table to the mirror-like shine of a polished car, gloss levels add personality to surfaces. Thanks to modern advances, coatings are now tougher, greener, and more efficient.
Glossiness is one of the most noticeable features and can be fine-tuned by adjusting surface texture. A smooth, particle-free coating reflects light like a mirror. Add tiny particles, and the surface scatters light, giving a matte look.
While we often judge gloss by eye, tools like gloss meters can assign exact values to surfaces, higher numbers mean more shine. For example, we measured two glass plates with a matte and high-gloss coating to show just how different they can be. The difference in glossiness is obvious, both visually and numerically, as shown below.
Another way to measure the glossiness of a surface is to make a 3D surface profile created by optical profilometry. The image below shows a matte coating over a 300 × 300 μm area, where larger surface features — caused by particles in the coating — result in a roughness of 200 nm.
The same measurement is then performed on a high gloss surface, which can be seen in the picture below. When comparing both pictures, it is immediately clear the high gloss surface is visibly much smoother, compared to the matte coating. The high gloss surface roughness is just 4 nm, which is significantly lower than the matte gloss lacquer, as shown in the profile below.
These examples show how advanced tools like optical profilometry help tailor coatings to specific needs. At PTG/e, we offer precise surface profiling to support your projects, contact us to learn more!
Polymer Technology Group Eindhoven BV
De Lismortel 31 | 5612 AR Eindhoven | P.O. Box 6284
5600 HG Eindhoven | The Netherlands
+31 (0) 40 751 76 76 | info@ptgeindhoven.nl
