Specification builder · Tier A
Digital thickness gauge (dead-weight presser foot, 0.001 mm) for glove films, packaging films/foils, tubing walls and sheets
A digital thickness gauge measures the thickness of thin materials between a flat anvil and a presser foot that presses with a defined force. Drug and device testing laboratories and manufacturers use it to check glove films, packaging films and foils, medical papers, tubing walls and sheets against standards. The foot size and pressure are set by each test method, so the right feet matter as much as the gauge itself.
What this equipment will do
- Sample types: thin flat materials (films, sheets, rubber and paper) measured between a flat anvil and a presser foot, read to 0.01 mm or finer (0.001 mm or 0.1 um as chosen).
- Glove films: examination and surgical glove thickness at fingertip, palm and cuff, with the rubber foot at 22 kPa (ASTM D3767 Procedure A, ISO 23529; limits in ASTM D6319 and ISO 11193-1). (with the optional module)
- Plastic films, sheeting and foils for blisters and pouches (ISO 4593; specimen thickness for ASTM D6988). (with the optional module)
- Medical and sterilisation papers and board at 100 kPa (ISO 534). (with the optional module)
- Tubing wall thickness, with a small anvil that enters the tube bore. (with the optional module)
- Readings at a fixed dead-weight pressure that does not depend on the operator, as the glove, film and paper methods require. (with the optional module)
- Controlled foot descent speed and dwell time before each reading, with automatic reading. (with the optional module)
- Thicker sheets up to not less than 6 mm on the bench gauge. (with the optional module)
- Thickness profile along or across a film strip, with automatic stepping of the strip. (with the optional module)
- Statistics per sample (number, mean, minimum, maximum, standard deviation) with pass/fail limits. (with the optional module)
Not covered: Holes in gloves (freedom from holes) need the glove water-leak tester (EN 455-1, ASTM D5151).; Outside and inside diameters of tubing, needles and parts need the digital caliper and micrometer set or the optical measuring microscope; this gauge measures wall or sheet thickness only.; Tensile strength, elongation and seal or peel strength of films, gloves and pouches need the universal testing machine or the digital force gauge with test stand.
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Standards this specification draws on
- IEC 61010-1 Basic electrical safety standard for laboratory and measuring equipment, including mains-powered bench gauges, controllers and adaptors.
- IEC 61326-1 EMC requirements for laboratory and measuring equipment; electrical noise can upset sub-micrometre readings.
- ASTM D3767-03(2020) Standard practice for measuring dimensions of rubber; Procedure A sets the presser foot and pressure (22 kPa) used for glove thickness in the ASTM glove standards.
- ISO 23529 ISO general procedures for rubber test pieces, including the thickness gauge foot and pressure used by ISO glove standards.
- ISO 4593:1993 Plastics film and sheeting thickness by mechanical scanning: sets measuring faces, force (0.5-1.0 N), parallelism and 1 um accuracy for thin films.
- ISO 534 Paper and board thickness: 200 mm2 foot at 100 kPa; used for medical papers and paper-film pouches.
- ASTM D6988 ASTM guide for thickness of plastic film test specimens; cited when film tensile and barrier tests need specimen thickness.
- ASTM D6319 Specification for nitrile examination gloves; sets minimum palm and finger thickness measured by the ASTM D3767 procedure.
- ISO 11193-1 Specification for single-use medical examination gloves; sets thickness requirements measured to ISO 23529.
- ISO 3650 Gauge blocks specification; the reference blocks supplied to check the gauge must be of a stated grade.
- ISO/IEC 17025:2017 Accreditation standard for testing and calibration labs; requires calibrated, traceable equipment and controlled records.
Common mistakes in tenders for this equipment
- Writing only 'digital thickness gauge 0.001 mm' without the presser foot size and pressure: a gauge with the wrong foot gives a different glove or film thickness and the test method is not met.
- Copying one maker's figures (for example an exact contact area, a fixed descent speed or a 0.1 um resolution for glove testing) so only that maker complies; state the test method and minimum needs instead.
- Buying a hand-held spring gauge for glove or film testing in a DTL, where results are challenged and the method requires a fixed dead-weight pressure.
- Leaving out gauge blocks, thin reference foils and a foot-force check, so the lab has no way to show the gauge is still correct between calibrations.
- Accepting a factory calibration certificate instead of an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited one with stated uncertainty and SI traceability.
- Asking for DRAP medical-device registration or ISO 13485 for the gauge: it is a test instrument, and these demands only reduce competition.
- Not stating the thinnest material and smallest tube bore to be measured, so the offered anvils cannot reach tubing walls or glove fingertips.