HORIBA, Ltd. (Head Office: 2 Miyanohigashi-cho, Kisshoin, Minami-ku, Kyoto; President & COO: Masayuki Adachi) announced today that it released a handy gloss meter, the Gloss Checker IG-340, on November 27, 2019. Gloss meters, which measure surface luster or brightness, play an essential role in the quality control of various surface conditions, with applications that include performing floor maintenance in buildings and stores, checking the finish of polished stones, inspecting auto body paint, and checking the appearance of plastic moldings. For enhanced portability indoors or outdoors, the IG-340 is approximately 30% more compact and roughly 20% lighter than previous models, and features a renewed design to allow for simple, intuitive operation with one hand. Its dust- and drip-proof construction makes it perfect for measurements at construction sites, solar farms, and other outdoor locations, as well as at stone polishing processes, where water is often used. With 1,400 units expected to be sold by 2024, the IG-340 will be released in Japan and selected countries.
Background of development
Gloss meters are being used in any field where the control of various surface conditions is required, such as floor maintenance, the finish of polished stones, and auto body paint. Recent years have seen an increase in demand for regular inspection of solar panels and the evaluation of surface cleaning quality. The market size of gloss meters is estimated at approximately 30,000 units annually or nearly 3.0 billion yen. Over the course of the more than three decades since 1988, HORIBA has sold a total of about 50,000 units of gloss meters. With this latest model allowing for simple, intuitive operation on-site, we will enhance the marketing of this proven product both at home and abroad.
Measuring gloss
Often judged with human eyes, gloss (or surface luster/brightness) is such an ambiguous attribute that even the same level of gloss can seemingly vary at different times and between persons, depending on the weather or physical conditions. At the same time, it is an important surface attribute that adds value to the appearance of all sorts of goods and shapes. Gloss meters give a numerical value to reflections of light from a measured surface and are immune to individual subjectivity or environmental conditions. Gloss meters make it possible to evaluate and control the gloss of a measured surface based on objective data.
Features
- 30% smaller and 20% lighter for ease of carrying around on-site
- One function assigned to one button (Anyone can use the meter intuitively.)
- Dust- and drip-proof structure (IP42) for reliable use outdoors or at locations where water is used
- No dedicated software necessary (Gathered data is easily transferred to a PC.)
Main applications
- Performing floor maintenance
- Checking the finish of polished stones
- Inspecting auto body paint
- Maintaining solar panels
- Inspecting package printing and film-forming processes
<Suggested list price>
125,000 yen (tax not included)
Specifications
| Trade name | Gloss Checker IG-340 |
| Measurement area | 0.0–100.0 glossiness |
| Reproducibility | ± 0.6％ glossiness |
| Optical system | Incident angle and reception angle of 60° |
| Power source | Two AA batteries |
| Dimensions | 61 (W) x 62 (D) x 176 (H) mm (main unit) |
| Mass | Approx. 320 g |
| Functions | Automatic power shut-off, built-in data memory, USB data output |
