Is the PosiPen calibrated at the factory?
The PosiPen is now fully calibrated and ready to measure. Comes with a long-term certificate of calibration traceable to NIST or PTB, documenting the actual readings your instrument took in our calibration laboratory against standards traceable to national metrology institutes. Beware of "certificates" or "certificates of conformity" offered by competitors. These usually do not include actual instrument readings and are often insufficient for common quality requirements.
Why buy a PosiPen instead of a PosiTest?
The PosiPen is an excellent choice for accurately measuring the thickness of non-magnetic coatings, and can accurately measure ferrous metal parts in the temperature range of -100C to +230C (-150F to +450F). The PosiPen uses very small magnets that allow it to be accurately placed on extremely small parts and coated surfaces that would otherwise be inaccessible by larger volume rules.
Is the PosiPen affected by the roughness of the steel substrate beneath the coating?
All coating Thickness Gauges are affected to some extent by the roughness of the substrate. It is generally accepted that coating thickness should be measured from the highest "peak" of the rough surface to ensure that the coating is covered by a protective coating. However, the coating Thickness Gauge will instead measure the coating thickness from the effective magnetic surface, which is located between the highest peak and deepest valley of the profile.
To compensate for the effect of substrate condition (including roughness), measure the uncoated substrate/part at multiple points to obtain a representative average. This average is called the "Base Metal Reading" or "BMR". Subtract the BMR from subsequent coating thickness measurements to obtain the coating thickness at the "peak" of the rough surface.
Can the PosiPen measure coatings on small diameter wires?
Yes. The PosiPen can accurately measure the thickness of non-magnetic coatings on 18 AWG black and larger wires.
Can the PosiPen measure nickel on steel?
Yes, but it depends on the specific type of nickel plating that has been applied to the steel.
When nickel plating is deposited by the electrolytic process (using an electric current in a nickel bath), the resulting coating (commonly referred to as "electronic nickel") is always somewhat conductive and magnetic and cannot be measured by our gages when used Precise measurement for ferrous or non-ferrous metals.
Electroless nickel coatings are deposited by an autocatalytic process that does not require increased current. If the minimum phosphorus content in the nickel bath is about 8% during this process, the resulting nickel coating is practically non-magnetic and its thickness can be measured on black steel with a magnetic principle coating Thickness Gauge such as PosiPen Accurate measurement.
Does the PosiPen measure on non-ferrous metals like aluminum?
Won't. As a magnetic principle instrument, the PosiPen can measure the thickness of non-magnetic coatings applied to ferrous metals. Our popular PosiTest DFT Combo and powerful PosiTector 6000 N gauge models are ideal for measuring the thickness of paint, anodizing and other non-conductive coatings used on non-ferrous metals.
Can the PosiPen be adjusted?
Won't. The PosiPen uses an accurate, permanently calibrated spring that requires no adjustments.
