New surface resistivity meter from Meech

The new 990SRM from Meech International is a compact, hand-held unit for measuring the surface resistivity of a material. This information, displayed in the industry standard unit of Ohms per square, provides users with a quick and easy method of assessing a material’s characteristics, as well as helping them to decide whether quality or productivity problems may be due to static charge.

In addition to measuring surface resistivity, the 990SRM can also be used to make point to point and surface to ground measurements, which makes it useful when checking whether or not equipment is grounded. The simple, repeatable measurements range from 103 to 1012 Ohms per square, with the unit also giving a color-coded indication of the resistivity of the material being measured – green for conductive, yellow for dissipative and red for insulative.

The Meech 990SRM is particularly useful in the plastics industry, where although most plastics would test as insulative, some coatings may cause them to have increased surface conductivity. Being able to measure the resistivity will help engineers to control static electricity levels during processing.

Use of the surface resistivity meter can also test whether a material is suitable for static pinning, a technique often used for effective in-mold labeling (IML). In Meech’s experience a reading of 1010 is the minimum for this application.