The OS 500 is an optical instrument from the company OptoSurf (Ettlingen). It’s used for in-line roughness and form measurement based on scattered light method.

An LED is used to produce a collimated beam of light. This beam is projected onto the surface to be examined. The macro and micro structure of the surface produces a characteristic distribution of the scattered light, which is measured. The scattered components provide information about the angular distribution of the microstructure and the roughness of the surface. Since only the angles (surface slopes) are measured, this method is almost insensitive to changes in distance and vibrations. That is why the scattered light sensor is not only used in laboratory but also in production lines. Due to the high data rates of 2000 data points per second, 100% testing of components is possible.