gauging.com

SolveTech's gauging systems measure thickness by capacitance: the non-conductive material under test passes through a measurement field, and the system converts the resulting electrical signal into a thickness reading. Because nothing touches the film, the measurement is non-contact, high speed, and safe for the material. This approach is built for thin plastic film and other non-conductive materials, and it is the proprietary core behind SolveTech's off-line and on-line product lines.

The basic mechanism

A capacitance gauge works on a simple physical relationship: the electrical capacitance between two plates depends on the distance between them and on whatever dielectric material sits in that gap. When a plastic film is the dielectric, its thickness changes the capacitance in a predictable way.

In practice, the sequence is:

1. The material enters the measurement field. Film or sheet passes between the gauge's sensing elements.
2. The system applies an electrical signal. The non-conductive material acts as the dielectric in the capacitor formed by the measurement head.
3. The capacitance changes with thickness. A thicker section of film produces a different reading than a thinner section.
4. The signal is converted to a thickness value. The system outputs a measurement the operator or line control can act on.

Two conditions make this work: the material must be non-conductive (so it behaves as a dielectric rather than shorting the field), and the measurement must be calibrated to the material being run.

Why non-contact matters

Contact gauges — micrometers, for example — press against the film. That introduces several problems on thin plastic:

• Material deformation. Contact pressure can compress or dimple thin film, so the reading reflects the compressed thickness, not the true one.
• Speed limits. Physical contact is slow and awkward to run continuously on a moving web.
• Contamination and wear. Contact heads pick up adhesives, coatings, or debris, and they wear against the material.

A capacitance gauge avoids all three. The material passes through without being touched, so the reading is unaffected by measurement pressure, the system can run at production speed, and there is no head-to-film wear. SolveTech describes its measurements as non-contact, precise, high speed, and safe to use.

What it measures and what it does not

The technology is aimed at non-conductive materials. SolveTech's stated application areas include:

Because the method depends on the material acting as a dielectric, conductive materials are outside its scope. If you are measuring a metallized film, a conductive coating, or a metal sheet, capacitance gauging is the wrong tool — that is a materials constraint, not a tuning problem.

Off-line vs. on-line configurations

SolveTech splits its product line along where the measurement happens:

• Off-line systems — the Precision Profiler™ is described as an off-line system with high accuracy and precision. Off-line measurement is suited to roll inspection, research and development, and sample analysis, where you want a detailed thickness profile rather than a live line signal.
• On-line systems — the BF200 Blown Film Gauging System is a non-contact, on-line system designed to measure during production. On-line gauging lets you see thickness variation as the film is made rather than after the fact.

The same underlying capacitance principle applies to both; the difference is where and when the reading is taken.

Where the "proprietary" part comes in

Capacitance itself is standard physics. What SolveTech claims as proprietary is the implementation — the measurement heads, the signal handling, and the way the system is built around specific film processes. The site frames this as "Proprietary Thickness Gauging Technology" and positions each product as a market leader in its category.

For a buyer, the practical question is not whether capacitance works in principle, but whether a given system is calibrated and configured for your material, thickness range, and line speed. That is where a sample analysis is useful: SolveTech offers a free sample analysis report, which lets you see measured results on your own material before committing to a system.

Common points of confusion

"Non-contact" does not mean "no setup." The gauge still needs to be configured for the material and thickness range you are running. A reading is only meaningful once the system is set up for that film.

Thickness vs. basis weight. These are related but not the same. SolveTech's resources include film calculators for deriving thickness from weight or roll dimensions, and a GSM calculator — useful when you have weight data and want a thickness figure, or want to cross-check a gauge reading.

Repeatability is a separate question from accuracy. A gauge can be accurate on average and still vary between repeated measurements. SolveTech addresses this directly with a resource on repeatability and reproducibility, which is the right thing to check if your process control depends on tight, consistent readings.

How to decide if it fits your application

Work through these conditions:

• Is your material non-conductive? If yes, capacitance gauging is a candidate. If it is conductive or metallized, look elsewhere.
• Do you need non-contact measurement? If contact pressure, speed, or contamination is a problem on your line, this is a strong fit.
• Off-line or on-line? Choose off-line (Profiler™) for inspection, R&D, and roll profiling; on-line (BF200) for live production monitoring.
• Can you verify on your own material? Requesting a sample analysis report is the lowest-risk way to confirm the system reads your film the way you need.

If those conditions line up, the next step is matching a specific product to your film type and process — the application pages (blown film, biax, cast, converting, nonwovens, and so on) map directly to those choices.

SolveTech offers four main categories of plastic film testing services: a free sample analysis report, online film calculators, repeatability and reproducibility testing, and plastic film consulting. These services are aimed at film producers, converters, and R&D teams who need to verify thickness or gauge without buying a gauging system first, or who want an independent measurement before committing to a specification. The free sample analysis report is the most direct starting point if you have film on hand and want data back.

Free Sample Analysis Report

SolveTech accepts film samples and returns an analysis report at no stated charge. This is the lowest-commitment way to see how your material measures on their capacitance-based, non-contact equipment before discussing a purchase.

What to prepare:

• A representative sample of the film you want measured, taken from the actual production or trial run rather than a hand-picked section.
• Enough material to capture variation across the web or roll, since a single small coupon will not show machine-direction or cross-direction trends.
• Context on what you are trying to decide (for example, whether thickness variation is causing downstream converting problems).

What you get back: a measurement report based on their proprietary capacitance gauging method, which is designed for thin plastic film and other non-conductive materials. Because the method is non-contact, it does not mark or compress the film.

The practical value is diagnostic. If you suspect your film is out of spec but your existing measurement method is slow or destructive, this report gives you an independent read before you invest in equipment.

Film Calculators and Reference Tools

SolveTech publishes a set of free calculators and reference charts on its Resources page. These are useful when you need a quick number without sending a sample anywhere.

These tools suit quick checks: verifying a supplier's claimed gauge, estimating thickness when you only have roll weight, or converting between gauge and GSM for a spec sheet. They are calculations, not measurements, so they depend on you entering accurate weight and dimension inputs. For a definitive number on a specific film, the sample analysis report is the stronger option.

Repeatability and Reproducibility Testing

SolveTech addresses repeatability and reproducibility as a measurement-quality topic. This matters because a thickness number is only useful if the same film measures the same way twice (repeatability) and if different operators or setups agree (reproducibility).

Use this when:

• You are qualifying a new gauge and need to know whether variation comes from the film or from the measurement.
• Two parties disagree on a film's thickness and you need a method that both can trust.
• You are writing an internal test procedure and need to define acceptable measurement tolerance.

The relevant question to ask SolveTech is how their capacitance method performs on your specific material and thickness range, since repeatability depends on the film being non-conductive and within the system's measurement window.

Plastic Film Consulting and Standards

SolveTech also offers plastic film consulting and works with standards for measuring plastic film thickness. This is the right service when the problem is not "measure this sample" but "define how we should measure, and to what standard."

Typical situations:

• Setting up an incoming-inspection or in-process measurement standard.
• Choosing between off-line and on-line gauging for a specific production line.
• Troubleshooting a thickness-related defect where the root cause is unclear.

Because standards and consulting depend on your process, material, and target tolerance, the useful first step is a conversation with their engineering contact rather than a fixed package.

How to Choose

• You have film and want data: request the free sample analysis report.
• You need a quick conversion or estimate: use the film calculators and gauge chart.
• You are validating a measurement method: ask about repeatability and reproducibility testing.
• You need to define a standard or solve a process problem: pursue consulting.

Contact details listed on the site are phone 302-798-5400 and email [email protected]. Pricing for the calculators, sample report, and consulting is not stated in the available material, so confirm cost and turnaround directly.

SolveTech Inc. is a manufacturer of precision thickness gauging systems, based at gauging.com. The company builds non-contact measurement equipment — primarily using proprietary capacitance-based technology — for measuring thin plastic film and other non-conductive materials. If your work involves producing, converting, or inspecting plastic film, coated webs, nonwovens, paper, or ceramic tape, and you need accurate thickness data without touching the material, this is the category of supplier SolveTech occupies.

Core technology: capacitance-based, non-contact measurement

SolveTech's stated specialty is proprietary thickness gauging technology built on capacitance. The measurement is described on the site as non-contact, precise, high speed, and safe to use.

The practical implication of capacitance measurement is that it suits non-conductive materials — plastic film being the primary example. Because the sensor never touches the web, the method avoids the two problems that plague contact gauges on thin film: mechanical distortion of the material and sensor wear. The site positions this as the reason its products are "a market leader in its category."

What the product line covers

SolveTech splits its hardware into off-line and on-line systems, plus custom measurement heads.

The site also lists technical data sheets for the product range, which is where you would go for specifications rather than relying on marketing descriptions.

Applications the equipment is built for

The application list on gauging.com is broad within the non-conductive materials space:

• Plastic film — blown film, biax film, cast film, and machine direction gauging
• Converting market — gauges aimed at converters rather than primary film producers
• Adhesives on film — coating thickness on a film substrate
• Ceramic tape — coating thickness gauging
• Nonwovens — nonwoven gauging systems
• Paper — paper variability gauging
• Plastic sheet — sheet rather than thin film
• Medical/specialty film and other custom applications
• Roll inspection and plastic film R&D

If your material is conductive (metal foil, for example), capacitance gauging is generally not the right fit — that is a material constraint of the technology, not a product limitation.

Beyond hardware: calculators, testing services, and consulting

SolveTech also publishes resources that are useful even if you never buy a gauge:

• Film calculators — calculate film thickness/gauge by weight, calculate thickness from roll weight or dimensions, a GSM calculator, and a plastic gauge thickness chart
• Plastic film testing services — including a free sample analysis report you can request
• Plastic film consultants — consulting engagements
• Guidance content — how to measure plastic film gauge, repeatability and reproducibility, standards for measuring plastic film thickness, benefits of blown film gauging, and what to consider when selecting a thickness gauge

The "Ask An Engineer" and FAQ pages are the direct route for a specific measurement question.

When SolveTech is the right call

Choose this type of supplier when all of the following hold:

1. Your material is non-conductive — plastic film, coated film, nonwovens, paper, ceramic tape.
2. You need non-contact measurement, either because the film is too thin or fragile for contact gauges, or because you are measuring a moving web.
3. You need either off-line lab-grade accuracy (Precision Profiler, PR2000, SpotChecker) or on-line continuous monitoring (BF200, Multichannel Array, Machine Direction systems).
4. You want thickness data tied to process control — for example, catching variability across a blown film bubble or along the machine direction.

Look elsewhere if your material is conductive, if you need a handheld mechanical micrometer rather than a gauging system, or if you only need occasional single-point checks that a simpler gauge can handle.

How to evaluate them further

The site's own recommended path is: review the technical data sheets for the specific product, read the "How Our Technology Works" and "What Makes SolveTech Unique" pages, then request a free sample analysis report so you can see measured results on your own material before committing. Contact is by phone at 302-798-5400 or email at [email protected], and the site notes international sales and service and support as separate functions.

Pricing is not published on the pages reviewed here, so treat cost as a direct inquiry rather than something you can estimate from the site.

SolveTech builds non-contact, capacitance-based thickness gauging systems for thin plastic film and other non-conductive materials. If your material is a non-conductive web, sheet, or coating — blown film, biax film, cast film, nonwovens, paper, ceramic tape, or specialty/medical film — SolveTech's gauges are designed to measure it. Conductive materials (metals, conductive coatings) fall outside the stated scope of this technology.

The core constraint: non-conductive materials only

SolveTech's proprietary technology is capacitance-based, so the material being measured must be non-conductive. Within that boundary, the company lists a broad set of application areas rather than a single material type. The measurement itself is described as non-contact, precise, high speed, and safe to use.

Application areas listed by SolveTech

Off-line vs. on-line: which fits your application

SolveTech splits its product line by where the measurement happens, and that choice usually follows from your application rather than your material.

• Off-line systems — the Precision Profiler™ is described as SolveTech's off-line system with high accuracy and precision. Use this for roll inspection, lab work, R&D, and incoming/outgoing quality checks where you bring the sample to the gauge.
• On-line systems — the BF200 Blown Film Gauging System is a non-contact, on-line system designed for blown film production. Use this when you need continuous measurement on a running line rather than sampled checks.
• Other configurations — the site also lists a Precision SpotChecker™, Multichannel™ Array Gauge, Single Channel Gauging Systems, Machine Direction Gauging Systems, and Custom Measurement Heads, which cover spot checks, multi-point arrays, and non-standard geometries.

How to decide whether SolveTech fits your case

Work through these conditions in order:

1. Is your material non-conductive? If yes, continue. If it's a metal or conductive coating, this capacitance approach is not the match.
2. Is it thin? The stated focus is thin plastic film and similar thin materials, though plastic sheet and paper are also listed.
3. Do you need contact-free measurement? Non-contact matters for soft, tacky, wet, or easily damaged webs — adhesive-coated film is a listed example.
4. Off-line or on-line? Lab and roll inspection point to the Precision Profiler™; a running blown film line points to the BF200.
5. Is your application unusual? Custom measurement heads and custom thickness gauging are listed, so non-standard geometries aren't automatically excluded.

Verifying fit before you commit

SolveTech offers a free sample analysis report and plastic film testing services, plus film calculators (thickness/gauge by weight, thickness from roll weight or dimensions, GSM) and a gauge thickness chart. If your material is borderline — a filled film, a coated nonwoven, a specialty laminate — sending a sample for analysis is the most direct way to confirm the technology measures it before specifying a system.

For anything not covered by the listed categories, contact SolveTech directly ([email protected], 302-798-5400) and describe the material and where in the process you need the measurement.

The first decision is whether you need off-line sampling or on-line, full-web measurement. SolveTech's product line splits along exactly that line: the Precision Profiler™ is an off-line system, while the BF200 Blown Film Gauging System is a non-contact, on-line system. Everything else — accuracy targets, material type, thickness range, line speed, and environment — narrows the choice within that branch. If you only need spot checks of finished rolls, off-line is usually enough; if you need to catch thickness variation as it happens across a running web, you need on-line.

Off-line vs. on-line: the decision that drives everything else

These two approaches answer different questions, and the choice is usually made before any specification is compared.

If your problem is "we need to know whether this roll meets spec," off-line is the fit. If your problem is "we need to know thickness is drifting while we're still running," you're in on-line territory. SolveTech also offers Machine Direction Gauging Systems, which is a distinct measurement orientation worth checking if your concern is variation along the machine direction rather than across the web.

Measurement accuracy and repeatability

Accuracy and repeatability are not the same requirement, and vendors sometimes quote one when you asked about the other.

• Accuracy is how close a reading is to the true thickness.
• Repeatability is how close repeated measurements of the same spot are to each other.

For process control, repeatability often matters more than absolute accuracy, because you're watching for change over time. SolveTech publishes a dedicated resource on repeatability and reproducibility, and the Precision Profiler™ is described as an off-line system with "amazing accuracy and precision." If your spec has a tolerance band, ask what the gauge's repeatability is against that band — a gauge that repeats well but reads slightly offset can still control a process if the offset is stable and known.

Material type and thickness range

SolveTech's technology is capacitance-based and proprietary, and the company states it is designed for plastic film and other non-conductive materials. That is the single most important compatibility filter:

• Good fit: blown film, biax film, cast film, plastic sheet, nonwovens, ceramic tape coatings, adhesives on film, paper variability, medical/specialty film.
• Not a fit: conductive materials, since the measurement principle depends on the material being non-conductive.

SolveTech lists application-specific pages for each of these film types, which is a useful way to check whether your exact material has already been characterized. For thickness range, SolveTech provides film calculators — including thickness/gauge from weight, thickness from roll weight or dimensions, and a plastic gauge thickness chart — which are worth using to confirm your target range before you talk to anyone about hardware.

Non-contact measurement and what it protects

SolveTech's systems are described as non-contact, precise, high speed, and safe to use. Non-contact matters for two reasons:

1. The film isn't touched, so you avoid marking, scratching, or deforming thin or soft webs.
2. Nothing wears against the web, which matters on continuous on-line measurement where a contacting head would be a maintenance item.

If your material is fragile, tacky (adhesives on film), or very thin, non-contact is close to a hard requirement rather than a preference.

Production speed and environment

On-line gauging has to keep up with the line. SolveTech describes its measurements as high speed, and the on-line products — BF200, Multichannel™ Array Gauge, Single Channel Gauging Systems — are built for running production rather than benchtop use. Questions worth settling before you choose:

• Does the gauge need to scan across the full web width, or measure at fixed points? (A multichannel array and a single-channel system solve different problems.)
• Where does the sensor physically sit on the line, and does the environment there (heat, dust, vibration) affect the measurement head?
• SolveTech offers custom measurement heads, which is relevant if a standard head doesn't fit your line geometry.

Getting a decision instead of a datasheet

SolveTech offers a free sample analysis report and a "See How SolveTech Technology Works" walkthrough, plus a "How to Measure Plastic Film Gauge" resource and an "Ask An Engineer" contact path. For a buying decision, sending an actual sample of your film is more informative than comparing spec sheets, because it tests your material against their capacitance method directly.

A practical sequence:

1. Decide off-line vs. on-line based on whether you need process feedback or final inspection.
2. Confirm your material is non-conductive and falls within a range their calculators can express.
3. Define whether accuracy or repeatability is your binding constraint.
4. Request a sample analysis report on your own film before committing to a configuration.
5. Match the product family — Profiler/SpotChecker for off-line, BF200/array/single-channel for on-line — to the answers above.

Contact details published on the site are 302-798-5400 and [email protected]. Pricing is not published on the pages reviewed here, so cost has to come from a direct quote rather than an assumption.