Elcometer 2080 Meier Gauge

The Elcometer 2080 Meier gauge is made of hardened stainless steel to test drying, shrinking or cracking of coatings or similar products against their thickness, with a sloping groove 60mm (2.36”) wide and 200mm (7.87”) long, with options of 1, 2 or 3mm maximum depth.

The test products are applied to the whole area of the groove and visually inspected after they have dried. Each model has one groove.

When applying a multicoat system, it is often acceptable to apply a subsequent coat before the previous coat has fully cured.  Payne Permeability Cups can be used to determine the degree to which the volatile liquid can permeate any subsequent layer.

Typically, a coating cures from the surface down to the substrate leaving a “skin” on the surface.  As the volatile liquid evaporates, the coating thickness reduces and, dependent on the film thickness, may crack. The Meier gauge visually tests the shrinking and/or cracking of a coating.