The conventional Brake Pad Thickness measurement is conducted manually due to the complicated shapes and sizes of Backing Plate with Friction Material surfaces. As a result, Measurement Accuracy and R&R (Repeatability and Reproducibility) are not good as it depends on the operator’s conditions and skill levels. The measurements are limited 6 to 12 points along the border that are mainly affected by complexity of the preparation job like drilling measurent points on the backing plate as per templete and measure by handheld micrometers . The PTMS Tester is consisting of Universal Type Pad Holder and Feeding Module that can adapt various kinds of shapes and sizes of Brake Pads. Non-contact Type Displacement Sensors scan Full Surface Profiles of both Friction Material and Backing Plate simultaneously to measure Thickness Variations. The sensors are mounted on the Air Bearing Slider that enables vibration free movement along with fine flatness, which can keep the long-term stability and accuracy of the measurement. The PC-based Control and Data Acquisition System enables us to compose Scanning Widths and Mapping Conditions so that we can investigate full or selected area of Brake Pad Wear. The versatile Analyzing Software offers historical abrasion trends and 3-D images of the scanned profiles that can help investigating Geometric Variation of Friction Material and Backing Plate, etc.

Mr. Seung-Bok Kim, CEO, Sun Bee Instruments, Inc.