Dry coating thickness measurement and instrument

An instrument for measuring the dry thickness of a coating, the instrument comprising:

• coating removal means for removing a quantity of a coating applied to a surface of a substrate to partially expose the surface of the substrate;
• sensor means for emitting and detecting signals reflected from a surface of the coating and from the exposed surface of the substrate for generation of one or more data sets consisting of data indicative of a position of the surface of the coating and of a position of the surface of the substrate, the sensor means being arranged so as to be distanced from the coating and the substrate and adapted to detect the signals reflected from the surface of the substrate during relative movement between the substrate and the sensor means;
• and
• processing means for processing the one or more data sets generated by the sensor means to determine the thickness of the coating applied to the surface of the substrate.

A method for measuring a thickness of a coating applied to a surface of a substrate, the method comprising the steps of:

• providing sensor means for emitting and detecting signals reflected from an outer surface of the coating and the surface of the substrate to generate one or more data sets comprising data indicative of a position of the surface of the coating and further comprising data indicative of a position of the surface of the substrate;
• removing a quantity of the coating to partially expose the surface of the substrate;
• generating the one or more data sets using the sensor means to measure the position of the surface of the coating and the position of the exposed surface of the substrate during relative movement between the substrate and the sensor means, the sensor means being distanced from the coating and the substrate and;
• and
• processing the one or more data sets generated by the sensor means to determine the thickness of the coating.