The measurement of surface roughness  is a very useful information, both to check the final product quality on continue productions (plates, paper, plastics, pipes), and to monitory the efficacy of plants and processes related to the realization of such products, such as lamination or extrusion.
A device of new conception for industrial use has been developed; this allows to pick-up the surface of the material without contact, during production, and consequently evaluate surface roughness.
The innovative features of this new generation of roughness gauges, based on laser-optic technology, resides in the use of new methodologies for surface scanning and laser-beam focusing management.
After the production of a few device units, an alternative technology has been identified to better industrialise the system, with the further aim to keep this phase economically compatible with the small productive scale.
This step has determined a decrease of the final cost of the device and of its dimensions, increasing system reliability, and keeping measurement features unchanged.