How to Measure Surface Roughness of a FILM

It sounds like you need an optical gloss meter or surface roughness meter. Try the link below for some info. In the U.S., Gardener makes and sells gloss meters.

http://www.sulgicom.co.kr/SADT/SA-GTS.pdf

The gloss meter measures the surface roughness on a microscopic level. A smooth (gloss) finished Chill roll yields a glossy product, a rough (Matte) finished chill roll yields a non-glossy product.

I require something that measures how textured a polyolefin film surface is. If I were to emboss the film, how do I measure how embossed it is (or how rough the surface is)

Why do you need greater surface roughness?

We are making a rough surface product for an enhance walking surface. I need to know how to measure the roughness of the product, so we have a target to achieve.

What is the film thickness? the crest to trough distance?

If you are looking to measure depth of only a few microns you could look at using a microscope with a digital scale on the Z axis. You focus on the crest, note down the reading and then focus on the trough and get the difference. Of course, this is a painfully slow process if you need to take many measurements.

There are lot of tools available.

Based on need you can select contact stencil based or non contact laser based tool to measure the surface roughness. We in semi conductor measure less than 1000th of micron using SEM.

Contact measurement can be done using lot of contact tool and non contact I have enclosed side

http://www.taylor-hobson.com/non-contact-profilers.html

and contact measurements

http://www.taylor-hobson.com/non-contact-profilers.html

Why would you use an inherently slick material for a "traction" surface?

And, what is "chemical tackiness"?

Try these guys..http://www.spectrum-metrology.co.uk/surface.htm

alternatively you might try reflective defraction, shining a light through or on to the surface and looking at the pattern ..or outside the box.. a record player stylus head on to a scope..

Another approach: start from the way that paper surfaces get checked. A flat and impermeable plate with an air hole is the base. You lay your film on it, weighted down by a rigid backing plate, and measure airflow at a constant pressure. Air leaks out to the edge of the sample (or the weight). A rougher surface will permit more air to travel between the base and underside of the film under test. An alternate would be to use a pressurized tank and gauge, and open a valve to the air hole to begin the test; measuring the time to drop to a different pressure (which could be ambient) correlates with the amount of available pathway along the film. You'd need to choose a size for the base, and suitable weight, but this will depend upon your sample size, choice of pressure and means to supply it, and so on, so as to find a set of values which is sensitive to changes. Laying a piece of sewing thread from air hole to edge and re-testing a given sample will show whether small increases in path cross-section can be measured.