PCE Instruments PCE-TG 300 Material Thickness Gauge User Manual

: June 12, 2024
: PCE Instruments

Table of Contents

PCE Instruments PCE-TG 300 Material Thickness Gauge
Product Information
Product Usage Instructions
Safety notes
Specifications
- Description
System description
Warranty
References
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Download This Manual (PDF format)

PCE Instruments PCE-TG 300 Material Thickness Gauge

Product Information

This product is a measurement instrument that is used for various purposes. It comes with a user manual that provides detailed instructions on how to use and operate the product. The manual is available in both German and English languages. The product specifications, system description, safety information, and warranty details are all provided in the user manual.

Product Usage Instructions

Safety Information: Before using the product, it is essential to read and understand the safety instructions provided in the user manual. These instructions include precautions to be taken while using the product to ensure personal safety and prevent any damage to the instrument.

Specifications: The specifications of the product are listed in the user manual. It includes technical specifications such as power supply requirements, measurement range, accuracy, and optional accessories that can be used with the product. 3. System

Description:
The user manual provides a detailed description of the system and its components. It explains how the instrument functions and provides an overview of its features and capabilities.

Getting Started: This section of the user manual guides users on how to prepare the instrument for use. It includes instructions on power supply connection and initial setup procedures.

Operation:
The user manual provides step-by-step instructions on how to operate the instrument. It covers various aspects such as settings configuration, calibration procedures, measurement techniques, and additional functions available with the instrument.

Sound
Velocity of Common Materials: The user manual includes a table or information on the sound velocity of common materials. This information can be useful for specific measurement applications.

Warranty: The warranty terms and conditions are provided in this section of the user manual. It explains the duration of the warranty period and any limitations or conditions that apply.

Disposal: The user manual also provides guidelines on how to dispose of the product properly at the end of its life cycle. This
ensures compliance with environmental regulations and promotes responsible waste management. Please note that for detailed information and specific instructions on using the product, it is recommended to refer to the user manual provided with the product.

Deutsch

English

Bedienungsanleitung User Manual
PCE-TG 300 Materialdickenmessgerät | Material Thickness Gauge
User manuals in various languages (français, italiano, español, português, nederlands, türk, polski,
, ) can be found by using our product search on: www.pce-instruments.com
Letzte Änderung / last change: 22 March 2019 v1.0
© PCE Instruments

Safety notes

Please read this manual carefully and completely before you use the device for the first time. The device may only be used by qualified personnel and repaired by PCE Instruments personnel. Damage or injuries caused by non- observance of the manual are excluded from our liability and not covered by our warranty.
· The device must only be used as described in this instruction manual. If used otherwise, this can cause dangerous situations for the user and damage to the meter.
· The instrument may only be used if the environmental conditions (temperature, relative humidity, …) are within the ranges stated in the technical specifications. Do not expose the device to extreme temperatures, direct sunlight, extreme humidity or moisture, strong magnetic fields, corrosive media or dust.
· Do not expose the device to shocks or strong vibrations. · The case should only be opened by qualified PCE Instruments personnel. · Never use the instrument when your hands are wet. · You must not make any technical changes to the device. · The appliance should only be cleaned with a damp cloth. Use only pH-neutral cleaner, no
abrasives or solvents. · The device must only be used with accessories from PCE Instruments or equivalent. · Before each use, inspect the case for visible damage. If any damage is visible, do not use
the device. · Do not use the instrument in explosive atmospheres. · The measurement range as stated in the specifications must not be exceeded under any
circumstances. · Non-observance of the safety notes can cause damage to the device and injuries to the
user. We do not assume liability for printing errors or any other mistakes in this manual. We expressly point to our general guarantee terms which can be found in our general terms of business. If you have any questions please contact PCE Instruments. The contact details can be found at the end of this manual.
© PCE Instruments 16

English

Specifications

2.1 Technical specifications

Specifications of the meter PCE-TG 300

Specification

Description

Measurement range Accuracy Resolution Measurable materials Operating modes Calibration

P-E: pulse-echo mode 0.65 ~ 600 mm (steel) E-E: echo-echo mode 2.50 ~ 60 mm
±0.04 mm (<10 mm); ±0.4 % H [mm] (>10 mm); H refers to the material thickness of the workpiece
0.1 mm / 0.01 mm / 0.001 mm (adjustable)
Metals, plastics, ceramics, epoxy resin, glass and any material with a homogeneous structure
Pulse-echo mode (fault and cavity recognition) echo-echo mode (hiding coating thicknesses, e. g. lacquers)
Sound velocity calibration, zero point calibration, two-point calibration

View mode Units Data transfer
Memory Operating time
Power supply Display Operating temperature Storage temperature Relative humidity Dimensions Weight

Normal mode, scan mode, difference mode mm / inch Printing via Bluetooth Data transfer via USB 2.0 Non-volatile memory with 100 data sets of 100 data records each Continuous operation 100 h Automatic Standby mode (adjustable) Automatic Power Off mode (adjustable) 4 x AA battery (DC) 1.5 V
320 x 240 TFT LCD colour display with adjustable brightness
0 …+50 °C
-20 …+70 °C 80 % RH, non-condensing 185 mm x 97 mm x 40 mm 375 g

English

Specifications of the selectable probes

Model Frequency Ø

Measurement

[Mhz] [mm] range [mm]

NO2

2.5

NO5

5

NO5 / 5

90°

NO7

7

HT5

5

14 3 ~ 300

(Steel)

3 ~ 40

(Cast steel

HT200)

10 1 ~ 600

(Steel)

10 1 ~ 600

(Steel)

6

0.65 ~ 200

(Steel)

12 1 ~ 600

(Steel)

P5EE 5

10 P-E: 2 ~ 600 E-E: 2.5 ~ 100

Minimum pipe diameter [mm] (not suitable for curved materials)
Ø 20 x 3
Ø 20 x 3
Ø 15 x 2
30
Ø 20 x 3

2.4

Delivery contents

1 x material thickness gauge PCE-TG 300

1 x probe P5EE (5 MHz)

1 x 118 ml coupling gel

1 x carrying case

1 x user manual

4 x AA batteries

Notes
For damping / scattering materials (plastics, cast)
Normal measurement
Normal measurement
For thin-walled or strongly curved pipes For high temperatures (max. 300 °C) Normal measurement and E-E testing

2.2 Optional accessories
Probe NO2 (2.5 MHz) Probe NO5 / 90° (5 MHz) Probe NO5 (5 MHz) Probe NO7 (7 MHz) Probe HT5 (5 MHz) High-temperature coupling gel PC software with USB cable Portable Bluetooth printer (incl. charger and user manual)

System description

Device

English

1. TFT LCD colour display 2. Bluetooth LED 3. Calibration disc 4. Membrane keypad
3.2 Interfaces/probe

5. Probe plug (pluggable in various positions) 6. Battery compartment 7. Probe

1. Receptor socket
2. Pulse generator socket 3. USB 2.0 interface

English

3.3 Display (main screen)

1

2

3

4

5 15
6

14

7

13

8

12

11 10

9

1. Mode: E-E (echo-echo mode) or P-E (pulse-echo mode)
2. Probe indication
3. Sound velocity 4. Battery level
5. Coupling status
6. Unit 7. Difference (in difference mode only)
8. Time
9. Main menu with general settings 10. USB and Bluetooth communication status
11. Probe setting
12. Print 13. Name of data record of selected data set
14. Nominal thickness of workpiece (in difference mode)
15. Measured material thickness

English

3.4 Function keys Membrane keys

Key

Description

Functions
Measurement mode

On/off

Off (2 s) Back

Menu mode
Off (2 s) Back

Sound velocity settings
Off (2 s) Back

Enter

Main menu

Entry

Probe selection
Off (2 s) Back
Entry

Up
Down
Zero Selection F1/F2/F3 Save

Calibration (One- or twopoint)

Up / plus

Calibration (One- or twopoint)

Down / minus Down / minus Down / minus

Zero point

–

calibration

Material

–

selection

Respective icon on the display

Respective icon on the
display

Save reading

–

Bluetooth communication status

Bluetooth mode Master mode
Slave mode

LED status
Fast flashing (150 ms) 5 x fast flashing, off after 2 seconds Continuous glowing Slow flashing (800 ms) Continuous glowing

Bluetooth status
Search and connect Connect Connected Connect Connected

English

4 Getting started

4.1 Power supply
To establish power supply, four AA Alkaline batteries are needed. The battery compartment is located at the rear side of the meter and is affixed with two screws. Loosen the screws, remove the cover, insert the batteries as illustrated and close the battery cover again by tightening the screws.

4.2 Initial operation

Starting the instrument
To start the meter, press until the display reacts. While the device loads the software, the language can be set by using the F1 key. After loading, the meter will display the main screen. To switch off the meter, press and hold for 2 seconds. The meter will save all settings and automatically load these when it is switched on again. Even when the batteries are removed, all settings will remain saved.

System Configuration The following settings can be found in the sub-menu ,,System Configuration”.

Path:

F3
F3

Setup Main menu System Configuration Confirm

Function
Bluetooth Key Sound Warn Sound LCD Brightness Display Standby Auto Poweroff Unit System Date / Time Set Language

Description
Off / Slave mode / Master mode On / off On / off Display brightness setting (0 … 100 %)
Delay time setting (5 s / 15 s / 30 s / 1 min / 2 min / deactivate) Power off delay time setting (2 min / 5 min / 10 min / deactivate) mm / inch Date and time setting
English / German / French / Spanish /Italian

English

Connect probe

Connect the desired probe to the receptor / pulse generator sockets, as described in chapter 3.2. It does not matter what plug is
connected to what socket. For flawless operation, make sure that
the plugs are properly engaged. To configure the meter, turn it on

and select the probe with the F2 key. All available probes will be

displayed. Go to the connected probe by using the

keys and

confirm your selection by pressing the F2 key. The name of the probe should now be shown in the main display.

5 Operation

5.1 Settings The settings described in chapter 5 can be found in the sub-menu ,,Test Settings”.

Pfad:

F3
F3

Setup Main menu Test Settings Confirm

Work Mode:
The work mode must be set in advance for each measuring
and calibration mode. You can choose either echo-echo mode (E-E) or pulse-echo mode (P-E). Echo-echo mode should be
used if you want to measure coated workpieces as the
coatings (varnishes/paints) will be ruled out to avoid material thickness errors. Pulse-echo mode is used for all other
measurements, especially for the detection of faults and
cavities and for calibration of the meter. The selected mode will be displayed on the main screen.

English

5.2 Calibration
Zero point calibration
Note: For a zero point calibration, the meter must be in pulse-echo mode (P-E).
A zero point calibration is carried out by calibrating the meter to the correct zero point by using the internal calibration disc. A zero point calibration is recommended whenever the device is restarted and when the probe is changed.
Procedure: 1. Connect the probe as shown in chapter 4.2.3. 2. Press to enable zero point calibration. 3. Apply some coupling gel to the calibration disk. 4. Evenly press the probe onto the calibration disk until the
progress bar is complete. 5. Remove the probe from the calibration disk. 6. Your meter is now successfully zero point calibrated.

Sound velocity calibration
Note: Before doing a one- or two point calibration, the varnish or paint layers must be removed from the workpiece to be measured. In the following sub-chapters, you can find three possibilities to perfom the calibration.

5.2.2.1 Calibration to a known sound velocity
For this calibration procedure, the user has to know the correct sound velocity of the measured workpiece. In chapter 6, you can find a chart of materials and their sound velocities.

Procedure:

1. Press F1 to select the velocity.

2. Use the keys F1 and F2 to select the decimal place

and set the sound velocity with the keys

. You can

also select some preset sound velocities from a chart by

pressing the Zero key.

3. Press F3 to confirm your entry.

English

5.2.2.2 Calibration to a certain material thickness (one point calibration)
For this calibration procedure, a workpiece of the material to be measured is needed. The exact material thickness of the workpiece must be known or must be measured with an external meter.

Procedure: 1. Make a zero point calibration as described in chapter 5.2.1.
2. Apply some coupling gel to the workpiece.
3. Evenly press the probe onto the workpiece. (The coupling status and a material thickness value should now be displayed)
4. Remove the probe when a stable value has been reached.
If the value changes while the probe is removed, repeat step 3.

5. Press

to be able to enter the nominal thickness.

6. Select the decimal place with F1 and F2 and set the

material thickness with the

keys.

7. Confirm your entry with F3 . The meter will display the main screen and show the calculated sound velocity in the
upper part of the display. The meter is now ready to
measure.

5.2.2.3 Calibration to a certain material thickness (two point calibration)
For this calibration procedure, two workpieces of the material to be measured are needed. The exact material thickness of the workpieces must be known or must be measured with an external meter.

Procedure: 1. Make a zero point calibration as described in chapter 5.2.1.
2. Apply some coupling gel to the workpiece.
3. Evenly press the probe onto the workpiece. (The coupling status and a material thickness value should now be displayed)
4. Remove the probe when a stable value has been reached. If the value changes while the
probe is removed, repeat step 3.

5. Press

to be able to enter the nominal thickness.

6. Select the decimal place with F1 and F2 and set the

material thickness with the

keys.

7. Press Zero to calibrate the second point. Then repeat steps 2 to 6 with the second workpiece.

8. Confirm your entry with F3 . The meter will display the main screen and show the calculated sound velocity in the
upper part of the display. The meter is now ready to
measure.

English

5.3 Measurement Procedure: 1. Before starting a measurement, carry out a calibration (5.2). 2. set the work mode in line with the criteria described in chapter 5.1. 3. Apply some coupling gel to the workpiece. 4. Evenly press the probe onto the workpiece (the coupling status and material thickness value
should now be displayed in white letters). 5. If a correct measurement is not possible, double-check the coupling gel and evenly and firmly
press the probe onto the workpiece. If the problem persists, try a different probe (different size/ frequency). 6. If desired, you can save the measured value, as described in chapter 5.4.4. 7. Four measurements per second are made. When the probe is removed, the last reading will remain displayed.
5.4 Further functions
View Mode You have three different options to view measured values: normal mode, scan mode, difference mode
Normal mode: In normal mode, only the current material thickness value will be displayed.
Scan mode: In scan mode, the material thickness value will be displayed as in normal mode. In addition, the minimum and maximum values will be displayed. The minimum and maximum values can be reset by means of the On/off key .

Difference mode: In this mode, the material thickness value is displayed along with the difference to the set nominal thickness T0.

The nominal thickness T0 of the workpiece must be set in advance. To do so, go to the main menu by pressing F3

and select “Test Settings” where you can find the “Nominal Thickness” setting. You can select the decimal place with F1

and F2 and with

, you can set the nominal

thickness. Confirm your entry with F3 .

English

Limit value setting
In order to see whether the material thickness value is within the tolerance, a top limit and a bottom limit can be set. When the limits are exceeded / fallen below, the reading will be shown in red instead of green when the probe is removed. To set the limit values, go to the main menu with F3 Setup and select “Test Settings”. Here, you can find the settings “Bottom Limit” and “Top Limit”. With F1 and F2 , you can select the decimal place and the limit can be set with
. Confirm your entry with F3 .
Resolution
You can select one of these three resolutions: 0.1 mm / 0.01 mm / 0.001. If you select 0.001 mm, the surface of the workpiece should be very smooth. When the surface is coarse, a low resolution is recommended. To set the limit values, go to the main menu with F3 Setup and select “Test Settings”. Here, you can find the resolution setting. Select the desired resolution with F2 . Confirm your entry with F3 .

Memory Manager

Save
When you press the Save last data record.

key, the current reading will be saved to the selected data set as the

View

The saved data records can be viewed on the meter’s display.

To view these records, go to the main menu with F3 Setup

and select “Memory Manager”. With the

keys, you can

navigate to the data set and select it by pressing F3 . In the data set, all data records are shown and can be deleted

individually by pressing F3 or completely by pressing F2 .

Select data set

To select a data set, go to the main menu by pressing F3 Setup and select “Memory Manager” where you can navigate

to the desired data set with the

keys and press F2 .

In the menu that opens, select “Set”. The readings will now be saved to the data set. In the menu, you can also delete the sets or an individual set.

English

System Reset Press F3 Setup to enter the main menu. Navigate to the function ,,System Reset”. Confirm the reset by pressing F3 or exit by pressing F1 . Note: When you reset the meter, all settings, calibrations and readings will be deleted completely.
Printing via Bluetooth (only possible with the optional Bluetooth printer) How to set up a Bluetooth connection with the printer
1. Turn on the portable Bluetooth printer. 2. Select Master mode as Bluetooth mode (4.2.2) for the
meter. 3. You will be asked if you wish to search for Bluetooth
printers nearby. Select “Yes” if you are setting up the printer for the first time. Otherwise, select ,,No”. The meter will try to establish a Bluetooth connection with the printer. Wait for a few seconds. When the Bluetooth status LED glows continuously, this means that the meter is connected to the printer. Note: When the meter is switched off and back on, the Bluetooth function will be disabled automatically to save power. Print
In the Memory Manager, the saved data sets can be printed by using the portable Bluetooth printer. Choose ,,Print” to print the selected data set. You can also print all saved data sets via ,,Print All”.
You can also print the current measured value directly via F1 after each measurement.
© PCE Instruments 28

English

USB communication (only possible with optional software)
The meter can be connected to a PC via the USB 2.0 Mini connector for communication. To do so, first install the software and the driver for the meter. After this, connect the meter to the computer by using the USB cable. Now you can organise, format, print or copy the measuring data on your PC.

6 Sound velocity of common materials

Material
Aluminium Simple steel Stainless steel Brass Copper Iron Cast iron Lead Nylon Silver Gold Zinc Titanium Tim Epoxy resin Ice Nickel Perspex Polystyrene Porcelain PVC Quartz glass Vulcanised rubber 0.091 TeflonTM Water

Sound velocity (longitudinal) inch / µs 0.250 0.233 0.226 0.173 0.186 0.233 0.173 … 0.229 0.094 0.105 0.142 0.128 0.164 0.236 0.117 0.100 0.157 0.222 0.106 0.092 0.230 0.094 0.222 0.091 0.056 0.058

m / s 6340 … 6400 5920 5740 4399 4720 5930 4400 … 5820 2400 2680 3607 3251 4170 5990 2960 2540 3988 5639 2692 2337 5842 2388 5639 2311 1422 1473

English

Warranty

You can read our warranty terms in our General Business Terms which you can find here: https://www.pce-instruments.com/english/terms.
8 Disposal
For the disposal of batteries in the EU, the 2006/66/EC directive of the European Parliament applies. Due to the contained pollutants, batteries must not be disposed of as household waste. They must be given to collection points designed for that purpose. In order to comply with the EU directive 2012/19/EU we take our devices back. We either re-use them or give them to a recycling company which disposes of the devices in line with law. For countries outside the EU, batteries and devices should be disposed of in accordance with your local waste regulations. If you have any questions, please contact PCE Instruments.
© PCE Instruments 30

English

PCE Instruments contact information

Germany
PCE Deutschland GmbH Im Langel 4 D-59872 Meschede Deutschland Tel.: +49 (0) 2903 976 99 0 Fax: +49 (0) 2903 976 99 29

info@pce-instruments.com www.pce- instruments.com/deutsch
Germany
Produktions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH Im Langel 26 D-59872 Meschede Deutschland Tel.: +49 (0) 2903 976 99 471 Fax: +49 (0) 2903 976 99 9971 info @pce-instruments.com www.pce-instruments.com/deutsch
The Netherlands
PCE Brookhuis B.V. Institutenweg 15 7521 PH Enschede Nederland Telefoon: +31 (0)53 737 01 92 Fax: +31 53 430 36 46 info@pcebenelux.nl www.pce- instruments.com/dutch
United States of America
PCE Americas Inc. 711 Commerce Way suite 8 Jupiter / Palm Beach 33458 FL USA Tel: +1 561-320-9162 Fax: +1 561-320-9176 info@pce-americas.com www .pce-instruments.com/us

France
PCE Instruments France EURL 23, rue de Strasbourg 67250 Soultz-Sous-Forets France Téléphone: +33 (0) 972 3537 17 Numéro de fax: +33 (0) 972 3537 18 info @pce-france.fr www.pce-instruments.com/french
United Kingdom
PCE Instruments UK Ltd Unit 11 Southpoint Business Park Ensign Way, Southampton Hampshire United Kingdom, SO31 4RF Tel: +44 (0) 2380 98703 0 Fax: +44 (0) 2380 98703 9 info@industrial-needs.com www.pce-instruments.com/english
Chile
PCE Instruments Chile S.A. RUT: 76.154.057-2 Calle Santos Dumont N° 738, Local 4 Comuna de Recoleta, Santiago Tel. : +56 2 24053238 Fax: +56 2 2873 3777 info @pce-instruments.cl www.pce-instruments.com/chile
Turkey
PCE Teknik Cihazlari Ltd.ti. Halkali Merkez Mah. Pehlivan Sok. No.6/C 34303 Küçükçekmece – stanbul Türkiye Tel: 0212 471 11 47 Faks: 0212 705 53 93 info @pce-cihazlari.com.tr www.pce-instruments.com/turkish

Spain
PCE Ibérica S.L. Calle Mayor, 53 02500 Tobarra (Albacete) España Tel. : +34 967 543 548 Fax: +34 967 543 542 info@pce-iberica.es www.pce- instruments.com/espanol
Italy
PCE Italia s.r.l. Via Pesciatina 878 / B-Interno 6 55010 Loc. Gragnano Capannori (Lucca) Italia Telefono: +39 0583 975 114 Fax: +39 0583 974 824 info @pce-italia.it www.pce-instruments.com/italiano
Hong Kong
PCE Instruments HK Ltd. Unit J, 21/F., COS Centre 56 Tsun Yip Street Kwun Tong Kowloon, Hong Kong Tel: +852-301-84912 jyi@pce-instruments.com www.pce- instruments.cn
China
PCE (Beijing) Technology Co., Limited 1519 Room, 6 Building Zhong Ang Times Plaza No. 9 Mentougou Road, Tou Gou District 102300 Beijing China Tel: +86 (10) 8893 9660 info@pce-instruments.cn www.pce-instruments.cn

User manuals in various languages (français, italiano, español, português, nederlands, türk, polski, , ) can be found by
using our product search on: www.pce-instruments.com Specifications are subject to change without notice.
© PCE Instruments