A frequent question from people who use contact angle measurements to characterize surfaces and control manufacturing processes is, “What effect does surface roughness have on these measurements?”
This is a valid question, especially when dealing with surfaces that have a range of textures and roughness levels resulting from variability in molding, casting, machining, and abrasion processes.

However, in most situations where one is using contact angle measurements to control surface cleaning and treatment processes, roughness effects can be ignored. In this white paper we explain and then demonstrate why this is so.