DIY Affordable, Low-Resolution Stylus Profilometer

A profilometer is a device that moves across the surface of a material sample and outputs the surface’s roughness value or as a two-dimensional topography plot. Throughout the course of the semester, the team built a functioning prototype of a stylus profilometer while remaining significantly under the required budget. In addition to assembling a working prototype, the team created the design files for all custom 3D printed pieces, made a bill of materials complete with a list of suppliers for each component, and wrote an assembly manual with guiding images to build the profilometer. For the electrical aspect of this project, the team has supplied circuit wiring diagrams and detailed Arduino and Python code files to run the profilometer. The designs of this do-it-yourself (DIY) prototype are open source. It is easy to build and assemble by any person with limited technical experience or resources.