It is also important to maintain enough deep valleys to retain lubrication. Lubrication retention in the surface ensures adequate oil film thickness between moving components. Correct control of the surface texture ensures a component will meet criteria for wear life, heat generation, noise, and vibration. Measuring the surface texture provides information that is vital to effective control of the manufacturing process. When used correctly, it can reveal how efficient the process is.
Form is the result of the imperfections in the machine tools used to process the surface.
This may be inherent to the machine tool, and may be controllable. Waviness is a result of the condition of the machine tool, and may be able to be controlled by changing the speed and feed rate of the machine, thus changing the vibration pattern. Roughness is a result of the cutting process, and usually can be controlled by changing conditions of the cutting tool. It is important to note that this could mean changing to a different cutting tool, which could be a single-point tool, grinder wheel, or lapping material. It could also mean performing tool rotation or a grinder-wheel dressing.