When thinking about how quality is a trait that many companies pride themselves on but without extensive testing, do you know how long your product will last before breaking or wearing out?
The main reason why a company does abrasion testing when they are producing a quality product that is error-free. It is important to inspect a material’s wear resistance.
This test is performed by rubbing a material at a certain weight and speed to determine at which point the material begins to wear.
Abrasion testing can be used in many different industries and can be useful for those who offer warranties. The following are the different types of tests.
- Two-body abrasive wear – when harder fragments are forced up against and moved along a surface;
- Sliding wear – Occurs between two solid objects and is generated from a back and forth movement;
- Mar abrasion – Occurs when constant distortions that have not cracked the surface of a coating, but seem to change the appearance of its surface;
- Rolling abrasion (or three-body-wear) – Occurs when abrasive particles or debris are allowed to roll between the surface and a contacting substance. Knowing exactly when a product will need to be replaced can help you understand your product.
Clothing companies test certain areas like knees and elbows to determine how long the fabric will last before it wears out while furniture companies perform testing of seating products and bedding. It is also calibrated to fit many other products like rubber, plastics, paper, metal, and paint.
It is important to practice Rub Testing for Print and to have good quality labels. Testing surfaces and elements is a never-ending task, but the results give you peace of mind that you can defend your claims of long-lasting products with technological quality control.
So, the new SUTHERLAND 2000 Rub Tester is one of the top leaders in abrasion testing. It can be calibrated and set to your specifications and used in your abrasion test process. We have changed the rub tester to keep up with modern demands.
With added speed controls and options, it is a product that can be used in different ways in a quality assurance setting. Taber’s two popular options include the 5135 Rotary Abraser and 5750 Linear Abraser. The test is performed using a Taber Rotary Abraser by mounting a flat object to a turntable that rotates on a vertical axis at a set speed.
The two Taber abrasive wheels are applied with pressure, then lowered onto the surface. As the turntable rotates, rub-wear action is made by contact of the test object against the rotating two abrading wheels while a vacuum removes loose debris.
This testing benefits almost every industry. It is very important when testing high wear items like vinyl. World-wide or company standards and specifications help to ensure that testing is performed in a constant and consistent manner.
Furthermore, there has been remarkable work conducted developing test procedures and many companies have a favorite tester that they use. It is not unusual for a producer concerned about reliability and product life to ask for accurate simulation of the wear system.
A material inventor looking to make the best product of wear-resistant materials may do a suitable test. Lastly, it is important to ask questions to understand the wear problem and materials involved when a customer needs help.