SUTHERLAND 2000 Dual Rub Tester

When a large amount of testing is to be completed, the SUTHERLAND® 2000 “Dual” Tester provides a timely application as well as maintaining a reasonable budget short of requiring two separate testing units. It also provides more flexibility within the test; for example you can run a test using a 2-lb and 4-lb weight at the same time or different receptors on each weight to compare how different abrasive surfaces affect the test specimen.

Each SUTHERLAND® 2000 “Dual” Tester comes with two (2) 2-lb and two (2) 4-lb weights, a scoring fixture, and two (2) sets of replacement pads.

HOW IT WORKS

The SUTHERLAND® 2000™ Rub Tester is a motor-driven abrasion testing instrument for moving a weighted test strip over a printed specimen through an arc. The tester motor has four speeds: The first speed is 21 cycles per minute (half the speed of the older models) which will make the "wet" tests and tests using under 5 strokes easier to perform. The second speed is 42 cycles per minute, the third speed is 85 cycles per minute (the same as the older models), and the fourth speed is faster at 106 cycles per minute. The exceptional design of the tester enables abrasion testing procedure customization options for a customer's product while maintaining the ability to reproduce a procedure completed by an older model unit.

The tester is a motor-driven instrument for moving a weighted test strip over a printed specimen through an arc. The SUTHERLAND® 2000™ Rub Tester, the industry standard for decades, has recently undergone some significant changes to enhance its utility and reliability.

Combined with a new ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) recommended practice for its use, the Tester is in an excellent position to enjoy even more widespread use in the coming years. The result of this work is an affordable abrasion-testing instrument that retains all the features that made it an industry standard plus improvements that ensure it will remain the industry standard in the new millennium.

Previous Modifications

In 1990 the stroke of the SUTHERLAND® Rub Tester was shortened, which increased the precision and more closely simulates abrasion damage found in the field. Research and other published work in the print-abrasion-testing arena have shown that quick strokes simulate some types of rub damage (most notably shipping damage).

One of the biggest problems with the use of the SUTHERLAND® Rub Tester had been the lack of a well-publicized test procedure for its use. While a procedure is available with the instrument, there was no nationally available method that could be readily referenced.

This has now been corrected with the introduction by ASTM of ASTM D-5264, Standard Practice for Abrasion Resistance of Printed Materials by the SUTHERLAND® Rub Tester (copies available from ASTM) the proper procedure for using the SUTHERLAND® Rub Tester.

Recent Modifications

The SUTHERLAND® 2000™ Rub Tester motor now has four speeds. The first speed (21 cycles per minute) is half the speed of the older models; which will make the "wet" tests, and tests using under 5 strokes easier to perform. The second speed (42 cycles per minute) and third speed (85 cycles per minute) are the same as the older models, while the fourth speed (106 cycles per minute) is faster.

These new improvements allow the customer the ability to customize the testing procedure to their individual product yet maintain the ability to duplicate a procedure used by someone with an older model unit. The higher speeds will reduce the long test times needed for certain types of substrates (plastics, UV varnishes, printed films, etc.)

The SUTHERLAND® 2000™ Rub Tester incorporates a digital counter with a fiber optic sensor to ensure the accuracy of the number of rubs desired and the instrument will shut off automatically after the correct number of strokes.

Additional Modifications

Changes to the control board programming will now allow the unit to stay on for 60 minutes before automatically turning off the LED display. Also, after the display has turned off, pressing any button will automatically display the last number of strokes entered, allowing time to record results without having to hold down the count button and re-enter the strokes with each test. A single mounting pad for the test strip is cut for the weight. It was found by using a two-inch (5cm) by four-inch (10cm) pad on the bottom of the weight that precision of the test increased (two-pound [907g] and four-pound [1814g] weights, scoring fixture, and hold down bracket are included).

Although the SUTHERLAND® 2000™ Rub Tester was originally designed to fill a need for testing the scuffing or rubbing resistance of inks used in the paper and paperboard industries; today it is being used by manufacturers of cleaning compounds, waxes, floor tile, film, and many other items. The test results are reproducible.

The following tests may be made with the instrument:

Dry Rub
Wet Rub
Wet Bleed or Transfer
Wet Smear
Functional Rub