The tester is a motor-driven instrument for moving a weighted test strip over a printed specimen through an arc. The SUTHERLAND® 2000™ Ink 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 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. The cover shows the new tester.
In 1990 the stroke of the SUTHERLAND® 2000™ Ink 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® 2000™ 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 Ð 92, Standard Practice for Abrasion Resistance of Printed Materials by the SUTHERLAND® 2000™ Ink Rub Tester (copies available from ASTM). the proper procedure for using the SUTHERLAND® 2000™ Tester. Included in this method is the recommendation to use standard receptors of known abrasiveness when conducting a test. |
