Product Quality Control. What is Rub Testing for Print and How Does it Work?

• ThriveAdmin


• 21 Sep 2018

In manufacturing especially for consumer use, quality control is essential. A consumer will form an opinion of your product encompassing its packaging, labeling,and design. Quality control is important in almost any product manufacturing and rub testing might be a step your company or small business is overlooking.

What is Rub Testing for Print?

If your product requires a label to inform consumers of important directions, hazards, or ingredients then the intactness of that label and all of its important information can become
a liability especially for labels in the pharmaceutical or medical device fields. If any of that information has transferred or worn there an assessed risk for your company. Rub testing utilizes a specified tool to test the amount of force needed to create damage to the label giving you the information you need to increase the quality of your labels or will give you peace of mind knowing your labels will hold up in shipping and storage environments. Having a tool at your disposal to test on multiple different types of labels your company may produce at any time and in the future is a key step in the overall quality control of your product.

How Does it Work?

The SUTHERLAND® 2000™ Rub Tester is a standard in the industry when it comes to rub testing for print and fabrics for over 60 years.  It works by utilizing motor-driven abrasion testing. The label is put in the machine and a similar label to a weight is also attached. The two labels are then rubbed together at a specific speed to assess how well the label resists damage. There are four speeds at which the SUTHERLAND® 2000™ Rub Tester can perform and each label might require a different speed giving more flexibility for your quality control operation.

Many of the original rub testers Danilee Co. have manufactured are still in use, however, there have been significant upgrades to the original technology in the 60-year time span. The original use was for the print label industry and now can be used by manufacturers of cleaning compounds, textiles, floor tile, fabrics, various rubber and plastics, wire, plastic extrusions with or without printing, metals, and paints. We continue to find new applications and ways to bring the SUTHERLAND® 2000™ Rub Tester to your business.

Learn more about the SUTHERLAND® 2000™ Rub Tester capabilities for your industry and watch rub tester videos right here on our website. If you would like information on pricing please request a quote today.