Provide visual qualitative data to accurately predict service life of plastic surfaces for reliable Quality Control and quantitative standards needed to develop performance specifications.

The Scratch Testers perform simple, quick, reproducible and reliable test methods used to evaluate the scratch resistance of “hard coated” plastics and various other materials, matching real-world failures for coatings, lenses, filters and displays found on many opto-electronic devices. These test abraders use a fixed steel wool pad or other scrubbing material on the bottom of a shaft, while carrying a variable load from 1 lb to 50 lbs per square inch, to induce deformation on test specimens. The resistance to scratching as well as haze formation, after a predetermined number of strokes may be observed and measured in a controlled manner, accurately predicting service life of substrates. Repeating the test on various locations on the same surface can be used to quickly evaluate a coating’s uniform quality.

Haze formation on transparent coated plastics may be created using various abrasion techniques, yet plastics fail due to scratching rather than abrasion. This test methodology overcomes the various well-known limitations with the Abrasion Test and Falling Emory Test. From changes in the optical properties due to scratching by steel wool, the measure of the material’s long term resistance to deformation can be developed.