Friction is a key component for real world applications. Any material that makes contact with another surface will have a friction force. Two key components of friction are the static and kinetic friction coefficients. These coefficients can be measured in a single pass over a sample surface with a specified contact part and a known load.

Reciprocating wear analysis can give an estimation of the useful life of a material by measuring the material removal rate. Reciprocating wear testing is useful for analyzing very small amounts of material removal like thin film coatings.