Rub Testing

Rub testing is commonly used to evaluate ink transfer, coating durability, wear testing, and comparison between formulations and printing application methods.  The Sutherland 2000 Rub Tester is the equipment of choice for smear and ink transfer testing standards such as ASTM D5264 and TAPPI T-830.

The rub tester supports evaluation of abrasion resistance to quantitatively determine the effects of smearing, rubbing, or abrasion on many different materials. A blank sheet of paper is weighed down and rubbed across the sample of printed material.  After a predetermined number of rub cycles, the blank receptor is examined for ink transfer from the material of interest.

Typical Experimental Results

Image of the original print sample (right) and clean white paper receptor (left). A 4 lbs. of weight is used for the rub tests.

After 500 rub cycles, faint ink traces from the print sample can be observed on the white paper receptor.

After 1000 rub cycles, more ink has been removed from the print sample and transferred onto the white paper receptor.

After 2000 rub cycles, even more material has been rubbed off the print sample and transferred onto the white paper receptor. Pale white tracks on the green portion of the print sample can be seen where ink has been removed.

Applications

Instrument: Sutherland 2000 Rub Tester

Instrument Key Specifications

For more information, please read our application notes:
Dry and Wet Rub Testing of Printed Materials, PDF
All application notes can be found here