The portable hardness tester is a valid alternative to the bench-top counterpart both to detect hardness on excessively large samples and to test hardness in situ, that is, directly in the production department.
Whether it is a Shore hardness tester or a portable hardness tester for metals, we have the solution that suits you that is 100% Made In Italy.
We are the only company in the Italian market that produces personally the whole range of Shore hardness testers the scales required by ISO 48-4, ASTM D2240, ISO 868 and ISO 21509.
Whatever polymer material you need to test, we have the hardness tester that fully meets the specific Shore scale that best suits your needs.
Choosing the right scale is vital to be able to have always reliable hardness values. Normally the most used scales are the Shore A and the Shore D, but only because the others are not well-known
Possible Shore hardness scales: A, AM, AO, B, C, D, DO, O, E, M, O, OO, OOO and OOO-S
If you have doubts about which Shore scale to use in your quality control, read the dedicated blog article.
Considered a good alternative to the portable Leeb (rebound) and UCI (ultrasonic) instruments, the Rockwell portable hardness tester offers accurate and reliable measurements on any sample even if they are thin – as long as it has a minimum thickness of 48.70 μm (0.002 in.) according to the reference standard ASTM E3246 – and in any direction. Even for upside down applications.
These are two great features that undoubtedly surpass the Leeb and UCI hardness tester for versatility of use to test material hardness.
We designed TKX-10, our portable Rockwell hardness testers, with these goals: both to give the possibility to the operator to perform hardness tests literally wherever he wants, and to have Rockwell hardness values calculated through 100% Rockwell testing method. In order to have always repeatable Rockwell values (HRA, HRB, HRC etc), Brinell (HB) and Vickers (HV) directly on the display.
This compact and pocket-sized version is suitable for measuring ferrous and non-ferrous workpieces, such as steel, aluminium, any flat or curved surface and much more without the need to change the indenter. Its portability functions are in compliance with ASTM E3246 and DIN 50157 standards.
In the case of Shore hardness, the portable version is the most widely used. Bench top solutions typically exist to meet specific regulations. This is the case of Shore M hardness, for example: the ASTM D2240 provides an exclusive use of this Shore hardness scale with bench top hardness meter, since it requires the control of the probe descent speed mm/sec.
The other scales can be used both in a stand-alone mode and combined to a portable solution. Of course, if you opt for a bench top support, you can enjoy maximum repeatability and precision in the execution of your Shore hardness tests, minimizing human influence in the execution of the tests.
In other cases, such as in the world of Rockwell hardness, the portable version exists “to test materials that due to their size, location or other requirements such as the test point can not be tested using traditional fixed tools.” (cf. ASTM E110-14, 2023) In order to meet this need, new standards have been created, with the aim of regulating portable use e.g. the ASTM E3246 and DIN 50157.
