Micro Photonics, Inc. and Tribotron, AG, Partner to Provide Hand Abrasion Testing Instrumentation

Offering superior instrumentation for testing lab samples or finished products under real life conditions.
ALLENTOWN, Pennsylvania, January 10, 2017 — Micro Photonics, Inc., a full-service instrumentation sales, training, and support company, and Tribotron, AG, a Switzerland-based manufacturer of high precision surface characterization instruments, are announcing a partnership to offer the TRIBOTOUCH® Hand Abrasion Simulator to U.S. laboratory markets. The TRIBOTOUCH allows scientists to accurately and reliably measure mechanical and chemical stresses caused by finger abrasion and wear.

Damage from wear to surfaces—either printed, coated, or a relief structure—is a major contributor to a perception of poor quality. The visual appearance of a product over time influences how consumers will perceive its usefulness and quality.

“The TRIBOTOUCH can help you make a better material and product before it gets to market,” says Timothy Sledz, President and Chief Operating Officer of Micro Photonics. “By reproducing the abrasive effects of a human hand, combined with chemical interaction of sweat, makeup, lotion, and other products, the TRIBOTOUCH simulates years of use quickly and easily.”

The TRIBOTOUCH reproduces the complex bio-mechanical system of a finger touching a surface by generating a mechanical strike that is followed by a push-slide motion. In addition, sweat, body oils, and/or consumer care products can be added to create a real life environment for testing. Both the applied pressure and chemical parameters may be varied to stress a product under different conditions. The flexibility of this design allows one instrument to be suitable for multiple user-defined conditions.

“The motion of the piston/artificial finger is electronically controlled to simulate product wear. Unlike other, less refined systems that use a pneumatic cylinder that can wear over time and thus produce variable results, the TRIBOTOUCH uses a linear motor to ensure precise application of pressure every time, over the lifetime of the machine,” says David Ziltener, Managing Director of Tribotron, AG. “The high quality of the components used to build the TRIBOTOUCH guarantee the machine will be highly reliable with low maintenance for years to come.”

TRIBOTOUCH testing meets the International Standards for simulation of standard hand and finger abrasion: ISO 12947-1 / IEC 68-2-70.

Applications include the testing of:

• Wear of painted and printed surfaces, including keypads, signs, push buttons, ATM/credit card machines, checkout counters, car radios, and climate control interfaces.
• Wear resistance of real and faux leather, such as in automotive interiors, furniture, cell phone cases, steering wheels, clothing, and more.
• Abrasion from rough cleaning materials on bulk material and coated surfaces, such as pots and pans, as well as on surfaces that get cleaned routinely, such as signs and surfaces in bathrooms, restaurants, airports, kitchens, and other high use areas.
• Resistance to build-up of dirt and other materials by using test fabric that is pre-soiled with carbon and oil, demonstrating how resistant a material is to the build-up of grime.

To learn more, please visit: www.microphotonics.com/products/tribology.

About Micro Photonics, Inc.

Micro Photonics provides instruments, laboratory services, training, and support to help research scientists meet their most complex laboratory demands. Our engineers collaborate with our customers so that they can focus on what they do best—their ground-breaking research. The company is headquartered in Allentown, PA with an office hub in California. Visit us at www.microphotonics.com.

About Tribotron AG, Switzerland

Tribotron is a privately held corporation, headquartered in Switzerland, dedicated to innovative methods for material and surface characterization. This includes determination of material properties like abrasion, hardness, e-modulus, scratch resistance, roughness, and 3D topography. The company also participates in national and international research projects. Visit them at www.tribotron.com.