Hardness testing ensures the longevity and dependability of products. It measures a material’s resistance to deformation, abrasion, and wear through the application of force. Each type of testing uses a specific technique. A Vickers hardness tester uses a diamond-shaped indenter on hard metals and ceramics, whereas a Brinell tester uses a spherical-shaped indenter on polymers and non-ferrous metals.
You have two categories of hardness testing equipment to pick from: bench and portable.
What Are Benchtop Hardness Testers?
The benchtop tester is the gold standard for precise, repeatable, and certifiable hardness testing results within a controlled environment. It’s laboratory-based and stationary, usually installed in quality control units or production lines.
Engineers designed benchtops to test plastics, metals, and other materials. They can be calibrated according to International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards, enabling them to provide accurate results.
Under controlled conditions, benchtop hardness testers support the following testing methods, delivering detailed material analyses:
- Brinell
- Vickers
- Knoop
- Rockwell
- Microhardness
The controlled environment of a stationary hardness tester minimizes interference from external sources and avoids measurement errors.
The ideal applications for benchtop testers include:
- Metallurgical testing
- Lab-based small samples
- Certified assessments
What Are Portable Hardness Testers?
Engineers designed portable testers for on-site and in-field applications. These compact and easy-to-carry devices allow fast, non-destructive materials evaluation. When you’re testing machinery, pipelines, and other items that are much too large to move or transport to the lab, portable hardness testers will do the job.
You can test metals and other materials, using the following testing methods:
- Ultrasonic contact impedance (UCI)
- Indentation
- Brinell
- Rockwell
- Leeb Rebound
Applications for portable testers include in-field or off-site testing, large, immovable components, and hard-to-reach test positions that are typically not accessible to benchtop testers.
How to Compare Testers
Both naturally come with their advantages and disadvantages.
Portable testers are convenient and lightweight, making them ideal for field testing. However, they can be limited in terms of accuracy. Although some devices can be accurate, benchtop testers deliver superior precision.
With some testing methods, like Leeb, a larger sample may be necessary to deliver stable results.
Benchtop testers, meanwhile, support a wider range of testing methods than portable testers and are expected to have a longer service life.
In terms of cost, a benchtop hardness tester is more expensive upfront, whereas a portable hardness tester is more budget-friendly.
What to Consider When Choosing Your Testing Equipment
If the decision boils down to cost, portable hardness testers would be the clear winner. These compact devices are also easier to maintain, reducing further costs during their service life. But a lower upfront cost is hardly the only consideration you would make.
Because much depends on the durability and reliability of the hardness tester, you should follow a thoughtful process before investing in one.
Type and Size of Materials
The material type and size are crucial to your choice of hardness tester. If you mostly test irregularly shaped or assembled parts and large components, you need to go with portable testers. If you mainly test smaller, uniform, and flat samples, choose benchtop testers.
Ease of Use
Portable testers are simple to operate. You likely don’t need to train workers to use it on the field or elsewhere in your workshop. By comparison, benchtop hardness testers will need trained operators because the setup and calibration are more complex.
Testing Environment
Benchtop hardness testers require a clean, controlled environment to provide high-precision results. Portable testers, on the other hand, are designed for mobile applications. You can use them in construction sites or for fieldwork.
Precision
Standardized testing conditions, automated force application, and stable setup allow benchtop hardness testers to deliver accurate results. This is why it’s the ideal choice for regulatory compliance and certified testing. If you’re running quality control protocols and doing research, go with benchtop hardness testers.
Portable testing, meanwhile, is suitable for quick checks and preliminary testing. Operator technique can affect the results, and rough and curved surfaces can affect the device, leading to variations in testing outcomes.
Testing Methods
Benchtop testers offer more testing methods than portable testers. If you work with a variety of materials, you’ll get a more detailed analysis from the stationary tester. But if you work with larger and assembled parts, where certain components are not easy to reach, the portable tester is a good choice, even with its limited testing methods.
Hardness testing is an essential part of quality assurance across industries, from automotive and manufacturing sectors to aerospace and medical fields. The right equipment ensures appropriate material selection, product quality, and compliance with relevant standards, all of which secure customer satisfaction and business success.
Consider your operational requirements and make the right choice between portable hardness testers and benchtop hardness testers.
