With the TABER® Shear / Scratch Tester, you can evaluate resistance to shearing, scratching, gouging, marring, scraping and engraving on a variety of flat, rigid specimens.  It may also be used to test the relative homogeneity of materials, the adhesive qualities of protective coatings and the effects of age on similar materials.
 
A removable scale beam is mounted on a pivotal shaft projecting from an adjustable gage block.  An adjusting screw permits the height of the pivotal shaft to be raised or lowered, corresponding with the thickness of a test specimen up to 12.7 mm (0.5 inches).  This adjustment allows the scale beam to be maintained in a level position in respect to the specimen and turntable.  Designed with an integrated bearing, the scale beam can be tilted in a rest position enabling the operator to mount or remove specimens.
 
A calibrated sliding weight is mounted on the scale beam.  By changing the position of the sliding weight, the load applied by the scratch tip (shear tool) can be adjusted between 0 to 500 grams.  A second calibrated weight may be attached to the end of the scale beam, thus increasing the load capacity and changing the scale to 500 - 1000 grams. Engraved graduations are marked on the scale beam representing 10 grams per division.
 
Operated by an on/off switch, the motorized turntable rotates at a constant speed to ensure greater accuracy in test results.  The turntable rotates in a counter-clockwise direction, but with a simple conversion the turntable rotation can be reversed (for more information contact Taber).
For materials sensitive to scratching, an optional Scale Beam Modified Weight Set is available that converts the scale by 1/10 to 0 - 50 gram range.  To increase the testing load from 1000 to 1500g, an optional Scale Beam Fixed Weight is available.  To satisfy EN 13310 (Kitchen Sinks - Functional requirements and test methods) an optional weight that provides a 15N load is also offered.