Impact Testing Equipment

Impact resistance is one of the most critical properties of many packaging materials. These materials must be strong enough to protect their contents, especially when exposed to free-falling objects and other disturbances that could compromise their integrity. Impact testing equipment is crucial for evaluating the stiffness and toughness of a material when bearing a force on its surface. The impact strength of a material is also important for the packaging process including the ability to reduce waste and failure of products as they move through production and while they are in the end user application.

Equipment for Testing Impact Resistance

Thwing-Albert furnishes various testing devices that measure impact resistance, which is vital to determining packaging performance when using plastic films, geotextiles, coated paper and other materials. There are various methods for evaluating impact force for quality control of materials including a swinging pendulum and a free-falling dart test.

Spencer Impact Tester — ASTM D3420

The Spencer Impact Tester functions as an attachment to Thwing Albert’s Elmendorf Tear Testers to measure the impact resistance of packaging materials and plastic films in conditions that closely resemble the strain rates these materials undergo in end-use applications. This tester features a curved metal arm attached to the pendulum and an interchangeable head available in multiple variations depending on the material. This pendulum impact test can to handle capacities up to 12,800 grams. The Spencer Impact tester complies with ASTM D3420 to evaluate the impact resistance of plastic film.

Dart Drop Impact Tester — ASTM D1709

Thwing-Albert’s Dart Drop Impact Tester uses the free-falling dart method to measure the impact resistance of coated paper, plastic film and other materials per ASTM D1709 standards. The device features a pneumatic clamp to secure the sample for user safety and ease of operation. The tester utilizes a two-phase clamping sequence — the first phase uses low pressure for initial clamping of the material, followed by high pressure in the second phase to secure it directly before testing.

Contact Thwing-Albert for Impact Testing Equipment Today

Thwing-Albert has been a global leader in manufacturing the highest-quality material testing equipment for over a century. Our impact resistance testing instruments are an example of the many equipment lines we offer to cover an extensive application range across various industries. Contact the Thwing-Albert team today to request a quote or obtain additional product information.