Manufacturing Hardness Testing

Manufacturing hardness testing is crucial for quality control of materials. It measures their resistance to permanent deformation or indentation, evaluating the material’s wear resistance, strength and ductility.

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Understanding Manufacturing Hardness Testing

Hardness testing refers to the power that a material is capable to withstand permanent deformation, including scratches, cutting, or abrasion. This is a crucial property in various industries, and particularly for the manufacturing industries in order to provide reliable quality control of materials.

Hardness testing can be used in the production of industrial machinery, transmission systems, transport, and more. Manufacturing hardness testing can be used in different phases of production, be it for testing raw materials to test its acceptability, as well as in the final checks of a product to discard defective products.

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What to Consider When Choosing a Hardness Test for Your Manufacturing

When it comes to choosing the most suitable hardness test for your manufacturing, there are a few factors to consider. They include:

Material type and composition – This includes the hardness level of the material, grain structure (if coarse-grained or not), or if ductile.
Product size and shape – Each hardness testing method can test a range of materials, but depending on the size (small or big), or if oddly shaped or not, the testing method will vary.

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Testing requirements – Speed, temperature, if destructive or non-destructive test needed, and how accurate are requirements that need to be considered.
Industry specific requirements – Some methods meet industry standards (e.g. ISO, ASTM, etc), which may be essential for some manufacturing hardness testing.

Manufacturing Hardness Testing Methods

There are a few types of material hardness testing available, including Rockwell (HRC), Vickers (HV), Brinell (HB) and Vickers (HV). These will measure different types of dentations, hardness, and materials, being Brinell, Rockwell and Vicker the most common manufacturing hardness testing methods.

Rockwell Hardness Test (HRC, HRB, etc.)

The most common manufacturing hardness testing method, the Rockwell is very used to test on finished products without significant damage, thanks to its shallow indentations. It is a quick and reliable test for manufacturing industries, offering 12 different methods with different loads and indenters so it can help analyse a range of materials.

- Applications: Steel, Aluminium and Brass.
- Benefits: Non-destructive testing, suitable for a range of materials with different scales, and easy to perform with fast results. The Rockwell hardness testing method also offers precise results thanks to its diamond tip.
- Limitations: Rockwell hardness testing is not suitable for thin materials or oddly shaped materials.

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Brinell Hardness Test (HB)

Very used for larger or coarse-grained materials, the Brinell hardness test can be used in industries like forging, castings and large workpieces. Brinell is also suitable for soft materials like carbon steels and copper thanks to its larger indenter.

Applications: Cast iron, low carbon steels, aluminium, copper, some plastics.
Benefits: Good to test bulk materials with coarse grain structures.
Limitations: It requires more time than the Rockwell test, and it not suitable for small or thin materials.

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Vickers Hardness Test (HV)

Different from Rockwell and Brinell, the Vicker hardness testing method is suitable for both thin materials and coatings, which makes it suitable for microhardness testing for precision manufacturing.

Applications: Metals, alloys, plastics and ceramics.
Benefits: Precise and suitable for microhardness evaluations, the Vickers hardness testing method is also suitable for extremely thin materials. It is suitable for brittle materials, and great for quality control processes.
Limitations: Also requires more time in comparison to the Rockwell hardness testing method and requires polished surfaces.

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Why Choose Indentec for Your Manufacturing Hardness Testing Solutions?

Indentec is part of the ZwickRoell Group, and thanks to the years of industry, we have extended experience and expertise when it comes to hardness testing. We also offer high-quality products with next-day delivery available, all at a competitive price.

For more information about our products and what we can offer to your business, do not hesitate to get in touch with us. Our team members will be happy to help with any questions you might have.