A hardness tester comes in two forms. The first one is the bench hardness tester. The other is the portable hardness tester. This guide will tell you more about the UCI hardness tester.
How Does the Ultrasonic Hardness Tester Work?
A UCI portable hardness tester can quickly and easily detect and gauge the hardness of various metals with no damage. This tool comes with high speed and precision. It doesn’t have an indentation. A hardness tester uses a solo chip technology and cutting-edge sensing system that makes it better compared to typical ultrasonic hardness testers in structure and function.
You can use an ultrasonic portable hardness tester to know the hardness of various materials like metal foil and metal thin layers like carburizing layer, electroplating layer, and nitriding layer. You can also use it for your gears and bearings. Its shape parts are easier to disassemble, but the solid parts are hard to move.
A Portable Rockwell Hardness Tester is an excellent equipment to use when testing precision. It can help you save money and enhance the production pass percentage. Likewise, this type of hardness tester can calculate the average when there are variances in hardness. You can use it for several measurements.
A hardness tester uses a Vickers indenter. It can give values in Brinell, Vickers, and Rockwell. A few models may provide measurement values in one or two testing scales. Luckily, most models available can automatically give all these three testing scales. Thus, you don’t need to change the scale every now and then.
What are the Features of an Ultrasonic Contact Impedance Hardness Tester?
This hardness tester comes with interesting features. Thus, this tool is suitable for gauging any material with special surface needs. It has a built-in rechargeable battery. With extended battery life, you can use your hardness tester for several hours a day.
Also, you don’t need to set the probe path in using a portable hardness tester. Just keep it vertical to the material’s surface and start working. Optional plants are suitable for small workpiece detection. They will let you change the detection speed.
The ultrasonic hardness testing tool is lightweight and small. Hence, you can bring it anywhere you go. Its portability makes it a good addition to your toolkit.
Why Should You Use an Ultrasonic Contact Impedance Hardness Testing Tool?
This type of hardness tester is beneficial because:
- It can work even in those directions with tight spaces.v
- It can take measurements on huge objects and in problematic test positions or component geometries like the bottom of your gear teeth.
- It quickly provides reliable measurements.
- You can automate hardness measuring.
- It creates small indentation depth or size.
- It gives reproducible outcomes and lesser sensitivity in case of irregular test indentations. That’s because the hardness calculations include the whole contact surface.
- It is easy to adjust and align with the planned testing application.
What to Consider When Buying a UCI Hardness Testing Tool?
This type of hardness tester is available in several brands and units. To choose the right one for your needs, you should consider these things:
- Select a hardness tester based on your needs and purpose. How? Use the highest test power and the biggest indenter. After that, observe the impact of the shape and the measurements of the test sample.
- Make sure the test results match your needs for repeatability and accuracy. Perform the Gage R&R to collect quantifiable information about the error credited to the operator and the dimension system used.
- Get your tool at the right price. Before buying any model, look for ultrasonic hardness tester price ranges. Typically, a portable hardness tester costs thousands of dollars. So, find a reasonably priced model with proven performance and interesting features.
There are major differences between the performance levels in every type of hardness tester. The job can be quick and simple for one tester but hard for another. It means there are features which can affect accuracy and productivity even if the hardness testers use similar test methods.
Taking Care of Your Hardness Tester
A hardness tester is quite expensive, so be extra careful when using it. That is the only way to keep your hardness tester damage-free. It may struggle to work in some instances. For example, the precision sensor dimension is less accurate when you use the hardness tester in a solid magnetic field. Thus, avoid using it within the robust magnetic fields. Keep your hardness tester at a far, safe distance while it’s in use and even after work.
Required Accessories
A hardness tester needs a wide range of probes as main accessories. Probes are available in two forms: manual and automatic. Your collection of accessories should include those probes that are for hard-to-reach spaces. These probes have elongated spike point indenters.
Likewise, you must have shorter probes which are better to use in tight areas. Be sure you have forces, too. Many stores selling a hardness tester and accessories offer a selection of forces. You need them for probes that require various loading forces before the measurement becomes available.