Rubber Testing Equipment

NextGen covers rubber and elastomer testing end to end, from the raw compound through to finished parts. The main areas are:

• Cure and rheology: MDR and ODR rheometers, Mooney viscometers and the RPA Ultra.
• Hardness: durometers (Shore A, IRHD), including temperature-controlled options.
• Tensile and tear strength on a universal testing machine.
• Abrasion: DIN, Akron, NBS and Martindale methods.
• Flex, fatigue and aging: crack-growth, flex and heat-aging equipment.

Tell us which properties your specification covers and we'll map them to the right systems. Contact our team or request a quote.

Work back from the property you report:

• Cure behaviour and scorch: a moving die (MDR) or oscillating disc (ODR) rheometer.
• Processing viscosity: a Mooney viscometer.
• Hardness: a durometer.
• Tensile strength, elongation and modulus: a universal testing machine.
• Wear: an abrasion tester suited to your standard.

From there it comes down to your standards, throughput and specimen type. If you'd like a recommendation, contact our team.

The equipment is built to the standards rubber labs work to, mainly ASTM and ISO. Common ones by test:

• Cure: ASTM D5289 (MDR), D2084 (ODR); ISO 6502.
• Mooney viscosity: ASTM D1646; ISO 289.
• Tensile: ASTM D412; ISO 37.
• Hardness: ASTM D2240 (Shore), D1415 (IRHD); ISO 48, 7619.
• Abrasion: ASTM D5963, D1630; ISO 4649 (DIN), 4649.
• Heat aging: ASTM D573; ISO 188.

Each product page lists the exact standards a model meets. If a customer names one you don't see, send it over and we'll confirm it.

With a curemeter. The Moving Die Rheometer (MDR) is the modern standard: it holds a sample at test temperature and records torque as the rubber cures, giving scorch time, cure rate and optimum cure. The Oscillating Disc Rheometer (ODR) measures the same cure curve with the classic oscillating-rotor method. Both tell you how a compound will vulcanize before it reaches production. To match a rheometer to your compounds, request a quote.

Mooney viscosity measures the flow resistance of an uncured compound, which predicts how it will process. It's also used to check scorch. NextGen's Mooney Viscosity Testing Machine (GenMooney) runs the test to ASTM D1646 and ISO 289, and reports viscosity and scorch in one run.

The RPA Ultra is a dynamic rheometer that goes beyond a standard curemeter. It measures cure, plus dynamic properties like storage and loss modulus across strain, frequency and temperature, so you can characterise both processing and final in-service behaviour of a compound. It's the tool of choice for R&D and advanced quality control.

Rubber hardness is measured on the Shore A scale for most elastomers, or in IRHD for softer and thin materials. NextGen supplies manual durometers and the Automatic Shore, IRHD and VLRH system, which applies the load and reads automatically to remove operator variation. Where hardness has to be reported at a set temperature, the digiChamber temperature-controlled hardness tester conditions the specimen and tests it in one place.

On a universal testing machine configured for elastomers. It pulls a dumbbell specimen to failure and records tensile strength, elongation at break and modulus to ASTM D412 and ISO 37. Rubber needs long-travel extension and the right grips, which these frames are set up for. To size a frame to your specimens, request a quote.

Several methods exist because different products wear in different ways. NextGen supplies the main ones:

• DIN abrasion tester (rotating drum, ISO 4649): the common general-purpose method.
• Akron abrasion tester: widely used for tires and industrial rubber.
• NBS abrasion tester (GenNBS): for compounds specified to the NBS method.
• Martindale and linear abrasion: for surface and coated-material wear.

If you're not sure which method your standard calls for, contact our team.

Rubber that flexes in service, such as belts, seals and soles, is tested for crack growth and fatigue. The Demattia Flex Cracking Tester measures crack initiation and growth under repeated flexing, and the GenRoss-CH Ross Flex Tester runs flex testing with an optional low-temperature chamber. Both show how a compound holds up over many cycles rather than a single pull.

Yes, and it matters because rubber stiffens and can turn brittle in the cold. The GenRoss-CH adds a low-temperature chamber for flex testing, and the Freezing Tester (GenFreeze) determines the temperature at which a compound becomes brittle. Tell us your target temperature range and we'll spec the right set-up.

Heat aging predicts how a compound's properties change over time at elevated temperature. The Aging Oven (NG-AGOV) holds specimens at a controlled temperature for a set period, after which they're re-tested for hardness, tensile or elongation to see how much they've changed. It's a standard step for durability and lifetime claims.

With the Digital Densimeter System, which measures specific gravity quickly and repeatably. Density is a simple but valuable check on compound consistency, filler loading and batch uniformity.

Rubber dumbbells are cut from sheet with a die and a press so every specimen has the same shape. The NG-T-Press cutting press cuts clean, consistent tensile specimens, which is important because a ragged edge starts a tear and skews the result. Good specimen prep is part of getting repeatable tensile numbers.

Yes. The rheometers, viscometers and universal testing machines run under software that sets up the test, records the curve live, calculates results and exports reports. Operators run to a saved method, so results are consistent between shifts and operators.

Yes. A single universal testing machine handles tensile, tear and compression; the test changes with the grips and fixtures you fit. That covers most of a rubber lab's static testing on one frame. If you're unsure which fixtures your standards need, contact our team.

Cutting dies for tensile dumbbells, abrasion wheels and sheets, rotor and die sets for rheometers, grips and fixtures for the universal frames, and spare probes for durometers. Send your model and we'll match the right supplies to it.

Yes. Installation and commissioning are done on site, followed by hands-on training on set-up, method creation, daily verification and maintenance, tailored to your systems and standards. To plan an install, contact our team.

Yes. NextGen provides calibration and verification traceable to recognised standards, plus spare parts and both remote and on-site service. Regular calibration keeps results defensible in an audit, and support continues for the life of the equipment.

Tire and rubber manufacturers, seal and gasket makers, hose and belt producers, footwear, automotive and aerospace suppliers, and compounding and research labs. Anywhere a rubber compound has to meet a cure, hardness, strength or wear specification, this equipment does the checking.

You can request a quote for any product on this page, and the request carries the item you're interested in so we can respond quickly. Prefer to talk it through first? Contact our team, and we can arrange a demonstration or a sample test on your own compound. You can also browse the full Rubber Testing Equipment range to compare options.