A ‘generation leap': Wallace launches new CSR testing equipment

PITTSBURGH—"Accuracy, repeatability and productivity." These are the key features of a new instrument in seal testing—dubbed a "generation leap" from its predecessor.

H.W. Wallace & Co Ltd. launched its new WAC11 Mk5 testing equipment, which measures the compression stress relaxometer characteristics of rubber and elastomer products such as seals and O-rings. The new testing equipment follows the company's Mk4 instrument.

CSR—used in industries such as aerospace, automotive and construction—is a "relevant standard" to measure the durability of an elastomer seal when held in compression over time in different environments, Surry, England-based Wallace said in an October press release.

"The stress at the interface between the elastomer and the rigid faces is important for efficient sealing and is a function of the modulus of the elastomer and the strain applied," according to the specifications of the new equipment.

"Seals are used in numerous applications," the company said, like pipe joints or engine seals. "For safety, warranty and product liability reasons, it is essential that these components, whilst under compression, operate without failure for many years."

Therefore, it is important to maintain "accuracy, repeatability and productivity," on which Wallace prides itself, Chris Mundy, sales and service manager at Wallace Instruments, said in the press release, adding that the company's engineers "are continuously innovating to support our thousands of customers in managing the cost of quality and new product development."

Calling the new equipment a "generation leap" compared to the Mk4, Mundy said the new instrument "provides an accurate, affordable and easy-to-use option for CSR testing." The Mk5 also is compatible with Windows software, allowing for customizable compression testing.

"What Wallace has done is made it simplified and interchangeable," Erick Sharp, president and CEO of Ace Products and Consulting L.L.C., told Rubber News of testing with the Mk5.

Ace is a rubber and silicone materials testing and R&D laboratory. The Ravenna, Ohio-based company partnered with Wallace earlier this year and acts as the North American sales, calibration and service partner for the English company's range of materials testing equipment.

Ace showcased the new equipment on the show floor of this year's International Elastomer Conference, held Oct. 4-7 in Pittsburgh.

"Wallace is known throughout the world as industry leaders in rubber testing, and we are very impressed with the WAC11 Mk5, which ticks all the boxes in terms of cost, flexibility and reproducibility," Sharp said in the press release.

"Demand for CSR testing is only going to grow in the future as correlative data continues to grow," he said. "The WAC11 Mk5 offers an affordable choice for CSR testing and does not require the use of a separate tensometer. This is important as CSR testing can involve long test cycles that can tie up capacity on a tensometer."

At the IEC, Sharp discussed the interchangeability of the machinery.

"You can use tooling from any of the industry standards on (Wallace's) unit," he said. "If somebody has already invested in (another) CSR and they're like, 'Good Lord, I don't want to go to a new unit because I got all the tooling for this other unit,' (Wallace) made it to where the tooling can be interchangeable."

He said this allows users to upgrade their equipment without being confined to one supplier, adding that the equipment is easy to use and price competitive.

Doug Foster, director of operations at Ace, said the equipment's backward compatibility is a big deal for the testing industry.

Testing jigs and fixtures can be expensive, he noted, so with the new model compatible with older fixtures, in addition to other industry standard fixtures, it adds to the cost effectiveness of the machinery.

The Mk5 can be adjusted to test with customers' existing jigs and fixtures. Mundy said Wallace also can refurbish and certify old jigs.

Foster added that the Mk5 is "more applicable to the real world" due to its predictive data.

Foster joined Ace after 11 years with DuPont Performance Materials Technical Service and Development laboratory.

"I did a lot of compression stress relaxation at my old job," he said. "The correlation to in-service and what you were actually going to see was much better with compression stress relaxation than it was compression set."

But he said what really makes the new model stand out is its programming. According to the equipment's specifications, its software "allows the brake-force data from a number of individual jigs to be collected and stored."

With previous iterations, Foster said, "you were doing independent recordings, and then you just had to align everything yourself.

"This has a lot more of a user-friendly interface," he added. "(It's) more efficient, for sure."

Wallace has been supplying testing products to the rubber industry for more than 70 years. The company designs and manufactures instruments and testing equipment for measuring physical properties, such as hardness, plasticity, viscosity and cure.

For more information on the WAC11 Mk5, visit wallaceinstruments.com.