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Rubber filller dispersion testingMonTech DisperTester 3000
Rubber Filler Dispersion Tester

Fast and accurate measurement of
filler dispersion in rubber compounds

The DisperTester 3000 is the only instrument that gives a direct measurement of dispersion in a fast and simple test, without requiring subjective assessment.




DisperTester 3000 rubber filler dispersion testing system

MonTech DisperTester 3000
System Description

The DisperTester 3000 is a state of the art instrument designed to measure filler dispersion in rubber compounds. The DisperTerster 3000 uses digital image processing to automatically measure the size and proportion of undispersed agglomerates within a rubber mix and provides quantitative results within seconds. Specimen preparation is simple using the DisperTester 3000 preparation tools.

Many properties of the cured compound are directly affected by filler dispersion including:

  • Tensile strength
  • Tear strength
  • Fatigue resistance
  • Abrasion resistance

Importance of Rubber Filler Dispersion Testing

Rubber Filler dispersion has critical effect on final product properties. The determination of filler dispersion in technical rubber goods and tire compounds is of great importance to the industry. Dispersion quality has a direct impact on final product properties and is therefore widely used as a quality control parameter.

Dispersion is important because many failure properties are initiated by agglomerates - the larger the agglomerate, the faster the failure. The performance, failure properties, and appearance of a tire or rubber products are influenced significantly by the dispersion of the filler in the rubber compound.

Rubber compound processability is influenced by filler dispersion.

  • Increased dispersion lowers viscosity.
  • Increased dispersion decreases elasticity.

Routine measurement of filler dispersion will provide information that cannot be easily obtained by other methods. In a controlled environment, an indication of dispersion can be derived from Mooney, rheology or dynamic mechanical testing. However, in an actual mixing environment, data from these tests can also indicate mixing variations, polymer variations, filler variations, cure system variations and weight variations. The DisperTester 3000 allows for the visual examination of.

  • mixing efficiency
  • material properties
  • processing properties
  • quality of the final product

clean cut for better dispersion test resultsMonTech DisperTester 3000
Sample Preparation

Sample preparation simply involves cutting the rubber sample to generate a ‘fresh face’ for analysis – A simple cutting tool is supplied to optimise sample preparation for cured samples.

dispersion test sample cutterMagnification Levels

The DisperTester 3000 is available with 3 different magnification levels:

  • 1000x magnification: Can detect particles down to 100nm! This is a huge advantage for silanisation / micro agglomeration measurements.

  • 100x magnification: For analysis of fine particle size fillers

  • 30x magnification: For analysis of larger particle size fillers

filler particle sizes

reflected light method for filler disperstion testingMonTech DisperTester 3000
Data Analysis

By utilising the reflected light method of dispersion testing the DisperTester 3000 is able to quickly and accurately quantify filler dispersion and agglomerate size.

  1. The sample surface is scanned.
  2. Flat areas’ are seen as black because no light is reflected.
  3. Agglomerates reflect light to the cameras’ sensor and are seen as grey to white.

Agglomerate Rating & Dispersion Rating

The sample data is automatically compared to the a known standard and rated on a scale of 1 to 10 and gives an indication of the number, size, and dispersion of agglomerates.

agglomerate rating scale

dispersion test data compared to a scale of 1 to 10

The DisperTester 3000 displays the sample image and reference image on a split screen, allowing the user to immediately see the results as they are transferred to the computer for analysis.

disperstion and reference dispersion test sample comparison

MonTech DisperTester 3000
Specifications

International standards
 ISO 11345, ASTM D-7723
Electrical Requirements 80 - 250 VAC, 47 – 63 Hz, 1 Amps
Dimensions Height: 185 mm
Width: 160 mm
Depth: 525 mm
Weight 17.5 kg
Magnification DisperTester 3000 - 1000x = 1000 times magnification
DisperTester 3000 - 100x = 100 times magnification
DisperTester 3000 - 30x = 30 times magnification
System requirements IBM Compatible PC with Windows 2000 / XP / Vista / 7. Computer, TFT Screen. Keyboard, Mouse, Printer and connection cables are supplied with the DisperTester 3000
Aperture Size DisperTester 3000 - 100x = 4 mm x 3.5 mm (0.16” x 0.14”)
DisperTester 3000 - 30x = 9 mm x 5 mm (0.35” x 0.20”)
Lens System TELECENTRIC Lens system (no distortion in the corners) by Carl Zeiss
Picture Size Greyscale picture with 5.0 Megapixels (2592 X 1944 Pixels)
Picture Format JPEG (Quality level= 100%) according ISO/IEC 10918
Test Specimen 100x to 1000x = 4.5 x 4 mm (0.18” x 0.16”) (minimum size)
30x = 10 x 8 mm (0.39” x 0.31”) (minimum size)
Display / Recording Data acquisition system processes, displays, and analyzes digitized images from the DisperTester 3000 for visual comparison to customer-established reference scale, or for automatic comparison to standard reference images and classification according to installed methods / scales such as the Phillips 10 – degree scale. Experimental Histogram Software provides for the rating of number and size of agglomerates
Light Source LED (12 Pos) or Halogen (recommended for broader spectrum light distribution)
Other Sample preparation cutter (for cured samples) included
Calibration sample included
Variable brightness, contrast and exposure
Computer Controlled Focus
Ultra rugged housing milled from solid aluminum to withstand huge shocks