DYNE TEST PENS TESTING METHODS

DYNE TEST PENS perform well on most non-absorptive materials.

Do not touch or in any way contaminate the surface to be tested.

Do not use contaminated or outdated DYNE TEST PENS.

Never retest the same location on a sample: move along the sample, or pull a new one.

Store DYNE TEST PENS at room temperature.

Pull test sample. Make sure you pull a good sample specimen.

For extruded film, one entire web cross-section should be okay. Do not touch the surface. Place the sample on a clean, level surface. Always go left to right in order to maintain the same consistency.

Record ambient temperature and relative humidity. If sample temperature differs from ambient, allow it to stabilize.

A minimum 3 separate sample points should be tested: ¼, ½ and ¾ across the film section. It is good practice to test the outer edges as well. For non-film materials, test locations must be determined in-house.

Determination of wetting

Choose a DYNE TEST PEN, which you believe, is slightly lower than that of the subject material.

1.1 Use a light touch to draw the pen across the test pen from left to right in two or three parallel lines. Disregard the first pass.

1.2 If the last swath remains wetted out on the test sample for three seconds or more, repeat the step 1.1 with the next higher dyne level pen. If the last ink swath beads up, tears apart, or shrinks into a thin line within three second or less, repeat step 1.1 with a lower level pen. If the ink swath holds for one to three seconds before losing its integrity, the dyne level of the pen closely matches that of the sample.

This is relatively accurate surface energy measurement technique: used in standard 2 dynes/cm increments.

To investigate discrepancies between obtained and expected results, a more precise measurement method should be considered: application DYNE TEST SOLUTION surface tension test fluids with cotton swabs (per ASTM D2578-94) or by use of a draw down rod is recommended. Alternatively, if results are suspect, replicate the test with a set of unused pens. This test method has proven itself on a wide variety of substrates: it is, however, more prone to contamination than some other techniques. We do offer Jumbo refillable pens with replaceable wider nibs.

* It always recommended that you two or mores pulled samples of the same specimen. *