Portable hardness testers
Bench hardness testers
Automatic systems

Portable hardness testers

The Portable hardness test can be divided into two groups: Portable and Superficial Portable. The difference is given by the test loads, which for the Portable test are heavier than for the Superficial Portable test. The ERNST Portable hardness testers are designed to take the advantages from the Portable test, such as the employ of diamond indenters for testing tempered steel or hard metals, and the ball penetrators for soft metals. The Portable method allows testing of plastic even under load. The ERNST Portable hardness testers allow overcoming some limitations of the Portable method. The main disadvantage of the traditional Portable hardness testers is that the accuracy of testing depends to a large degree on the perfect contact between the work piece and its support, usually called the anvil. In the presence of oil coat, some grease or other between the test part and the anvil, a little movement occurs during load application, when added to the indentation depth, gives a wrong result, decreasing the hardness value. Because it is not always possible to work in perfect conditions, for example in heat treatment or workshop environments, this is an important consideration. To overcome this problem, almost our hardness testers (AT-series, TWIN, BRE-AUT, COMPUTEST SC, DYNATEST SC) work according to a modification to the Portable principle. In this case, a support on the test surface gives the penetration depth. Therefore, any movement of the part, elevating screw or stand, does not influence the test result. Thanks to this method, the same advantages of the Portable and Portable principle are reached. The ERNST bench hardness testers have a third important component, called clamping shield. The clamping shield is used for locking of the test piece, avoiding the use of any special support; the clamping shield can be easily removed if needed. In portable hardness testers, this component is called base, it is interchangeable and helps creating a perfect support on the test piece.

Portable hardness testers Bench hardness testers Automatic systems

ERNST is a company with over 50 years’ experience in the research, design and production of high quality Portable hardness testers.
Active in the international market with an extensive range of Portable hardness testers, it gathers information and requests from a demanding and diversified market, in order to continue to be at the forefront of the production of machines for controlling, measuring and testing materials.
ERNST patents are the story and the future of the company, a company that is constantly researching new technological solutions to the still unsolved problems in metal hardness testing.
The range of ERNST Portable hardness testers includes:

- light and heavy load Portable  hardness testers, suitable for testing large specimens, irregular shapes, and awkward test points that bench testers cannot reach
- bench hardness testers for Portable and Portable testing with direct reading in many other hardness scales
- automatic hardness testers for high volume testing and completely in-line testing operations.

All ERNST Portable hardness testers operate according to a variant of the Portable method that permits accurate and reliable results also in the presence of deflection of the test part.
The series ESATEST Portable hardness testers is based on a new testing method based on the measurement of the electrical resistivity and patented by ERNST. This method allows determining in a rapid way the material hardness in awkward test points, such as interiors, irregular shapes, gear evolvents.
The experience and the specialisation, the possibility to offer customized solutions, the extensive range of Portable hardness testers make ERNST a worldwide leader in the production of testing instruments.

Some of our hardness testers:

DYNATEST SC Heavy load portable Portable hardness tester Testing load more than 100 k p (98 N) Digital readout in Portable and Portable hardness scales (Portable and other scales on request) Print functions in 5 languages, statistics, 1000 tests can be stored, RS232 output, backlit display. Performances comparable to a bench tester.

HANDY ESATEST Portable hardness tester Digital readout in Portable hardness scale (other scales on request) A new concept of Portable hardness tester for testing of odd shaped parts and difficult test points. Possibility of testing flat and cylindrical surfaces, gear evolvents, etc.

COMPUTEST SC Light load Portable hardness tester (5 kp). Digital readout in Portable, Portable and Portable hardness scales (other scales on request). Optional bench stand for testing of small parts. Magnetic support and other equipment available. Print functions in 5 languages statistics, 1000 tests can be stored, RS232 output, backlit display.

STE Ernst Calibrated Pins Tester Portable hardness tester for Portable testing. Testing load 1580 kp Precise – easy to use – reading of one impression only

NR3 Digital hardness tester, based on the Portable test principle with instantaneous readout in Portable and Portable scales (other scales on request). Suitable for testing of small parts and plastic materials.

AT130 Semi-automatic bench hardness tester, based on Portable test principle with instantaneous readout in Portable and Portable scales (other scales on request). Overhanging parts can be clamped without any extra support. Four different stands are available for testing large parts. Testing is not influenced by flexions or bending of the work piece.

AT200 Semi-automatic bench hardness tester, digital readout in Portable hardness scale and in equivalent Portable, Portable and other hardness scales. Sequential application of preload and load. Storing of 4000 hardness values in 64 different files, printing of the test certificate in 5 languages, display of statistics and histogram. Large LCD backlit display, 107x57mm Clamping of overhanging parts without any extra support. Four different stands are available for testing large and irregular parts.

ESATEST MTR A new concept of Portable hardness tester for testing of odd shaped parts and difficult test points, as grooves, holes, involutes, etc. Digital readout in Portable hardness scale (other scales on request). Motorized test load application. With one test only, it is possible to display the hardness value at different loads from 9.8 to 98 n (1-10 kp) and to notice any anomaly or non-homogeneity of the material. The 16bit microprocessor system allows handling of more than 4000 hardness values.

TWIN Automatic hardness tester motorized. Digital readout in Portable and superficial Portable scales and in equivalent Portable, Portable and other scales. Indenter’s stroke 45mm Max measurable height 420mm Automatic load change Large memory, up to 4000 values can be stored in 64 different files Printing of test certificate in 5 languages, display of statistics and histogram, Centronics and PC output. Unaffected by any deflection of the test piece. Possibility of testing very large and irregular specimens.

AT300 DR-TM AT300 DR-TM is a motorized hardness tester, particularly suitable for high volume testing (approx 1000 pcs/hour), custom in line applications for a completely automatic test process and test part selection. The possibility to motorize also the test head motion permits a considerable reducing of the test time. A very versatile stand permits testing of large parts. The basement of the stand contains a convenient accessory drawer.

BRE-AUT Automatic Portable hardness tester Test time reduced by 85% in comparison with the traditional Portable testers. Adapted for completely automatic in-line operation. The 16-bit microprocessor of the electronic console has been designed to guarantee full documentation of the test process, providing a wide range of functions such as: adjustable tolerances, calibration, serialization of readings and lot number, print, statistics, graph, etc. The test certificate can be printed in different languages.

ERNST Härteprüfer SA Via Cantonale CH-6814 Lamone Switzerland Email info@ernstsa.com Web www.ernstsa.com
Phone +41-91-9662181 Fax +41-91-9669735