Rub testing is the industry standard that is widely accepted to promote safety and quality. Businesses that adhere to the standards of fabric and label rub testing attract the confidence of consumers in the products and services of the business. Thus, the fabric industry and packaging label manufacturers routinely subject their products to rub testing.
Importance of legible product labels
Labels play an important role in medical devices and pharmaceutical products. The label rub testing evaluates the level of abrasions and scuffs the printed label can take during shipping and storage. The quality of the printed labels must be top-notch quality, legible, and capable enough to withstand the wear and tear over time.
Methodology of label testing
Industry-standard apparatuses or rub testers are used for performing ink tests. For label rub testing or evaluation, a tester or device places a label in the apparatus, using the same testing device, and a similar label is attached to a weight. The two labels are rubbed against each other at a certain speed for a time frame. This helps the tester to examine and evaluate the resistance potential of the label inks to damage during handling and shipping.
Testing colorfastness of fabric dye
Determining the colorfastness of the fabric dye or color is an important test practiced in the textile industry. Fastness to rubbing also helps evaluate how good is the fabric able to handle and resist stains. The fastness to rubbing test can be executed on both dry and wet fabric.
To perform the test, the tester needs a white test cloth and a tiny piece of fabric. The tester attaches the white test cloth to the stag with the help of a stainless steel wire. The pieces of clothes are rubbed against each other to find out how much color gets rubbed off on the test cloth. Greyscale is utilized by the tested to determine the color changes on the fabric.
What is the colorfastness of fabric?
When a fabric or label has good colorfastness, it means that it can resist fading when washed. The presence of good marks on the rub test also portrays the longer durability of the fabric. A rating scale ranging from grade 1 to grade 5 is used to determine the colorfastness of fabrics and labels. Grade 1 indicates a high degree of color fading, while grade 5 means there is no color fading. There are several factors responsible for the outcome of the rub testing. For instance, the quality of the fabric, its original color, darkness, and purpose of use affect the test result.
Conclusion
Businesses dealing in label manufacturing and fabrics need to ensure that the product quality standards adhere to the industry regulations. Label rub testing using the high-quality rub tester is considered the industry standard for evaluating abrasion resistance. Rub testing is compulsory in the fabric industry and product label manufacturing units. The testing equipment employs different testing methods that can easily determine the color or dye resistance on the fabric and the fabric.
