Overview of Three Classic Models of Sinowon Rockwell Hardness Testers

2023-06-15

The Rockwell Hardness Tester is a commonly used instrument for measuring hardness, used to assess the hardness of materials. The Rockwell hardness testing method was initially proposed by Rockwell in 1914 and underwent improvements in the design of the hardness tester in 1919 and 1921, establishing the prototype of the modern Rockwell hardness tester.

Due to its ease of operation, quick measurement, and wide range of applications, the Rockwell hardness tester, along with the Brinell and Vickers hardness testing methods, has become one of the three most commonly used hardness testing methods.

The principle of the Rockwell hardness tester is to apply a certain load on the material surface and then measure the depth of the surface indentation to determine the material's hardness. The Rockwell hardness testing method uses a 120° diamond cone or a specified diameter hard alloy ball as the indenter. Under the initial test force and the main test force, the indenter is pressed into the surface of the specimen under the total test force. The main test force is then removed, and the residual increment of the indentation depth is measured using the retained initial test force. Rockwell hardness is calculated based on this value using a formula.

The Rockwell hardness tester has advantages that make it one of the widely used hardness measurement tools. Additionally, by using different combinations of loads corresponding to different hardness scales, it can accommodate the hardness range of different materials.

Sinowon Rockwell hardness testers, with patented appearance design and stable mechanical structure, mainly include three models: DigiRock HR1, DigiRock DR3, and iRock-TR1. The main differences among these three models are summarized in the following table:

	DigiRock HR1	DigiRock DR3	iRock-TR1
Display Method	Dial gauge	Touchscreen	Touchscreen
Load/Unload Method	Manual	Electric	Electric
Lifting System	Manual	Manual	Electric
Max. Workpiece Height	175mm	175mm	280mm
Features	Conventional, durable	Semi-automatic, high efficiency	Fully automatic, high capacity

【Similarities】

1. Measurement Principle: All three models of the Rockwell hardness tester are based on applying a certain load on the material surface and measuring the depth of the resulting surface indentation to evaluate material hardness.

2. Hardness Scales: They can all measure hardness under the Rockwell hardness scale. But only DigiRock DR3 and iRock-TR1 have hardness conversion functions to convert Rockwell hardness values to other standard hardness values such as HV, HBW, HK, etc.

3. Data Display: DigiRock DR3 and iRock-TR1 both employ digital display technology to automatically show measured values, maximum value, minimum value, average value.

4. Application Range: All three models of the Rockwell hardness tester are suitable for materials such as hard alloys, quenched steels, aluminum alloys, mild steels, and bearing steels.

【Differences】

1. Model and Function: DigiRock HR1 is a manual Rockwell hardness tester, while DigiRock DR3 is a semi-automatic digital Rockwell hardness tester, and iRock-TR1 is a fully automatic digital Rockwell hardness tester. DR3 and TR1 have more functions such as automatic loading, automatic conversion, data curve analysis, etc.

2. Display Interface: DigiRock HR1 uses a 0.5HR resolution Rockwell dial gauge, while DigiRock DR3 and iRock-TR1 feature a 5.2" color touchscreen display interface that directly shows parameters and measured hardness values.

3. Additional Functions: DigiRock DR3 and iRock-TR1 support measurement data export and analysis. They can print data using a printer and export reports using software such as Word and Excel.

【Summary】

These three models of Rockwell hardness testers share the same measurement principle and application range but differ in terms of functions and operation methods. The choice of the appropriate model depends on specific usage requirements and project budgets.