No. Our instruments are designed for simple operation, feature easy-to-use menus, both full and quick instruction manuals, and helpful videos. In lieu of demonstration models, we provide unlimited technical support via telephone and/or email, and a limited 30-day money back guarantee.

The PosiTector SHD arrives fully calibrated and ready to measure. A Long-Form Certificate of Calibration traceable to NIST or PTB is included, which documents actual readings taken by your instrument at our calibration laboratory on standards traceable to a national metrology institute. Beware of ‘Certificates’ or ‘Certificates of Conformance’ offered by competitors. These typically do not include actual instrument readings, and are often insufficient to meet common quality requirements.

The included Test Block allows the gage operator to quickly verify correct operation and accuracy of the SHD.

PosiTector SHD Shore Hardness Durometers measures the indentation hardness of non-metallic materials such as polymers, elastomers and rubbers. In the corrosion industry, durometers are commonly used to ensure proper curing of thick coatings and pipeline repair wraps.

The two PosiTector SHD models look and operate identically, and vary only in the spring pressure and shape of the intender tip. This allows the two models to accurately measure different hardness ranges:

• Shore A (SHDA)- for soft to hard materials such as soft rubber, elastomers, neoprene, silicone, etc.
• Shore D (SHDD) - for medium to extra hard materials such as hard rubber, epoxies, hard plastics, PVC, acrylic, etc.

No. Shore Hardness Durometers are designed to measure the indentation hardness of non-metallic materials such as polymers, elastomers and rubbers. Nearly all metals are outside the Shore Hardness scale. The PosiTector BHI Barcol Hardness Impressor is ideal for measuring the hardness of soft metals (aluminum, aluminum alloys, copper, brass, etc.), harder plastics and fiber-reinforced plastics.

No. A PosiTector SHD Test Stand is available as an accessory item for both SHDA and SHDD instruments.

According to ASTM D2240-15 “Standard Test Method for rubber Property – Durometer Hardness”, the test specimen must be at least 6.0 mm (0.24 inches) thick unless it is known that equivalent test results can be obtained with a thinner specimen. Since in-field use of a Shore durometer can concern testing the hardness of an applied coating with a measured thickness less than 6.0 mm, it is incumbent upon the operator to be aware of both the required coating thickness and its expected hardness for a particular application. Both the coating thickness and expected hardness will be specified by the coating manufacturer. Given the wide variety of coating types extant, DeFelsko has no ability to indicate a minimum coating thickness suitable for testing with our PosiTector SHD.

No. The PosiTector SHD Shore Hardness Durometer measures the Shore indentation hardness of non-metallic materials such as polymers, elastomers and rubbers. DeFelsko also manufactures the PosiTector BHI Barcol Hardness Impressor which is ideal for measuring the hardness of soft metals (aluminum, aluminum alloys, copper, brass, etc.), harder plastics and fiber-reinforced plastics.

PosiTector probes include a Certificate of Calibration with no expiry or end date. They have no shelf life, therefore the length of time in the field is not a good indicator for recalibration intervals. Many organizations with quality programs and recertification programs require annual recalibrations, and this is a good starting point for most users. DeFelsko recommends that customers establish calibration intervals based upon their own experience and work environment. Based on our product knowledge, data and customer feedback, a one year calibration interval from the date the instrument was placed in service is a good starting point.