Stickiness Meter

an instrument used to measure stickiness of printing ink, paints and varnishes, and adhesives under dynamic conditions. Its principle of operation is based on the rupture of a layer of the material being tested while it is being stressed by rolling.

A stickiness meter consists of a hollow, polished metal cylinder connected by rubber hoses to a thermostat, two elastic rollers in contact with the cylinder, and the calibrated spring of a dynamometer. One of the rollers is used to roll the material and performs both rotary and reciprocating motion (from right to left for uniform rolling). The second is used for measurements and performs only rotary motion around its axis; it is connected by traction arms to the dynamometer spring and to a scale equipped with a vernier. During operation, the ink or other material being tested is fed from a microvolumeter to the operating roller; the measuring roller is driven by the rotation of the cylinder, with a force proportional to stickiness. The extension of the spring is read on the scale and vernier. In foreign countries the following stickiness meters are in use: the inkometer and tackmeter (Great Britain) and the takoscope (Netherlands). The differences among these instruments are in the speed of rotation of the cylinder and in the measuring system, which may be mechanical or electrical.