Plastics films are commonly used as protective coverings for various products. Often, these low peel force films are used to protect LCD screens and other scratch-prone surfaces. The force required to remove the film is very important for both the consumer and the manufacturer. The film must be easy to remove, yet the bond must be strong enough to remain intact for product security.
We recommend using either a
single column or
dual column test frame equipped with
pneumatic or
manual screw action grips with rubber coated or smooth flat faces, depending on what the film is being peeled from. The pneumatic grips center the clamped specimen, while the manual screw action grips allow the specimen to be offset to one side. This ability to offset can be beneficial in preventing offset loading of the load cell by aligning the source of tensile force (in this case, the peel surface) with the center of the load string. If the film is being pulled off of a stiff, thin, flat substrate, then we suggest using pneumatic screw action grips; if the film is being pulled from a larger, thicker object, then manual screw action grips would be the best fit.
It's also important to consider data acquisition. For this, your testing system will need a uniform, high data sampling rate to ensure that the test peaks and troughs are captured for an accurate average load calculation. Additionally, bandwidth plays a critical role. Too high of a bandwidth increases noise that may compromise the readings, while too low of a bandwidth may "dull" the system and lead to missed peaks and troughs (resulting in lower average load values).