Stainless Steel Test Panel Tips
Get the most out of your test panels with these helpful hints.
Test panels are protected with a protective plastic film. Once you have removed the plastic film use the surface that was protected as your testing surface.
1. New panels have residual machining oils and possible surfactants remaining from the protective covering. All new panels should be cleaned by wiping in the machine direction with a strong solvent such as Methyl Ethyl Ketone, Toluene, or Acetone and then placed in an oven at 350o F (175° C) for about 1 hour. The initial wash will remove some of the impurities and the baking will cause any additional materials to discolor on the surface. After the panels have cooled, clean them again with Toluene and Methyl Ethyl Ketone. At this point, a standard cleaning method can be followed. Among these are PSTC Appendage C or ASTM D 3330-96 Section 7 and Section 11.1. (Solvents should be used in well ventilated area or vent hood.)
2. 
It is advisable to mark the “grip” end of each panel when using a tensile tester to do adhesion testing. One should avoid gathering data from a scratched or roughen surface.
3. Handle test panels by the edges whenever possible. This will help keep skin oils out of the testing area of the panels.
4. If you stack your panels when not using them, put a soft lint free tissue between the panels to avoid scratching the testing surface. ChemInstruments also manufactures a Test Panel Holder for storing these panels.
All CHEMINSTRUMENTS test panels meet the requirements as specified in the Pressure Sensitive Tape Council test methods manual Appendage B Section 2.6 and ASTM D 3330-96.
Chemsultants International, Inc. 9079 Tyler Blvd. Mentor, OH 44060 Phone: 440.974.3080 Fax: 440.974.3081
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