Sample from an impact test.
Photo Courtesy of BYK-Gardner.

Every material has its purpose, and every purpose has certain properties it requires of its materials. Phone cases are designed to prevent a phone from breaking when dropped, requiring that the case be impact resistant. Materials used for the casing of a laptop computer must be hard enough to protect the electronic components, as well as scratch resistant, otherwise it will start to look old and abused in no time. As consumers we expect a lot from the products we purchase, and as time goes on and technology improves we tend to expect more and more. This makes it especially important for manufacturers to test their materials to make sure they meet the specifications for the product being built. But which test to use? Here we will review some common methods of materials testing.

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