Abrasion resistance consists in the ability of a certain material to withstand abrasion (e.g. scuffing, rubbing, scratching) and keep its original structure intact.
Materials are constantly exposed to abrasion (e.g. humidity, heat, dust). As a result, it becomes crucial for companies to guarantee that their products and equipment are resistant to deterioration.
Abrasion resistance is also important to ensure consumer safety. Products should be manufactured in a way that prevents them from deteriorating and causing any harm to the buyer.
Abrasion resistance is usually measured in a laboratory by exposing a certain material to an abrasive force.
The exposure is sometimes carried out for long periods of time in order to determine how long the material can withstand abrasion.
Abrasion resistance plays an important role in industrial processes, labeling not being an exception.
In the case of labeling, abrasion resistance measures whether a label is able to withstand abrasion without its surface being deteriorated or damaged. In order to do this, a friction surface of defined size and composition is applied under pressure to the printed surface of the label.
There are different factors that must be considered when measuring the abrasion resistance of labels, one of the most important being how a label is applied. In this sense, if a label is printed and then applied over a surface (e.g. a cardboard), abrasion resistance takes into account how resistant the label inscription is, but also whether the material of which the label is made can consistently withstand abrasion. On the other hand, if the label inscription is directly printed over a surface (e.g. via inkjet printing), the inscription’s resistance to abrasion becomes the main focus. In fact, the abrasion resistance of printed characters on packaging is one of the main characteristics that determine the quality of the packaging.