Core Maintenance Principles: Clean! Clean! Clean! Dust and metal shavings are the enemies of hardness testers. Shockproof! Shockproof! Shockproof! Avoid impacts and violent vibrations; handle with care during transport. Moisture-proof! Corrosion-proof! Keep away from humid, acidic, and alkaline environments.
Daily Maintenance (Must be done after each use) These steps only take a few minutes but are very effective. Cleaning the Indenter: Use a bulb syringe (ear syringe) to gently blow away any tiny dust or metal shavings that may be attached to the indenter. Caution: Never touch the indenter directly with your fingers or hard objects! Sweat and hard objects can damage its delicate structure. Tools: Bulb syringe, soft brush. Cleaning the Stage and Test Platform: Use a clean, soft cloth or cotton swab dipped in a small amount of anhydrous ethanol (alcohol) to wipe the surface of the stage, test platform, and the areas where the standard block contacts the sample, removing oil and fingerprints. Caution: Ensure the alcohol has evaporated completely before the next test. Cleaning the Instrument Body: Wipe the outer casing with a dry, soft cloth to keep it clean. Unloading and Releasing the Load: For Rockwell, Vickers, and other hardness testers with a test force loading mechanism, after testing, release the test force and allow the spindle to rest in a free state (do not leave it in the loading preparation state for extended periods). Power Off and Covering: Turn off the power and unplug the power cord (if not used for a long time). Cover the hardness tester with the provided dust cover.
Regular Maintenance (Weekly or Monthly, depending on usage frequency) This part is crucial for ensuring the instrument's accuracy. Inspection and Lubrication: Check moving parts such as the lifting screw and guide rails for dust or dryness. Maintenance: Clean dust with cotton swabs and apply a very small amount of watch oil or light lubricant. Important: Do not use too much oil, and never allow oil to get onto the indenter, optical lens, or stage surface. Cleaning the Optical System (for Vickers and Brinell hardness testers with microscopes): Use an air blower to remove surface dust from the lens. For fine cleaning: If stains are still present, use special lens paper or cotton swabs, dipped in a small amount of anhydrous ethanol or lens cleaning solution, and gently wipe from the center of the lens outward in a spiral motion.