The 'Pira' Page Pull Tester from Mecmesin is employed in more than 100 binderies throughout the world.
The tester offers a low cost, rugged and reproducible technique for quantifying the page pull strength of perfect-bound books.
The Page Pull Tester enables an efficient binding endurance test. This makes it an established, consistent tool for quality control and assessment, detecting several binding adhesion issues as they take place.
Overview
Mecmesin’s Page Pull Tester, formerly called the Smithers Pira Booktester, helps assess the page-adhesion quality of what are called perfect-bound magazines and books.
This specialized product is user-friendly and quick and does not need a mains power supply or compressed air, which means it can be utilized anywhere.
Page Pull Strength Test
The binding endurance test establishes the force needed to pull a page from a book spine. The adhesive joint strength is estimated in N/cm by splitting the peak force needed to remove the page based on the height of the page.
The test is relevant to books bound with adhesives like hotmelts and emulsions, for example, polyvinyl acetate (PVA), ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) and polyurethane (PUR).
Without a standard method of measurement, it is difficult to fix a performance specification for page pull strength.
With the Mecmesin Page Pull Tester, the following page pull strength values are a consistent measure of performance:
Table 1. Source: Mecmesin Ltd
| Pull strength range |
Binding performance |
| Below 5 N/cm |
Unacceptable |
| 5 - 7.25 N/cm |
Satisfactory |
| 7.25 - 9 N/cm |
Good |
| Above 9 N/cm |
Very good |
Features and Benefits
- Increased sales—show ability to potential customers
- Claims protection—identify the issues before they cost money
- Better purchasing decisions—test the latest adhesives on site
- Problem-solving—identify the present issues efficiently and rapidly
- Quality assurance—log performance and demonstrate reliable quality
- Optimized maintenance—identify machine faults and prevent costly downtime
Key Specifications
Measurement
Table 2. Source: Mecmesin Ltd
| . |
. |
| Max force |
500 N |
| Max page height |
32 cm (12.6") |
| Max book thickness |
5.1 cm (2") |
An easy-to-use scale is included to quantify the page height and precisely align the test sample.
Stand Dimensions
Table 3. Source: Mecmesin Ltd
| . |
. |
| Weight |
10 kg (22 lb) |
| Height |
608 mm (24") |
| Width |
402 mm (15.8") |
| Depth |
305 mm (12") |