German engineering company IMAK, based in Augsburg, has announced the commencement of small scale production of two revised test and measuring instruments—an air permeability test and measurement instrument and a system for determining the hardness of leather and other materials.

The air permeability tester incorporates an airflow indicator and has the capability of varying air pressure in a range of 0 – 4 bar. As well as leather, the instrument can also be used to test natural fibre and various synthetic materials used in motor vehicles. General application is in research and development as well as providing data on wear, and behaviour under humid conditions.

The second system, for determining the hardness of leather, applies force under test conditions and has a range of 0 N – 500 N. It also offers the possibility of comparing the behaviour of alternative materials to determine the most suitable material for a particular application.

Both systems can display results in graphic or tabular form.

The original concepts of both systems were developed several years ago in close cooperation with the leather quality control and assurance laboratory at BMW and have been used by the auto manufacturer ever since.