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Carbon Black Analyzer Sample Cutter

Carbon Black Dispersion Sample Cutter
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Carbon Black Content Tester - Carbon Black Analyzers
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Carbon Black Dispersion Sample Cutter - QualiCBCT™-SC

The QualiCBCT™-SC Carbon Black Dispersion Sample Cutter prepares clean, flat cut surfaces for dispersion analysis of filled rubber compounds. It pairs with the QualiCBCT™-100 Carbon Black Dispersion Tester, which grades dispersion from images of a freshly cut specimen. The cutter freezes each rubber strip with a built-in compressor before the blade passes through it. Frozen rubber cuts without burrs, foam, or smeared edges. Specimens reach the target temperature in under 10 minutes.

Specimen quality controls the accuracy of every cut-surface dispersion test. A soft rubber strip tends to drag, tear, or stretch under a blade at room temperature. Those artifacts look like agglomerates to an imaging system and pull the dispersion grade down. The QualiCBCT™-SC removes this source of error by stiffening the rubber before cutting. Labs can then compare batches on filler distribution alone, without preparation variables clouding the result.

Qualitest designed the cutter around a simple, repeatable routine. Operators stretch a strip up to 100 mm long across the platform and lock it with left and right clamps. They set the freezing temperature, down to -18 °C, and the freezing time on the controller. The refrigeration system stops once the sample reaches its target state. The single-sided blade then cuts about two sections per minute.

Carbon Black Dispersion Sample Cutter  Applications

Carbon Black Analyzer Sample Cutter

 

The QualiCBCT™-SC serves any laboratory that runs cut-surface dispersion tests on filled rubber.

  • Tire Compound Testing: prepares tread, sidewall, and inner liner specimens for carbon black and silica dispersion grading
  • Mixing Room Quality Control: turns fresh batch samples into test-ready cut surfaces for fast release decisions
  • Molded and Extruded Rubber Goods: prepares specimens from seal, gasket, hose, and belt compounds for dispersion checks
  • Custom Compounding and Masterbatch: supports consistent sample preparation when documenting dispersion quality for customers
  • Filler Development: gives carbon black and silica producers repeatable specimens for comparing new grades in test recipes
  • Formulation Research: removes preparation variation when R&D teams compare mixing procedures and trial formulations
  • Inter-Lab Comparisons: standardizes specimen geometry so results from different labs, shifts, and operators line up

Key Features

The QualiCBCT™-SC combines controlled freezing with fixed specimen geometry to deliver repeatable cut surfaces.

  • Built-In Compressor Refrigeration: freezes specimens without dry ice or liquid nitrogen, keeping preparation simple and low cost
  • Adjustable Freezing Temperature: sets the cooling target from room temperature down to -18 °C to suit soft and firm compounds
  • Settable Freezing Time: lets operators match cooling time to each compound so every specimen gets the same treatment
  • Automatic Cooling Stop: ends refrigeration once the sample reaches its target state, so cutting starts in a stable condition
  • Fast Turnaround: cools a specimen in under 10 minutes and cuts about two sections per minute
  • Tensioned Sample Design: holds strips up to 100 mm long under tension for flat, standardized cuts
  • Left and Right Locking Clamps: secure the frozen specimen at both ends so it cannot shift during cutting
  • Single-Sided Blade: produces one flat reference face suited to oblique-light imaging
  • Burr-Free, Foam-Free Cuts: removes preparation artifacts that skew automated dispersion grading
  • Built for the QualiCBCT™-100: designed specifically to prepare specimens for the Qualitest Carbon Black Dispersion Tester
  • 110 V Option: available in a 110 V version for North American labs alongside the standard 220 V model

Theory and Method

Cut-surface dispersion testing assumes that surface roughness comes only from undispersed filler. Hard agglomerates deflect the blade and leave bumps and pits, while well-dispersed rubber cuts smooth. That assumption holds only when the rubber matrix itself cuts cleanly. Rubber is viscoelastic, so a soft strip deforms ahead of the blade at room temperature. The blade then tears or smears the surface and leaves burrs that an imaging system can mistake for agglomerates.

Cooling changes how rubber responds to the blade. As temperature drops, polymer chains lose mobility and the compound's stiffness rises. A stiffer matrix resists deformation, so the blade shears through it along a straight path instead of pushing material aside. Filler agglomerates still deflect the blade because they remain far harder than the cooled matrix. The cut surface keeps the roughness that reflects dispersion and loses the roughness caused by preparation.

The QualiCBCT™-SC applies this principle through three design elements. Tension along the strip holds the specimen flat and straight, so the blade meets it at a consistent angle. Compressor refrigeration, with air as the cooling medium, brings the strip to a set temperature down to -18 °C. The system stops cooling once the sample reaches its target state, and the single-sided blade leaves one flat reference face for imaging.

Technical Specifications

Parameter

Specification

Model

QualiCBCT™-SC

Maximum Sample Size

100 × (8 to 10) × (18 to 24) mm

Temperature Range

Room temperature to -18 °C

Cooling Method

Compressor refrigeration

Cooling Medium

Air

Sample Cooling Time

< 10 min

Cutting Rate

Approx. 2 sections/min

Blade

Single-sided

Specimen Clamps

Left and right locking clamps

Dimensions

580 × 550 × 580 mm

Power Supply

Single-phase AC 220 V, 50 Hz (110 V version available)

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