Bruker launches new Brake Material Screening Module

New UMT TriboLab Module Enables Cost-Effective Development of Friction Materials

As part of the commitment to providing turn-key innovative solutions for the automotive industry, Bruker’s Nano Surfaces Division today announced the release of the Brake Material Screening Module. The module expands the capabilities of the UMT TriboLab^™, the most widely used platform worldwide for testing friction and wear. This industry-first benchtop test procedure simulates the standard SAE J2522 (AK Master) test and changes the landscape of brake material development. Unlike the conventional test, sample sizes are considerably smaller, removing the need to construct complete brake pads for screening tests and reducing total characterization time from days to hours.

The new module characterizes speed/pressure sensitivity tests by taking friction measurements at different pressures, speeds, and deceleration times, as well as at varying temperatures. Researchers and formulators can significantly accelerate their materials innovation and development by selecting only the top few candidate materials to move forward for complete dynamometer functional testing, saving significant cost for automotive manufacturers and getting new products to market faster.

“Brake pad materials are constantly changing as a result of new requirements and regulations,” explained Charles W. Greening, Jr., President of Greening, a leading provider of custom-engineered dynamometers and brake and friction material test equipment. “There is an industry need for a means to effectively screen friction materials for interactions that take place during the braking process at their developmental stage, and TriboLab delivers a compact and cost-effective solution. It has proven capable of generating useful data that can correlate well with dynamometer tests. We are pleased to partner with Bruker and assist in the launch of the Brake Material Screening Module.”

“Bruker continues its commitment to provide the automotive industry with turn-key solutions tailored to reduce time and cost in the development of new materials,” added James Earle, Vice President and General Manager of Bruker’s Tribology, Stylus and Optical Metrology Business. “The Brake Material Screening Module is the only tool on the market that can provide direct correlation with industry-standard testing methods. Our goal was to provide a unique characterization capability and a cost-effective method for research and development of brake materials, and the extensive data that we have collected points to a successful completion of this goal.”