Virtual Quality Assurance and Thermal Conductivity Testing boosts tissue paper quality

The redesigned TSA Tactile Sensation Analyzer from specialized German device manufacturer emtec Electronic now offers advanced haptic and optical measurement capabilities, including thermal conductivity and insulation. Additionally, it features a Virtual Haptic Library for a more detailed digital analysis of the haptic and optical traits of base and finished tissue products.

The portable lab device is set to revolutionize the way tissue manufacturers test haptics, making the subjective sense of touch a digital experience. Improvements to the design and functionality allow producers of hygienic tissue paper to more precisely determine the springback behavior of products, measure thermohaptics, capture optical traits such as material structure (e.g. embossing) and color printings, and automatically store the results in a cloud-based database.

Much like its predecessor, the new TSA Tactile Sensation Analyzer allows manufacturers to objectively measure the haptic traits that determine the subjective way a material feels to the touch, calculate specific hand-feel values, and reliably compare samples. Now, in addition to measuring the softness, smoothness, and flexibility (in-plane stiffness) of base and finished products, the redesign now includes the following features:

• Surface thermal conductivity and thermal insulation measurement – The TSA reliably measures a product’s thermal “handshake,” delivering objective data on how warm or cool a material feels to the touch. It allows manufacturers, researchers, and chemical suppliers in particular to test the effects of certain additives on the heat transfer properties and paves the way for the design of innovative specialty products such as tissues with a heating or cooling effect.
• An integrated high-resolution camera – To digitize optical properties, the camera captures a high-resolution image of the sample, showing in detail the tissue structure as well as any visual embellishments by embossing or printing.
• A cloud-based Virtual Haptic Library – The Library was developed in cooperation with Black Swan Textiles and is an online database, available via license, in which sample data can be automatically digitized, processed, and categorized according to specific haptic and optical traits. These data can be accessed in real-time by authorized persons from anywhere in the world, enabling efficient quality assurance and control regardless of location. The Virtual Haptic Library can also be used as an online marketplace, that simplifies and speeds up the search and comparison of samples and patterns with certain haptic or optical requirements many times over.

“We’re pleased to introduce the redesigned TSA as a way for tissue paper manufacturers to add thermohaptic measurement to their quality assessment capabilities or to use it for development of innovative specific products,” explains Alexander Gruener, Global Marketing and Business Development Manager for emtec. “In addition, the Virtual Haptic Library gives technicians, chemical suppliers, and quality controllers objective parameters to rate, compare, and reproduce a product’s exact haptic and optical properties, ultimately saving time, money, and resources.”