These resistance values can be found using a durometer, which measures the hardness of plastics, silicone, rubber, and other polymers and elastomers on a standardized scale to ensure that the material has the right amount of flexibility or hardness. The processing temperature of a polymer is the temperature range between which a polymer softens and melts and can be bent, twisted, stretched, moulded, extruded, etc without the polymer overheating, degrading or burning. The table below provides details for each of these types, with the exception of Type R.[5], Note: Type R is a designation, rather than a true "type". Why is hardness in plastics so important? Unsaturated Polyester Resins (UP Resins). The best way to examine hardness would be to consult your industry experts and literature references for the relevant vertical or region. What does Shore hardness Mean for a Manufacturer? Shore D Hardness Test (Durometer Scale) - Plastic Materials Learns and shares consistently about plastics technologies. The hardness value is often used to identify or specify a particular . Materials with a very soft texture, like rubber and TPE, should be tested with Shore D. There are three most popular Shore hardness scales: Shore 00 Used for measuring gels and rubbers that are very soft in nature. //