Cracking under pressure?

How leather extensibility is tested with the STM 463 lastometer.

When leather fails at the toe, the results are not merely cosmetic – they may even be viewed as disastrous. The SATRA STM 463 digital lastometer helps to prevent cracks before they start by putting upper leathers through one of the toughest (and most important) tests in footwear production.

Engineered in the UK, the STM 463 simulates the intense multi-directional strain which leather undergoes when being pulled over a last during manufacture. The result is a fast, reliable assessment of grain crack resistance and material extensibility, long before the leather is introduced onto the production line for use.

The operation

A disc of leather is clamped securely in the device and a metal ball applies pressure from the flesh side, stretching the grain under extreme, real-world-like tension. The moment the grain cracks or the leather bursts, the STM 463 precisely records both the applied load and the level of distension, providing valuable insight into material performance.

Fully CE-marked and built to comply with industry standards such as SATRA TM24, ISO 3379 and DIN 53325, this bench-top unit features a compact design, continuous data capture and optional printed graphs to provide an in-depth analysis.

There are good reasons to choose the STM 463 digital lastometer, as this equipment does the following:

• identifies potential grain cracking issues before manufacturing
• measures both load and stretch resistance precisely
• features digital output with optional data graph printing
• is compact, easy to install, and ready to test
• is supplied fully calibrated, and includes accessories
• is trusted by global footwear and leather goods manufacturers
• allows for smarter testing, which leads to fewer production problems.

Test equipment

Our in-house design and manufacturing centre produces the test equipment which is used in our own laboratories, as well as for our customers’ facilities around the world. We supply a wide range of equipment, from simple manual devices to specialised and highly complex computer-controlled machines.

All SATRA test machines benefit from our technical expertise from start to finish, and they are trialled first in SATRA laboratories. This can give you a supply chain advantage, as the SATRA name is recognised, respected and valued around the world.

Publishing Data

This article was originally published on page 10 of the July/August 2025 issue of SATRA Bulletin.

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