<![CDATA[This study aims to design and build a simple crockmeter to test the colour-fastness to rubbing of digitally printed paper using an Arduino Uno R3-based automatic friction mechanism. The background of this research is the limited availability of an affordable and easy-to-operate crocking tester in educational laboratories, while commercial units are costly and complex. The device was developed using the Research and Development (R&D) method through three stages: 3D design using Autodesk 3D Max, prototyping with PVC board, and final construction using UNP steel frame, a DC motor JGA25-370, an L298N motor driver, and a 900-gram dry load referring to the AATCC Test Method 8 standard. Testing was conducted on five samples of 250 gsm ivory paper with black digital print, each subjected to ten dry rubbing cycles using AATCC crocking square test fabric. The colour change before and after rubbing was measured with a spectrodensitometer using the CIE L*a*b* parameters to calculate the total colour difference (ΔE). The results show that the developed crockmeter is able to perform the rubbing test consistently across the five samples, with a relatively uniform ΔE value, indicating that the tool can represent the dry-rubbing colour-fastness test reasonably well. This finding implies that the device is feasible to be used as a low-cost practicum medium that supports material-testing education in graphic engineering laboratories]]>
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