CLEVELAND—Netzsch Instruments North America L.L.C., the Burlington, Mass.-based U.S. arm of German testing equipment maker Netzsch Gabo Instruments GmbH, offered a lot of new features to attendees of the International Elastomer Conference in Cleveland Oct. 8-10.
One of these was the new service contract Netzsch is offering its customers, according to Marketing Manager Anthony Maletta.
Under the contract, Netzsch will set up regular annual times for its service representatives to calibrate instruments, Maletta said. "It saves a lot of money over time."
Another was a new dielectric analyzer to be used during the fluidation of polymers, according to Maletta.
"We have a new sensor that can be embedded in the mold," he said. "We can model any kinetic process through complete simulation."
The DEA 288 Ionic for Dielectric Cure Monitoring is available as either a process-implementable "Rack" version or an all-purpose "Portable" version, Netzsch said.
It is designed for comfortable sample handling, with no special preparation necessary, the company said.
"By applying the wide range of available sensors, almost any practical application can be reproduced," it said. These applications include spray coating of thin films, application by a draw bar and spreading of low- or medium-viscosity materials, it said.
According to company publicity, Netzsch is a family-owned firm with more than 3,400 employees at 210 sales and production centers in 35 countries.
The company has three business units: Analyzing & Testing, Grinding & Dispersing and Pumps & Systems. It offers a broad, state-of-the-art product line in thermal analysis, calorimetry and the determination of thermophysical properties, it said.
Netzsch's dynamic mechanical testing analysis systems are its biggest sellers, according to Maletta. The Netzsch GABO line of systems includes:
- Eplexor, for determining the viscoelastic and thermal properties of materials with respect to the stimulating frequency, temperature, stress, strain and thermal history;
- Eplexor HT, which Netzsch describes as the world's first DMTA instrument, offering measurements at temperatures up to 1,500°C;
- Gabometer, for accurate measurement of heat buildup or blow-out processes and the determination of the thermal set;
- Gabotack, for efficient and reliable measurement of adhesion forces of sticking contact areas;
- Qualimeter, an accompanying tool for quality control designed for compression tests at 10 Hz and room temperature; and
- Hygromator, a humidity generator to simulate the influence of humidity and temperature on material properties.
Netzsch also offers Kinetics Neo, kinetic analysis software for thermal measurement of chemical reactions using both model-free and model-based methods, the company said.
"The software can analyze different types of thermal curves that depict the changes in a given material property measured during a process," Netzsch said.