MECHANICAL TESTER

Q: What is the difference between a nanoindenter and a mechanical tester?

A nanoindenter is built for indentation at low loads. A NANOVEA mechanical tester runs nanoindentation with its nano module and adds microindentation up to 400 N, scratch testing, wear and friction on the same platform, with the same software and tips.

Q: What is nanoindentation used for?

Measuring hardness and elastic modulus of thin films, coatings, individual phases and small or soft samples, where conventional hardness testers cannot work, and viscoelastic properties, creep and fracture toughness on the same small volumes. See nanoindentation testers.

Q: What does a scratch test measure?

The critical loads at which a coating cracks (cohesive failure) and separates from its substrate (adhesive failure), recorded with depth, friction and acoustic emission and confirmed on the image of the scratch, as well as scratch hardness and mar resistance. See the scratch tester page.

Q: Can one instrument do nanoindentation and microindentation?

Yes. The PB1000 carries the nano and micro modules together, from the 80 mN range of the nano module to the 400 N range of the micro module. The CB500 takes one of the two modules.

Q: Which standards do NANOVEA mechanical testers follow?

Instrumented indentation hardness and modulus per ISO 14577 and ASTM E2546, scratch adhesion per ASTM C1624, mar resistance per ASTM D7187 and scratch hardness per ASTM G171.

Q: Can mechanical properties be measured at temperature or in liquid?

Yes: up to 450°C on the nano module and 600°C on the micro module, down to -10°C or below -40°C as a custom option, at humidity from below 5% to the dew point, and immersed in liquid up to 60°C.

Q: How much does a mechanical tester cost?

It depends on the platform, the modules, the environmental options and the imaging, since every NANOVEA mechanical tester is built to order. Ask for a quote, or send samples to the laboratory first to confirm the test.

NANOVEA Mechanical Tester is the most versatile nanoindenter and scratch tester capable of precisely measuring the micro- to nanomechanical properties of wide ranges of materials from thin films, coatings, ceramics and composites to polymers and bio materials via Indentation, Scratch and Friction testing.

All NANOVEA Mechanical Tester models come with true feedback load control from independent load and depth sensors that provide unmatched accuracy and the highest repeatability available on the market. This technology allows a user to perform Nanoindentation and Microindentation for Hardness and Elastic Modulus Testing, Stress vs Strain Analysis, Creep and Relaxation, Loss and Storage Modulus, Yield Strength and Fatigue, Fracture Toughness and Nano-scratch & Micro-scratch for Scratch Hardness Testing, Multi-pass Wear Test, Cohesive and Adhesive Failure Testing as well as Coefficient of Friction testing, all available on one system.

NANOVEA Mechanical Testers are a culmination of over 25 years of experience empowering materials testing and quality control in companies all over the world.

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NANOVEA MECHANICAL TESTER MODELS

ADVANCED

Compact

MODULAR

LARGE PLATFORM

vacuum tribometer, vacuum scratch tester, vacuum hardness tester, vacuum nanoindenter, vacuum microindenter

CUSTOM

VACUUM SYSTEMS

EVERYTHING YOU NEED IN ONE SYSTEM

Nano or micro indenters - Nanovea Mechanical Testers

Indentation

Hardness & Elastic Modulus

Fracture Toughness

Indentation yield strength and fatigue testing

Yield Strength & Fatigue

Indentation creep and relaxation testing

Creep & Relaxation

Stress vs Strain

Indentation loss and storage modulus testing

Loss & Storage Modulus

Scratch

Cohesive Failure

Adhesive Failure

Scratch Hardness

Multi-Pass Wear

Friction

Coefficient of Friction

ENVIRONMENTAL MODULES

HIGH TEMP

LOW TEMP

LIQUID

Tribometer Environment Modules - Inert Gases Testing

HUMIDITY

VACUUM

Nanovea Mechanical Tester indenter types

TECHNOLOGICAL

DOMINATION

What is a mechanical tester?

A NANOVEA mechanical tester measures the mechanical properties of surfaces, coatings and small volumes of material with a diamond tip under precisely controlled load. One instrument runs instrumented indentation (nanoindentation and microindentation), scratch testing, and wear and friction at low loads, so it replaces a separate nanoindenter, microhardness tester and scratch tester.

Independent load and depth sensors give true load control feedback, with direct vertical loading and no cantilever or pivot point. The nano module (piezoelectric actuator) covers load ranges from 80 mN to 4800 mN with 0.003 nm depth resolution; the micro module (ball screw servomotor) covers 20 N to 400 N. Together they measure hardness and elastic modulus, loss and storage modulus, fracture toughness, yield strength and fatigue, creep and relaxation, stress-strain, scratch adhesion and cohesion, scratch hardness, multi-pass wear and coefficient of friction.

Nanoindentation and microindentation

Instrumented indentation presses a diamond tip into a surface while recording load and depth continuously. Hardness and elastic modulus are calculated from the load–depth curve (ISO 14577, ASTM E2546), without imaging the residual indent. At nano scale it measures thin films, coatings and individual phases; at micro scale it replaces conventional microhardness testing, with Vickers and Knoop hardness calculated from depth instead of from reading the indent diagonals. See how a nanoindenter works and the microindentation tester.

With other tips and load programs, the same instrument measures loss and storage modulus by nanoindentation DMA, creep and stress relaxation, fracture toughness from the cracks at the corners of a Vickers indent, the stress–strain response with spherical tips, and yield and tensile strength with a flat punch.

Scratch testing

A scratch tester draws a diamond stylus across a surface under a controlled normal load while recording penetration depth, friction and acoustic emission, then images the scratch to locate each failure. Progressive-load scratches give the critical loads at which a coating cracks, chips or delaminates (cohesive and adhesive failure, ASTM C1624); constant-load scratches give scratch hardness (ASTM G171); repeated passes below the critical load give multi-pass wear. Mar resistance follows ASTM D7187.

Nano and micro on one platform

Thin films and coatings need nano loads to stay within the coating; bulk materials, thick coatings and adhesion tests need micro loads up to 400 N. The PB1000 carries both modules on one system, about five orders of magnitude of load, so a coating can be indented at nano scale and scratch-tested to delamination on the same sample and stage. The CB500 takes one module, nano or micro, in a compact footprint, with the same module specifications.

A video microscope (up to 100x), and on the PB1000 a 3D optical profiler and an atomic force microscope, image the indents and scratches on the instrument. FastMap automates indentation maps of 100 indents in 5 minutes on the nano module.

Testing in the service environment

Environmental modules measure properties where the material is used: high temperature up to 450°C on the nano module and 600°C on the micro module, with tip and sample heated together; low temperature to -10°C, or below -40°C as a custom option; controlled humidity from below 5% up to the dew point; immersed in liquid from room temperature to 60°C; and custom vacuum systems starting at 10^-5 Torr.

NANOVEA mechanical testers compared

Both platforms use the same nano and micro modules, tips and software, so a method developed on one transfers to the other. The choice comes down to whether you need one load scale or both, and how large or numerous the samples are.

Model	Type	Modules and loads	Stage and imaging	Best for
CB500	Compact modular	Nano OR micro module: 80 mN to 4800 mN (nano), 20 N to 400 N (micro)	100 x 50 mm motorized stage, 50 mm Z with video zoom, video microscope up to 100x	Labs focused on one load scale; routine hardness, modulus and scratch adhesion testing
PB1000	Large platform	Nano AND micro modules on one system, from µN to 400 N	200 x 150 mm motorized stage, 100 mm Z; video microscope, 3D optical profiler, AFM	Nano and micro testing on one system, large or numerous samples, automated mapping
Vacuum systems	Custom vacuum chamber	Hardness, scratch, friction, wear and profilometry	Starting at 10⁻⁵ Torr, with humidity, inert gas and high temperature options	Aerospace and microelectronics materials tested without air and moisture

Nano and micro module specifications

Nano and micro modules

Specification	Nano module	Micro module
Modes of testing	Indentation, scratch, wear & friction	Indentation, scratch, wear & friction
Loading system	Piezoelectric actuator	Ball screw servomotor
Load sensor	Ultra precision load cell	Precision load cell
Load range	80 \| 400 \| 1800 \| 4800 mN	20 \| 40 \| 200 \| 400 N
Load resolution (24 bit)	0.006 \| 0.03 \| 0.14 \| 0.28 µN	1.2 \| 2.4 \| 12 \| 24 µN
Load noise floor RMS	0.5 \| 1 \| 4 \| 12 µN	50 \| 100 \| 500 \| 1000 µN
Depth sensor	Capacitor ring	Large area capacitor
Depth range	250 \| 1500 µm	1 mm (extended range capability)
Depth resolution (24 bit)	0.003 nm	0.01 nm
Depth noise floor RMS	0.04 nm	0.15 nm
Friction sensor	Ultra precision load cell	Precision load cell
Friction range	50 \| 400 \| 1800 mN	20 \| 200 N
Friction resolution	0.004 \| 0.14 \| 0.28 µN	1.2 \| 12 µN
Friction noise floor RMS	0.3 \| 6 \| 12 µN	1.2 \| 2 mN
Acoustic emission frequencies	150 - 400 kHz	150 - 400 kHz
Sensitivity of AE absolute energy	0.005 aJ	0.005 aJ
DMA / CSM frequencies	0.1 to 100 Hz	N/A
Frequency & temperature sweep at constant load	Yes	N/A
FastMap	5 min (100 indents)	12 min (100 indents)
High temperature	275° \| 450°C	275° \| 450° \| 600°C
Low temperature	Down to -10°C \| <-40°C	Down to -10°C \| <-40°C
Humidity	5% to dew point	5% to dew point
Liquid	RT to 60°C	RT to 60°C

Values separated by | are alternative sensor or module options. Other acoustic emission frequency ranges available; nano only available under sample. Specifications subject to change; contact NANOVEA for the latest.

What NANOVEA mechanical testers measure

Standards

ISO 14577
ASTM E2546
ASTM C1624
ASTM D7187
ASTM G171