Instron, a leading provider of testing equipment solutions designed to evaluate mechanical properties of materials and components, announces its new CEAST HDT Vicat 500 (HV500) Aloxide tester.
ASTM-approved for VICAT testing to ASTM D1525, the semi-automatic HV500 Aloxide is designed for testing up to 500°C, does not use silicone oil, and offers improved safety over traditional methods.
CEAST HDT Vicat 500 (HV500) Aloxide tester from Instron.
The automatic HDT VICAT 500 Aloxide is the latest CEAST instrument design to perform HDT and VICAT tests at high temperatures on three independent test stations. The three stations are automatically raised and lowered by a pneumatic system at the beginning and end of each test. An independent pneumatic system applies the selected weights on the specimens and then removes them at test end. It is possible to perform HDT and VICAT test simultaneously at the same temperature ramp conditions. The instrument can be managed either through the alphanumeric keyboard or a separate PC; it is equipped with both a parallel port for direct test report print-outs and with a serial port for PC connection.
This easy-to-use tester eliminates all environmental concerns associated with silicone oil usage, such as oil vapor emissions from the bath and oil recycle problems. Additionally, the HV500 Aloxide comes equipped with a safety pressure switch that is able to switch-off the heating resistances when an insufficient air flow could cause a local temperature peak; this is ideal when testing certain plastics.
The CEAST HV500 provides standard HDT and VICAT testing at lower and more conventional temperatures, but also offers green operation, enhanced safety, faster sample turn around time, and lower analysis costs. It also offers the higher temperature performance demanded by many of the new plastics in development for automotive, consumer, and aerospace applications.