Compact rubber rheometer.

The Minitester rheometer is said to introduce a new standard to benchtop rubber testing instruments. This compact and lightweight design features a patented drive system which does not have traditional bearings and so maintenance is kept to an absolute minimum, according to the company. A fully functional PC running Windows XP has been integrated into the design of the Minitester. This removes the necessity for an external PC, monitor, mouse and keyboard, saving valuable space in the laboratory, and also removes the need for trailing cables, according to the company. The operator has full control of the Minitester via the built-in touchscreen, but a traditional mouse and keyboard can be fitted via the available PS2 or USB ports. A network port comes as standard, making it easy to share data within the company LAN. Also, the non-sealed die system means there are no expensive seals to replace and keeps the sample preparation to a minimum. The temperature control is said to be the best in its class, and by way of an internal three term PID control algorithm, it gives accuracy better than 0.03[degrees]C. Labline software is fully functional.

Prescott Instruments Ltd.

Circle 68 on card