Get faster, more accurate DSC results. (Testing Close-Up).* Two makers of thermal-analysis instruments last year launched new differential scanning calorimeters that reportedly increase speed and accuracy. DSC (1) (Digital Signal Controller) A microcontroller and DSP combined on the same chip. It adds the interrupt-driven capabilities normally associated with a microcontroller to a DSP, which typically functions as a continuous process. See microcontroller and DSP. measures thermal properties of materials, such as melting point melting point, temperature at which a substance changes its state from solid to liquid. Under standard atmospheric pressure different pure crystalline solids will each melt at a different specific temperature; thus melting point is a characteristic of a substance and , Tg, oxidative stability of thermoplastics, and cure times and temperatures of thermosets thermosets, materials that can not be softened on heating. In thermosetting polymers, the polymer chains are joined (or cross-linked) by intermolecular bonding. Thermosets are usually supplied as partially polymerized or as monomer-polymer mixtures. . TA Instruments Inc., New Castle, Del., launched its Q Series DSC devices with new "Tzero" technology. This involves use of a third thermocouple to allow the instrument to calibrate To adjust or bring into balance. Scanners, CRTs and similar peripherals may require periodic adjustment. Unlike digital devices, the electronic components within these analog devices may change from their original specification. See color calibration and tweak. the sample and reference thermocouples independently. No external calibration device is needed. This arrangement improves accuracy and measures smaller transitions than other devices, TA says. It's reportedly the only model on the market that uses a third thermocouple this way. Typically, the third thermocouple just controls chamber temperature. Meanwhile, Thermo Haake of Germany, which recently relocated its U.S. office to Madison, Wis., introduced the Sieta-1 DSC instrument, which it distributes for Seiko Instruments Seiko Instruments Inc. (セイコーインスツル株式会社 of Japan. It uses a hybrid DSC method that combines heat-flux and power-compensation signals. Combining the two reportedly gives faster response and a flatter baseline for data. |
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