The latest in testing equipment and software shown at PittCon.

The Latest in Testing Equipment And Software Shown at PittCon

New laboratory equipment specifically designed for polymer analysis, and software packages that can do everything from creating a color formulation system to acquiring data for thermal analysis, topped the bill at the 41st Pittsburgh Conference and Exposition this March in N.Y.C. A number of new rheological instruments as well as near-infrared (NIR) and moisture analyzers rounded out the new products at the show.

VISCOMETERS AND RHEOMETERS

Brookfield Engineering Laboratories, Inc., Stoughton, Mass., unveiled its Model DV III programmable viscometer at the conference. According to a Brookfield spokesman, the DV III can function in either stand-alone or computer-controlled modes. Its numeric keypad can enter ass many as 10 programs with as many as 25 speeds/program; and it automatically stores multiple viscosity/temperature data, ensuring the information is not lost before it is printed. (CIRCLE 42)

Also introducing its latest rheometry product was Kayness Inc., Honey Brook, Pa., which showed its Galaxy III capillary rheometer designed to study flow at various temperatures, shear rates and residence times. According to a company spokesman it's the first rheometer designed for automated operation that costs less than $20,000. An optional data-processing system can convert data output into curves of viscosity and shear stress vs. shear rate or time. (CIRCLE 43)

Bohlin Reologi, Cranbury, N.J., introduced its new CS-M controlled-stress melt rheometer. Specifically designed to measure viscoelastic properties of molten polymers, the CS-M features PC-compatible software that enables the user to measure creep and recovery, oscillation, stress ramps and controlled-rate experiments. (CIRCLE 44)

Waters Chromatography Div. of Millipore Corp., Milford, Mass., showed its new 150CV GPC/Viscometry System, reportedly the first system that can calculate both accurate molecular-weight values and intrinsic viscosity and chain-branching information on a wide variety of engineering polymers. The fully automated system integrates a GPC unit with a capillary viscometer and a refractometer housed in a temperature-controlled compartment to ensure stable performance from ambient temperature to 302 F. (CIRCLE 45)

Rheometrics, Piscataway, N.J. showed its new RFS II fluids spectrometer at the show. A computer-controlled rheological test system that simultaneously measures viscous and elastic properties of solutions, gels, emulsions and suspensions, the RFS II is controlled by software run on an IBM PS/2. Features of the software include a testing sequence that allows test stringing, quick changing of parameters and menu customization; a boundary window that continuously reports test limits; several "Help" windows; data analysis that includes least-squares fit, peak-and-valley detection, intercepts, automatic plot scaling, multiple-experiment overlay, and the ability to display test results on a screenor on a plotter in graphical or tabular formats. (CIRCLE 46)

MEASURING COLOR

What is said to be the first completely portable color measurement system was displayed by Hunter Associates Laboratory Inc., Reston, Va. Called the MiniScan, the colorimeter is battery operated and weighs only 4 lb. It can be held in one hand, allowing it to be used just about anywhere, Hunter says. It has user-selectable color scales and indices and a pass/fail indicator can be set up for quick product checks. Color values can be stored in the MiniScan's memory for output to a printer or computer. The system is available in four models--large and small versions of 45[degrees]/0[degree] and diffuse geometries.

Hunter also exhibited a new color formulation system, the MatchMaker, that reportedly links production and quality control, ensuring that products start out and end up the correct color. The system offers formula-searching and an independent run feature. The Matchmaker considers a number of factors in calculating formulas, including available stock of colorants and the closest match that can be made at the lowest cost, a spokesman said.

Byk Gardner, Silver Spring, Md., introduced the Color Machine, a spectrophotometer with the ability to simultaneously measure 60[degrees] gloss and color on the same sampling area. The company also announced the Micro-gloss unit, an addition to its line of portable, hand-held gloss meters. The new unit is available in three measuring configurations: 20[degrees], 60[degrees], or 85[degrees]. Data stored in the Color Machine or Micro-gloss can be transferred to a personal computer and analyzed using the company's statistical software.

HIGH-TEMPERATURE

THERMAL ANALYSIS

An extensive line of new thermal analysis systems, many of which can be used for polymer analysis, was shown by Seiko Instruments Inc., Torrance, Calif. The DSC120 is reportedly the company's most advanced high-sensitivity scanning calorimeter. Primarily used for analyzing the thermal conductive properties of thin films, the unit has a temperature range of -302 to +932 F.

Seiko says its DSC 220 differential scanning calorimeter is well suited to analyzing polymers. It uses liquid nitrogen as a cooling soure and can provide very consistent cooling rates, Seiko representatives said.

The company's TG/DTA 220 and 320 are new devices to run heat-history tests on a variety of materials, including high-heat polymers. The 220, which can measure up to 2012 F, and the 320, which can go as high as 2732 F, show weight change during the heating and cooling processes.

Du Pont Co., Wilmington, Del. (currently in the process of selling its instruments group to a management group), used PittCon to introduce its TGA 2950 thermogravimetric analyzer, the successor to the company's TGA 951. The 2950 can reportedly measure weight changes of polymers and composites heated to 1832 F. Easy operation is said to be one key feature: with a single keystroke the instrument loads itself, closes the furnace, runs the experiment, collects the data, unloads the pan and introduces external cooling air to the furnace for rapid turnaround in preparation for the next experiment. Calibration can be based on one to five standards to obtain the level of accuracy desired.

Anacon Corp., Hopkinton, Mass., displayed its new TCA-8 and TCA-12 thermal conductivity analyzers. Reportedly, the new units can quickly and accurately measure the thermal conductivity of insulating materials. The units maintain a fixed temperature difference across a sample by controlled hot and cold plates. A heat-flow transducer produces a signal proportional to the heat passing through the sample. The TCA automatically measures the thickness of the sample and combines the reading with the heat-flow measurement to yield a direct digital readout of thermal conductivity. The units have a 20-character printer, [+ or -] 0.1[degrees]F temperature stability of the hot and cold plates, and sample thickness resolution to [+ or -] 0.01 mm.

PL Thermal Sciences, Mundelein, Ill., introduced its new PL-DSC, differential scanning calorimeter. The unit covers a temperature range of -320 to +1418 F. Its high sensitivity and rapid thermal response reportedly enable an analyst to distinguish a secondary transition that occurs close to a major peak.

PL Thermal Sciences also showed its new Plus V software for thermal analysis and material characterization. It can operate as many as seven instruments simultaneously and can support numerous techniques, including DSC, TGA, TMA, dynamic thermal analysis, dielectric thermal analysis and simultaneous thermal analysis.

Plus V runs on IBM or compatible computers, a PL spokeswoman said. Its standard data-analysis features include 20-curve on-screen overlays; addition, subtraction and averaging of curves; and extended mathematical capabilities, such as six-point glass-transition and fifth-order polynomial fits.

Also designed for running thermal analysis programs on personal computers is new software from Shimadzu Scientific Instruments Inc., Columbia, Md. With the new software, as many as four thermal analyzers can collect data simultaneously using a single PC for method development, instrument control, data review and manipulation. Split-screen capability allows thermograms and other data to be displayed side by side for easier review and analysis.

Besides providing basic analysis and instrument control, the new software can perform a host of other functions, including partial area measurement, purity determination, kinetic analysis, specific heat capacities and temperature programming.

As part of its new FP800HT Thermosystem, Mettler Instrument Corp., Hightstown, NJ., introduced an analytical software option, the FP89, that allows DSC measurements to be stored, evaluated and generated in hard copy using a personal computer.

The introduction of the new software was just one of the new products shown by Mettler at PittCon. Also on display was a new software package for the company's TA4000 thermal analysis system. Called TA72.5 GraphWare, the new package adds real-time multitasking capabilities and two on-line windows that can simultaneously display the results of two tests. TA72.5 includes a purity program, isothermal kinetics, an applied kinetic table, blank correction and curve smoothing, including the first derivative. It also includes on-screen curve plotting, kinetic evaluation and disk storage of test data.

Among the new products exhibited by the Perkin-Elmer Corp., Norwalk, Conn., was the DMA 7, a materials characterization system that combines new hardware and software. The new system, Perkin-Elmer says, simplifies dynamic mechanical analysis of a broad range of materials from soft samples such as elastomers to high-modulus composites. It can be operated independently or in combination with other thermal analyzer modules.

MOISTURE AND I-R ANALYSIS

Other new introductions at PittCon included a moisture analyzer and a line of NIR analyzers. The TMX Moisture Analzyer from the Computrac Instrument Div. of Arizona Instruments, Tempe, Ariz. goes a step beyond the company's other analyzers in that it measures weight gan in a water-collecting cell rather than the weight loss in the sample, giving the user moisture-specific results without the use of glassware or toxic reagents, a spokeswoman said. The instrument can automatically calculate and display moisture content in percent moisture or milligrams of water. The TMX accepts sample weights of 100 mg to 40 g and has a programmable memory that can store test parameters for as many as 10 different samples.

L.T. Industries Inc., Rockville, Md., demonstrated its new line of NIR analyzers, featuring the Quantum 1200I Plus instrument with fiber-optic sampling capability for on-line applications. This industrial version of LTI's Quantum 1200 Plus VIS/NIR general-purpose analyzer, is designed for long-term unattended use in process environments. It performs simultaneous real-time, non-destructive analysis of 10 or more constituents and can perform five full-spectrum scans per second right on the process line. It is also suitable for laboratory analysis, a company spokesman said.

Other features include a wide spectral range fromm visible light through NIR in reflectance, transmittance and transflectance modes; high energy throughput, and a wide dynamic range for analysis; and the availability of InGaAs detector technology for optimum performance in the 800-1700 nm spectral range. The LTI spokesman said this is 5 to 10 times better than PbS technology.