MATERIALS | TESTING
The Power Compensation mode in Mettler Toledo’s DSC 5+ can produce more accurate crystallisation kinetics. The solid lines show data collected in the DSC 5+ using Power Compensation, and the dashed lines show data from a standard Heat Flux DSC. The longer time constant of the Heat Flux DSC skews the crystallisation data at higher rates, which leads to an improper activation energy plot and incorrect crystallisation kinetics
polymer crystal formation and melting. This capability also allows quantifying the size of the crystals under different processing conditions. In a thermal oxidation and decomposition analysis, the Hitachi STA-RealView system is capable of perform- ing color analysis, which allows users to precisely capture at what temperature the sample is oxi- dised, manifested as a change in colour – such as a transition to yellow.”
Another tool is the Hitachi NEXTA software, designed for both instrument control and data analysis on all four of the thermal analysis instru- ments (DSC, STA, TMA and DMA). It is integrated with a built-in wizard to guide instrument calibra- tions, sample handling, and experimental setup. It also provides a fully automated data analysis function. The software has many built-in ASTM, ISO and other industry standard methods. “This integration of a method library allows users to easily comply with standardised procedures and regulations,” said Chen. Automation is also useful for intrinsic viscosity
(IV) measurement, which is widely used in quality control and testing of incoming materials. Cannon’s
38 COMPOUNDING WORLD | March 2025
automated viscometers provide unattended, safe operation using an integrated autosampler and computer-controlled operation. The instruments offer reliability, rapid throughput, and other benefits.
Tabletop SEM The latest from Hitachi High-Tech are the TM4000III and TM4000PlusIII tabletop scanning electron microscopes (SEM), which are used in the plastics industry for a range of applications including analysis of contaminants in polymers, analysis of particles and foreign matter in pulverised materials, observation of the grain shape of fine particles, observation of layers in laminated films, and fracture surface analysis after strength tests. The compact size of the desktop microscopes enables their use in more environments, including quality control at manufacturing sites. “In manufacturing environments, the trend of
decreasing feature size and stricter quality control has led to an increase in the number of SEM users. However, not all new users have specialised knowledge and operating skills,” the company
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Source: Mettler Toledo
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