CSM Instruments Scratch Testers are dedicated instruments for characterizing the surface mechanical properties of thin films and coatings, e.g. adhesion, fracture and deformation. The scratch tester's ability to characterize the film-substrate system and to quantify parameters such as friction force and adhesive strength, using a variety of complementary methods, makes it an invaluable tool for research, development and quality control.
The technique involves generating a controlled scratch with a diamond tip on the sample under test. The tip material (commonly diamond or hard metal (WC)) is drawn across the coated surface under constant, incremental or progressive load. At a certain critical load the coating will start to fail. The critical loads are very precisely detected by means of an acoustic sensor (MST & RST) attached to the load arm and can be correlated with observations from a built-in optical microscope. The critical load data is used to quantify the adhesive properties of different film - substrate combinations. In addition to acoustic emission, the Scratch Testers measure the applied normal force, the tangential (friction) force and the penetration depth. These parameters, together with the acoustic emission, constitute a unique signature of the coating system under test.
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The REVETEST Xpress is the cost effective solution for Industry and Quality Control (QC) applications.
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The REVETEST® Scratch Testing instrument is widely used for characterizing hard-coated materials, with a typical coating thickness exceeding 1 µm. Coatings can be organic or inorganic, covering Tribological, magnetic and decorative applications, i.e. PVD, CVD, PECVD, metallization and passivation layers, friction and wear protective coatings. Substrates include metals, alloys, semiconductors, glass, minerals, refractive and organic materials.
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The Micro Scratch Tester is widely used to characterize the practical adhesion failure of thin films and coatings, with a typical thickness below 5 µm. The Micro Scratch Tester is also used in the analysis of organic and inorganic soft and hard coatings. Examples are thin and multilayer PVD, CVD, PECVD, photoresist, paints lacquers, and many other types of films, covering optical, micro-electronic, protective, decorative and other applications. Substrates can be hard or soft, including metal alloys, semiconductors, glass, refractive and organic materials.
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The Nano-Scratch Tester is specially suited to characterize practical adhesion failure of thin films and coatings, with a typical thickness below 800 nm. The Nano Scratch Tester can be used in the analysis of organic and inorganic soft and hard coatings. Examples are thin and multilayer PVD, CVD, PECVD, photoresist, paints lacquers, and many other types of films, covering optical, micro- electronic, protective, decorative and other applications. Substrates can be hard or soft, including metal alloys, semiconductors, glass, refractive and organic materials.
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