Instrumented indentation testing is a very important yet very sophisticated and expensive method to determine a material’s hardness and elastic properties. Hit 300 is a premium and highly affordable nanoindentation instrument built for every user and every type of environment.

The simplified user interface is intuitive, automation enables up to 600 measurements per hour, and active anti-vibration damping ensures accuracy in all environments. Start-up takes 15 minutes, and within one hour, every user is able to go from training straight to results. Hit 300 – a delightful fusion of simplicity and power.

Hit 300 marks a new era for companies that have not yet had the possibility to test their surfaces with nanoindentation in-house. Hit 300 is not only highly affordable, but also remarkably resilient. Due to its compact size and the anti-vibration damping, it can be directly placed on the production site. Thanks to its user-orientated design, real products, from small to big, can be measured without any complex preparation. A unique laser-targeting system additionally assists the user in targeting the sample with an accuracy of <1mm.

The instrument is also made for training all the mechanical engineers of tomorrow. Anton Paar offers an education package containing everything essential for teaching nanoindentation testing: presentations, practical tests, samples, etc.

Hit 300. Simple. Powerful.

Applications:

Hard coatings:

Hardness and elastic modulus of coatings can only be measured by indentation testing. Thin coatings (0.5-5 µm) are challenging because of the low indentation depths required to get accurate results.

Hit 300 uses a well-established technology to offer a versatile instrument. With its amazing depth resolution of 0.01 nm, it is able to accurately measure thin hard films (down to 200 nm), while thick coatings of several µm can be measured thanks to its max load of 500 mN.

Depth function

Functional graded materials present evolutions of their mechanical properties over depth. They cannot be measured by standard methods.

The instrument’s dynamic mode measures the evolution of mechanical properties over depths directly from the top surface.

Polymers

Polymers are time-dependent materials, exhibiting both elastic and viscous properties. The dynamic mode of Hit 300 measures the viscoelastic properties of polymers by nanoindentation. You can characterise the storage modulus E’, the loss modulus E’’, and the loss factor Tan ẟ of your polymer samples either in coating or bulk format.

Bulk materials

Hardness and elastic modulus of bulk materials are usually measured with conventional techniques (Vickers, Brinell, tensile tests). This requires multiple instruments and lots of testing time. Tensile tests are also very restrictive in terms of sample geometries. Nanoindentation is a technique to determine both hardness and elastic modulus of materials with a single measurement.

For more information about this new instrument, visit https://www.anton-paar.com/corp-en/products/details/hit-300/?utm_source=Engineering%20News%20Online%20-%20HIT%20-%20Automotive&utm_medium=press-release&utm_campaign=za_bs.msc_hit_online-portal&utm_content=C-00047285

About Anton Paar

Founded in 1922 in Graz, Austria, by Anton Paar, the company is the world market leader in the measurement of density and concentration, the determination of dissolved carbon dioxide, and in the fields of rheometry and viscometry. Anton Paar’s customers include most of the major beer and soft drink manufacturers worldwide, companies active in the food, chemicals, petroleum, and pharmaceutical industries, as well as leading academic groups.

For many decades, Anton Paar has combined precise mechanical production with the latest achievements in the fields of research and development. In recent years, Anton Paar GmbH invested up to 20 % of its annual turnover in research and development. The company offers analytical solutions that are produced on the nine producing sites (in Europe and the US). Additionally, its portfolio also comprises a soccer simulator: in the so-called skills.lab, professionals and amateurs can perfect their skills under real conditions.

The Anton Paar Group is active in more than 110 countries with 33 sales subsidiaries and nine producing companies in Europe and the US. Meanwhile, more than 3 400 employees in a worldwide network of research and development, production, sales, and support are responsible for the quality, reliability, and service of products made by Anton Paar. Since 2003, the Charitable Santner Foundation has been the owner of Anton Paar. It is dedicated exclusively and directly to charitable purposes. In 2020, the company generated a net sales revenue of €387-million.