Micro Scratch Tester:

MST3

• Measurement of coating adhesion and scratch resistance
• Full panorama image synchronized with all other signals such as penetration depth, friction force, and acoustic emission
• Measurement on curved and uneven surfaces
• Force measurement up to 30 N

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. It is also a common instrument in the analysis of organic and inorganic soft and hard coatings.

Key Features

Panorama mode: easy and fast analysis of coating adhesion and scratch resistance with all sensors synchronized

Anton Paar is the holder of the patents US 8261600 and EP 2065695. The panorama mode is the most important feature of your scratch software. After the scratch, you have the option of recording the full panorama with all automatically synchronized sensors: acoustic emission, depth, normal and friction forces. When your panorama is recorded, you can re-analyze your scratch at any time.

Viscoelastic materials characterization with pre-scan and multi-post-scan

The displacement sensor (Dz) monitors the surface profile of the sample before, during, and after a scratch. It is therefore possible to evaluate the penetration depth of the indenter during and after the scratch. Multi-post-scan with time allows you to measure the viscoelastic recovery of polymers with time.

Measurements even on curved and uneven surfaces

Due to its unique force sensor control, the Micro Scratch system detects this deviation and the active force feedback corrects this deviation. The Micro Scratch system is capable of reliable measurements on uneven and curved surfaces.

Numerous scratch testing capabilities with multiple testing modes

• Progressive, constant, or incremental loading
• Single pass or multiple passes (multi-pass) for multi-wear testing
• Quick and easy changes of the indenter tips on the indenter holder
• Different kinds of indenter tips available: spherical tips, Berkovich, Vickers, Knoop, Knife, and more

High-quality optical imaging with “Follow Focus”

Our integrated microscope consists of a turret with high-quality objectives and a USB video camera. A “Follow Focus” function allows automatic focus to the right position with the Z-table for multiple scratches.

Typical applications

• Automobile bumper paint adhesion
• Automotive varnish clear coats
• Physical characterization of coated surfaces
• Hard coatings (PVD, CVD coatings): Thickness range from 1 micron to 20 microns
• Thermal/plasma spray coatings