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TA Instruments Continues to Advance Material Characterization with a New High-Force DMA

The higher force capacity of the DMA 3200 provides new capabilities for testing of physically larger and stiffer specimens, and over wider ranges of deformation

by TA Instruments
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TA Instruments ElectroForce DMA 3200TA Instruments, the world’s leading supplier of thermal analysis and rheology instruments, recently introduced a new high-force dynamic mechanical analyzer, the ElectroForce DMA 3200. Dynamic Mechanical Analysis (DMA) is a technique used to characterize viscoelastic behavior of materials as a function of force, strain, time, and temperature. This technique quantifies material parameters such as modulus (stiffness) and damping or energy absorption over a range of loads, temperature and time. The DMA 3200 nicely complements TA’s industry-leading DMA850 and RSA-G2 DMA products, enabling both DMA and fatigue testing to a maximum force of 500 Newtons, which is over 10 times higher compared to lower-force offerings.

The higher force capacity of the DMA 3200 provides new capabilities for testing of physically larger and stiffer specimens, and over wider ranges of deformation. For example, many rubber materials need to be tested in the bulk molded form, or as assemblies or components, under real-world loading conditions. These can be too large, too stiff, and require too much force to be tested in a traditional DMA, but are easily accommodated in the DMA3200. Another example is a composite sample for which the specimen must be large to guarantee test results that are representative of the total macrostructure. It may not be feasible or advisable to cut this material small enough for a lower-force DMA instrument without compromising its structural integrity and impacting material properties.

The DMA3200 combines core technologies from both ElectroForce and TA Instruments, representing decades of research, development and applications experience. Linear motion is applied by the powerful and durable ElectroForce motor derived from Bose Corporation’s high performance electromagnetic speaker technologies (ElectroForce products were acquired by acquisition from Bose in May 2015).  Precise temperature control is achieved through the Forced Convection Oven (FCO), a system popularized through use in the research-grade RSA-G2 and ARES-G2 and designed by TA Instruments’ thermal design experts. Finally, the DMA3200’s new control algorithms and analysis software deliver precise and reliable results for users. Troy Nickel, senior product manager for ElectroForce products, commented, “I’m proud that we have been able to pack so many great technologies into the DMA3200 and now offer such a flexible and powerful DMA instrument for samples and components that we were unable to measure previously.  It’s an impressive advancement for materials researchers and I’m excited to see it lead to their success.”

The new DMA3200 is another example of TA Instruments pushing material characterization to new levels.  Now, with DMA3200, DMA850, and RSA-G2 dynamic mechanical analyzers, the Delaware-based company offers materials researchers a wider range of superior choices for DMA; from ultra-high sensitivity to high-force. TA’s global team of applications scientists work with customers to evaluate the best fit for their specific material and laboratory requirements. The company has facilities around the world capable of generating data to demonstrate the performance of these instruments, helping scientists make the best choice from among their high technology material characterization products.