Company Announcements

In August, Fluid Imaging Technologies announced a partnership with DKSH for Japan.

In October, KRÜSS named DKSH as its exclusive distributor for Vietnam.

In September, CANNON Instrument acquired substantially all of the assets and business operations of UK-based Ravenfield Designs, a manufacturer of rotational viscometers for the European oil industry.

In October, LUM opened an application laboratory in Plaisir, a Western suburb of Paris, France.

MTS Systems named Dr. William E. Bachrach as the leader of its Test Division, effective October 17. He previously led the company’s Sensors Division.

For fiscal 2014 ending September 27, revenue for MTS Systems’ Test business fell 3.4% to $458.1 million, or 81% of company revenues. Test orders increased 7.9% to $507.2 million, primarily driven by 3.1% growth in base orders. Ground Vehicles, Materials and Structures accounted for 53%, 31% and 16% of Test orders, respectively. Materials orders fell 3% in the fiscal fourth quarter. Fiscal 2014 Test adjusted operating profit fell 24.3% to $46.2 million.

Verder and Retsch established a representative office in Bangkok, Thailand, in October.

Zwick Roell opened a factory in Taicang, China, in the autumn, which manufactures Amsler brand products.

Product Introductions

In August, Rheosense introduced the e-VROC viscometer with the ability to measure apparent extensional viscosity.

PAC introduced the Herzog OptiFlash Pensky-Martens flash-point instrument, which detects flash points up to 400°C. It replaces the Herzog HFP 339 and 360 instruments, and ISL FP93 5G2.

In September, CANNON Instrument introduced what it called “the first fully automated Thermoelectric Sample Conditioner System for ASTM D2983,” featuring its DV2T digital viscometer.

CANNON Instrument launched in October the CAV 4.2 dual-bath kinematic viscometer for ASTM D445 for medium- to high-throughput labs.

In September, Spectro Scientific launched the Q6000 Series Fuel Dilution Meter, which operates in the lab or field and provides measurements of fuel contamination in engine oil.

Zwick Roell introduced the HA and HB servo-hydraulic testing machines for fatigue testing. In the HA range, a single testing actuator is mounted in the lower crosshead. In the HB range, it is mounted on the upper crosshead.

Malvern Instruments released two new accessories for the Mastersizer 3000 laser-diffraction particle-size analyzer: the Hydro Sight for real-time visual monitoring of the dispersion process, and the Hydro SV wet-dispersion unit.