New Castle, Delaware, USA. – TA Instruments is excited to introduce the Discovery DMA 850 dynamic mechanical analyzer, the newest product in their line of Discovery Series thermal analysis instruments.

A DMA measures the viscoelastic mechanical properties of a material under controlled conditions of temperature, environment, and mechanical stimulus (stress or strain).  This new instrument builds on the superior technologies that have led to their global market leading position in DMA, and once again sets the bar in measurement sensitivity and accuracy, while pioneering a new level of testing versatility.
The DMA 850 is the only DMA available to feature frictionless air bearing supports, providing the highest force sensitivity to 0.1 mN and widest continuous travel range of any commercial DMA at 25 mm.  A linear optical encoder ensures stable, accurate, high-resolution displacement measurement across the full travel range and enables unprecedented displacement control of 5 nm.

New DirectStrain™ and intelligent autoranging test controls help to eliminate the guesswork involved in selecting test settings that will be successful when testing over a wide range of temperature and stiffness. These user-convenience features help to provide the best data, the first time, every time.

The DMA 850 features a new capability to sequence any combination of instrument commands within a single experimental procedure. This includes the combination of stress- and strain-control in a single experiment, as well as transient, oscillation, and more measurement types in back-to-back steps. This new capability may be used to execute a full series of measurements on a single specimen, or to apply a mechanical history to a specimen before measurement.

As with all Discovery Series Thermal Analyzers, the DMA is controlled by the company’s powerful TRIOS Software for instrument control and data analysis.   In a first for the company, TRIOS features two operational modes: DMA Express is designed for novice users and routine experiments; DMA Unlimited is designed for users with more advanced testing requirements.

The DMA 850 may be configured with a high temperature furnace, a relative-humidity control system, and any of five innovative cooling systems, including TA’s exclusive Air Chiller system for liquid nitrogen-free cooling. More than 30 sample clamps are available, each of which is individually designed for accuracy and ease-of-use.

TA Instruments – a subsidiary of Waters Corporation (NYSE: WAT) – is the leading manufacturer of analytical instruments for thermal analysis, rheology and microcalorimetry. The company is headquartered in New Castle, Delaware, USA, and has direct operations in 24 countries.