Facilities & Equipment

Materials Testing Suite

Zwick Roell Zwicki Single Column 1kN Universal Tensile Testing System fitted with a 500N load cell which is used to execute low-force tensile and compression testing on small components and assemblies. Also included with the system is a 3-point bend test fixture.
Zwick Roell ZHU250CL-S Semi-Automatic Universal Hardness Testing System is used to execute a wide range of test forces (up to 250kgf) on different hardness scales including Vickers, Rockwell, Brinell and Knoop.
Zwick Roell ZHVμ-M Micro Hardness Testing system used to execute micro-Vickers & Knoop hardness for values within the load range from 10gf to 2kgf.
Zwick Roell C-Flow Extrusion Plastometer melt flow index (MFI) tester used to measure the flow rate properties of different polymers.
Anton Paar Ultrapyc 5000 Gas Displacement Pycnometer is used to precisely determine the true density and true volume of solids, slurries, and powders.

The Labor Tech 6.600.1.00 is an electromechanically driven system which can execute tests up to a maximum force of 600kN. The machine, which was funded by Enterprise Ireland’s capital equipment call, can perform tensile and compression testing, as well as shear, flexure, peel, tear, cyclic and bend tests. Included with the system is an X-Sight non-contacting video extensometer which is used to minimise errors and invalid results while maximising the amount of information obtained from testing.
Instron 8874 Bi-axial Servohydraulic Testing System is used to execute both static and dynamic tests with a force capacity up to +/- 25kN axial and a torsion capacity +/- 100Nm using its dynamic actuator in the upper crosshead. This instrument is ideal for fatigue testing.

Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence Analyser (ED-XRF) is considered a gold standard in material characterisation. It is an excellent technique for qualitative and quantative analysis of a material’s elemental composition. This instrument is based at the main campus.
Malvern Kinexus PRO Rheometer is a research grade rheometer for characterising complex fluids. This instrument is targeted at characterising dispersions, other complex fluids and soft solids. The Kinexus Pro has dual-action capabilities for both shear and vertical testing.
Axio Imager 2 Upright Optical Microscope is a sophisticated optical imaging instrument that can be deployed in a variety of uses. Various objective lenses are available, including oil-immersion and differential interference contrast (DIC). This instrument has image capture to an accompanying PC where advanced workflow-based image analysis can be undertaken
OGP Smartscope CNC 500 is the perfect large capacity 3D multi-sensor measurement system and is considered one of the best optical metrology solutions on the market.

HAAS VF-OE 3-Axis Milling Machine is a vertical milling machine used for 2D and 3D milling operations such as milling pockets, profiles, drilling and tapping holes.
Yazamaki Mazak Quick Turn Compact 300MSY CNC Lathe is a CNC turning centre used to deliver turning operations such as boring, drilling and tapping. It also has Y-axis capabilities to perform milling operations and sub-spindle capabilities to perform finishing operations. This machine is currently being shipped and is due to be installed in Finisklin in July 2022.
Workshop area the Finisklin facility has a dedicated workshop area with all the required equipment and tools to support the machining operations, e.g., band saw, work benches, pillar drill.
A 5-Axis Milling Machine is under procurement with an expected delivery date at the end of July 2023.