Kinexus lab+

The Kinexus lab+ was developed for the requirements of a QC laboratory to ensure reliable rheological tests. Ease of use is paramount. The rSpace software enables rheological tests via standard operating procedures (SOPs) and test protocols that can be used company-wide.

Kinexus is a rotational rheometer system that applies controlled shear deformation to a sample under test, to enable measurement of flow properties (such as shear viscosity from flow tests) and dynamic material properties (such viscoelastic modulus and phase angle from oscillation tests).

A rotational rheometer system comprises several key components to enable robust, reliable and accessible rheological measurements for a particular sample or application:

  • Rheometer base unit. Control of key system functions, including torque (for stress control), rotational position change (for strain or rate control), normal force and vertical position change (for sample loading and gap set).
  • Measuring system or geometry. The measuring system is the link between the rheometer and the sample, and defines the applied shear field. The type of measuring system must be appropriate to the sample type and the test under consideration.
  • Temperature or environmental control unit. Accurate control is essential since rheological properties are a strong function of temperature and environmental conditions.
  • Instrument software. Rheological testing can be, by its nature, relatively complex to set up. Malvern’s cornerstone Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) approach to material testing has been enhanced in rSpace software to revolutionize and simplify user interaction, and to bring ‘expert system’ guidance and SOP-driven testing to rheological measurements for the first time.

technical Details

Torque range – Viscometry (rate and stress control)
10nNm – 200mNm
Torque range – Oscillation (strain and stress control)
5Nm – 200mNm
Torque resolution
0.1nNm
Position resolution
<10nrad
Angular velocity range
10nrads-1 to 325rads-1
Step change in strain
<10ms
Frequency range
6.28µrads-1 to 628rads-1 (1µHz to 100Hz)
Motor inertia
12µN.m.s2
Normal Force range
0.001N – 50N
Normal Force resolution
0.5mN
Normal Force response time
<10ms
Vertical lift speed
0.1µms-1 to 35mms-1
Vertical lift range (measureable)
230mm
Gap resolution (over full vertical lift range)
0.1µm