The contact angle measuring instrument MSA is exactly tailored to our needs. The cooperation - especially the support during the learning phase - was excellent.
Hans-Christoph Thielemann
Product Engineer, Sika
Mobile Surface Analyzer
MSA Flexible Liquid – Fast, automatic, and non-destructive wetting analysis with your liquids of choice
In the Flexible Liquid configuration, the MSA Mobile Surface Analyzer carries out automated contact angle measurements between freely selectable liquids on solid samples. The focus lies on non-destructive analysis with formulations such as inks, coatings, or adhesives, to evaluate their wetting behavior in real process.
Applications
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Analyzing the wetting behavior of formulations such as paints, coatings, or adhesives on solid materials
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Checking wettability of plastics, glass, ceramics, wood, paper, or metal
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Quality assurance of activation processes such as plasma treatment, flame treatment, or corona treatment
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Testing the effectiveness of hydrophobic coatings and other coatings
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Measurement on large workpieces and finished products such as car bodies, aircraft parts, or walls
Measuring methods
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Contact angle of a drop on a solid surface
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Surface free energy of a solid using contact angle data
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Surface tension using the curvature of a perfectly symmetrical drop on a circular sample pedestal
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Carrying out a measurement up to 20 consecutive times and displaying the results together
Measuring results
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Static contact angle
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Surface free energy (SFE) according to the following models: Owens-Wendt-Rabel-Kaelble (OWRK), Fowkes, Wu, Zisman, Equation of State
An automatic contact angle instrument in the palm of your hand
A quality camera, lighting, and a software-controlled dosing unit – everything necessary for reliable contact angle measurement is integrated in a light, hand-held device: the MSA Flexible Liquid. With its very small footprint, the instrument can be placed on large workpieces in any spatial orientation without the need to cut them to size. After quickly inserting and filling a cartridge, wetting behavior can be measured within seconds by just pressing a button.
Wetting analyses with almost any liquid
The MSA Flexible Liquid is ideal when you want to know the wetting behavior of a formulation with unknown surface tension rather than that of a standard test liquid. The measurement reveals how your actual liquid behaves on your solid. This helps to optimize paints, adhesives and other liquids, and also the surface properties of solid materials. Since disposable cartridges are used, contaminating or hardening liquids are no problem at all.
Software with versatile automation and evaluation options
The ADVANCE software for the instrument has versatile and intuitive options for automations which completely control the dosing process, the accurate and robust analysis of the drop image, and the evaluation down to an automated result export. This whole process can be started just by pressing the instrument's measurement button. When using two or more test liquids with known characteristics, ADVANCE also calculates the surface free energy of the material. Notably the determined polarity of the surface gives direct feedback to the effect of pretreatment methods such as plasma treatment.
YOUR INSTRUMENT'S BRAIN
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Intuitive software with a workflow-oriented user interface
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Swift and repeatable analyses thanks to measurement templates and powerful automation functions
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Superior algorithms for image analyses provide for precise results even with difficult images
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A wide range of evaluation methods makes ADVANCE a reliable scientific tool
Technical Services for your instrument
Learn how we support you from day one and help you make the best use of your instrument with the longest service life possible.
Set Up and Installation
Don’t lose time and let measuring be the first thing you do with your instrument.
Training
Start your analyses with solid know-how and refresh and deepen it during your instrument’s life cycle.
Maintenance and Repair
Expect your instrument to be a reliable long-term employee.
