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Product Overview
The Vicat Softening Temperature (VST) Test Apparatus is designed to determine the temperature at which a thermoplastic material reaches a specified degree of softening under a defined load. The test provides an important indication of the material’s thermal resistance and performance at elevated temperatures.
In the test, a standardized flat-ended indenter is applied to a prepared test specimen under a specified load. The specimen is gradually heated at a controlled rate, and the temperature at which the indenter penetrates the specimen to the specified depth is recorded as the Vicat Softening Temperature.
Key Features
- Precise temperature-controlled heating system
- Controlled heating rate
- Standardized loading and penetration arrangement
- Digital temperature and displacement indication
- Suitable for thermoplastics and polymeric materials
- Accurate measurement of penetration depth
- Automatic or manual recording of test temperature
- Robust laboratory construction
- Provision for multiple test stations, where required
Applications
The apparatus is widely used in plastics, polymer, cable, automotive, electrical and material-testing laboratories for evaluating the thermal behaviour of thermoplastic materials and comparing their performance at elevated temperatures.
Applicable Standards:
- ISO 306 – Plastics — Thermoplastic materials — Determination of Vicat softening temperature (VST)
- ASTM D1525 – Standard Test Method for Vicat Softening Temperature of Plastics
- IS 13360 (Part 6/Sec 3) – Plastics: Methods of testing, as applicable to Vicat softening temperature.
