Follow this guide to position your sample for indentation in the PLX-Benchtop:
- For large samples, care must be taken to not position the sample such that any part of it is close to the profilometer which is parked to the right of the platen.
- The sample must be positioned such that the LVDT (the axis of which is 5 mm to the right of the indenter axis) will come into contact with the sample surface when the crosshead is lowered. If the LVDT misses the sample, it could result in damage to the sample surface.
- For small samples, it may prove easier to manually lower the crosshead close to the sample to ensure this criteria is met.
- For very small samples, the user may have to mount the sample in order for the LVDT to hit an equivalent sample surface.
- Ideally, the LVDT will be directly on the sample surface, however in this case the LVDT could contact the adjacent mount surface, although this could have a small adverse effect on the outcome. Further detail on mounting samples is provided here.
- The indent location should not be within 5 mm of an existing indent or 3 mm of a free edge for the 1 mm radius tip. Distances are halved for the 0.5 mm radius tip and quartered for the 0.25 mm radius tip.
