|
May 2021 |
| The Complete 2021 ramé-hart Product Selection Guide |
|
In the old days, life was a lot simpler. When Ford Motor Company started making cars, they offered one model, the Model T, and it was available in any color you wanted as long as that was black. Similarly, when ramé-hart started making goniometers back in the 1960s, we had but one model, the classic Model 100. (In the early days it was the A100 and later became 100-00.) We made literally thousands of these manual microscope-based Model 100 instruments. Many are still in use today. In fact, if you are over 50 and have been doing contact angle throughout your education and career, there's a good chance you used a Model 100 at some point. Although we stopped making Model 100 about 20 years ago, we still offer spare parts and an imaging upgrade kit that will bring your legacy instrument into the 21st century. Just as Ford branched into a variety of styles and models from touring cars to roadsters, town cars, pickups, and sedans, so too ramé-hart in the past 25 years has developed an array of models that meet a variety of budgets and capabilities. The rapid growth of product development for ramé-hart began in the late 1990s when we moved goniometry from microscopy to software-controlled image capture and analysis. Not only did precision increase exponentially but the array of measurements expanded from contact angle to include surface energy, surface tension, interfacial tension, and even rheological measuring capabilities. Additional features like reporting, data logging, image capature and automated device control further advanced our customer's ability to collect precise data quickly and accurately as well as perform precise and repeatable dynamic studies including tilt, temperature, and environmental controls.
Our current product line up begins with our humble Model 90. Based on our research, Model 90 is the most cost-effective entry-level goniometer on the market today. For customers who only require occasional measurements and have a constrained budget, Model 90 could be the best choice. It features our high resolution German-made U3 Series camera, a simple and highly-adjustable optical bench, basic backlighting, and our standard leveling stage. Model 90 is available in two flavors: the CA Edition includes our DROPimage CA software and is great if you only need to measure contact angle. We also offer a Pro Edition which can measure contact angle, surface energy, as well as surface tension with our DROPimage Pro software. All of our instruments, including Model 90, ship complete as a turn-key solution with PC, software, and everything you need to get up and running. Truly we try to keep our product line as simple as possible. In fact, we tried to discontinue our Model 190 instrument last year. But our customers wouldn't let us. Thus, it's back by popular demand. Model 190 is based on our 16-inch optical bench and features our U4 Series SuperSpeed camera. This is a lab-quality tool at an aggressive price point.
Models 190, 210, and 250 share the same hardware which includes a fiber optic illuminator for optimal, adjustable, and uniform backlighting, our U4 Series German-made camera which runs at 520 frames per second, and our rack-and-pinion 3-axis stage with leveling. Model 210 replaced our long-running Model 200. The only difference is the software. Model 200 shipped with our DROPimage Standard program while Model 210 ships with our newer and more capable DROPimage Pro software. For those looking for an affordable lab-quality tool that can measure contact angle, surface energy, surface tension, and interfacial tension, it's tough to beat Model 210. Add the Automated Dispensing System to further enhance its capabilities. Model 250 is a long-time customer favorite. The DROPimage Advanced software adds a methods-based experiment designer tool that allows for the creation of powerful dynamic and time-dependant studies which are simple to create using our easy-to-use Experiment Wizard. A wide array of modular accessories are also available. The most popular are: the Automated Dispensing System, Automated Tilting Base, and Heated Environmental Cell. Model 250 is a great base instrument that can be expanded as your requirements mature and develop. Model 260 is very similar to Model 250. The only difference is the 3-axis stage. While Model 250 includes our standard 3-axis stage, Model 260 includes our Advanced Modular 3-axis Stage with fine and coarse vertical adjustments. The Advanced Stage has greater weight and dimensional limits and thus will support more of our modular options such as the Environmental Chamber, p/n 100-07. Model 290 includes our Automated Dispensing System and Automated Tilting Base making it a highly automated tool particularly optimized for measuring advancing and receding contact angle. This is a great tool which adds automated advancing and receding contact angle capabilities for fast and precise data collection. Model 400 is our only model that is optimized for a specific industry. Equipped with an 8-inch Rotating Wafer Support, a 21-inch optical bench and our DROPimage Pro software, Model 400 is used extensively by the chip makers. Contact angle is the most reliable method for determining the effectiveness of etching and cleaning processes used during wafer production. Our Model 500 accepts every accessory offered by ramé-hart. There are two dozen to choose from. The 21-inch optical bench, U4 Series SuperSpeed 520 fps camera, and DROPimage Advanced software make this a formidable challenger which can easily be customized for any number of applications.
The Advanced Automated Model 590 includes both the Automated Dispensing System and Automated Tilting Base. This is a great choice for any surface science lab and features our top-shelf components. Model 590 is well-suited for all types of contact angle, surface energy, surface tension, interfacial tension, wetting, roughness, absorption, spreading, cleanliness, and surface heterogeneity and characterization applications. The only product more advanced would be our Model 790 which, to be honest, is more instrument than most users know what to do with. |
|
Regards,
Carl Clegg |
