This is the first edition of a newsletter designed to keep our customers and friends up to date on the latest information on products and applications designed to facilitate better measurements and improved nano-manufacturing. We are an OEM supplier to leading manufacturers of SPMs, micro-hardness testers and other sensitive instruments, and we have users at more than 150 universities and private and government laboratories in 25 countries.

Minus K Technology's new and improved website

We have added many new features to our website, including a selection guide, product manuals, and descriptions of some of our customers' experiences using our products.

Check it out at https://minusk.com.

New Products

This edition features two new high performance vibration isolation platforms. The BM-6 and BM-8 series incorporate the Minus K patented Negative Stiffness‘ technology and are now providing market leading performance in new low-profile platforms ideal for microscopes.

“We are very excited about the new BM-6 and BM-8 series, and anticipate that our new low profile offerings will be performance and value leaders in their class,” said David Platus, president of Minus K Technology. “They offer exceptional performance, without the need for air or power, and with exceptionally low cost of ownership.” The BM-6 starts at a list price of $1,800; the BM-8 starts at $2,400.

The BM-6 and BM-8 offer a low 4.5-inch profile and a 1.5 Hz horizontal natural frequency in an easy to use passive platform. The BM-6 offers a 2.5 Hz vertical natural frequency; the BM-8 offers 0.5 Hz. This performance exceeds that of higher priced active and air-based solutions, and without the need for air or power. The Negative Stiffness technology is extremely robust making installation and setup quick and easy.

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Featured Application: Scanning Probe Microscope (SPM) Systems
Minus K isolators enable SPM’s, such as AFM’s, to achieve their highest level of performance. They provide the performance of an ideal bungee system and the convenience of a bench top system without any of the problems associated with any of them, including air tables.

Molecular Imaging Corporation, USA, is a leading manufacturer of Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) and Scanning Probe Microscope (SPM) systems for high-resolution imaging in fluids or ambient air under controlled temperature and environmental conditions. Their products are designed for nanotechnology research applications in life science, biotechnology, electrochemistry and material and polymer science.

Molecular Imaging Corporation has tested a Nano-K bench top platform for several months. According to Tianwei Jing, PhD, Senior VP of Engineering, the Minus K platform has outperformed their air table in all specs. He stated, “I am very much impressed by its performance. As a designer in the AFM field for over 15 years, I truly appreciate the ingenious design of this bench top platform. It is simple and elegant. It is the best bang for the buck for isolating an AFM system from the floor vibrations.”

The picture above is an AFM image of Au film with its (111) surface terraces, the atomic step (monolayer) is very clearly discernable. This image was taken with a PicoPlus™ system on a Nano-K bench top platform.

Other Applications
If you have a new application that would be of interest to our readers please forward a summary to david.resnik@minusk.com.

Greater Data Accuracy: A Micro Hardness Tester (MHT)

Vibration response of a Nano Indenter XP manufactured by MTS Systems Corporation was compared on a high-performance air table and on a Minus K vibration isolator for severe vibrations produced by impacting the floor. The indenter was set up in a way to maximize its sensitivity to external vibrations. The data are shown in Figures 1 and 2 in terms of displacement voltage vs time.

On the air table, there is a lot of scatter in the data. For example, at Level 2, the bottom points almost reach the label. At Level 3, they reach the "e" in the labels "Level 3", approximately 50% of the range.

Figure 1: Nano Indenter XP on Air Table (Courtesy of MTS Systems Corporation)

On the Minus K isolator, there is very little scatter in the data. For example, at Level 2, all points are within approximately 10% of the range. Even at Level 3, all points but one are within approximately 10% of the range.

Figure 2: Nano Indenter XP on Nano-KTM 150BA-1 "Biscuit" Bench Top Platform (Courtesy of MTS Systems Corporation)

Comments/Suggestions: For Features of Interest to You in Our Next Newsletter:
Please send your comments/ suggestions to david.resnik@minusk.com.

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