Plastometrex is a technology company formed by a team of materials scientists out of The University of Cambridge.  Plastometrex’s technologies combine advanced simulation methods with testing hardware to make novel mechanical testing solutions.  The company’s first product - the Indentation Plastometer, extracts bulk stress/strain curves from a 3-minute indentation test. Since launching in 2020, the system is already being used in leading universities and companies around the world to support cutting-edge research and teaching activities.

As a company, Plastometrex takes a collaborative approach to working with customers and we are pleased to announce our latest collaboration with Prof. Arvind Agarwal's research group at Florida International University (FIU) in Miami, Florida.  Prof. Agarwal is the Chairman and a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering (MME) at FIU. Prof. Agarwal took delivery of an Indentation Plastometer in August 2021 and will be using the device to support the wide range of research activities in his group.

Prof. Agarwal established the Plasma Forming Laboratory (PFL) and Cold Spray and Rapid Advanced Deposition (ColRAD) laboratory for research, training, and education in manufacturing and materials. His current research interests include advanced materials processing, cold spray, plasma spray, surface engineering, spark plasma sintering, carbon nanotube (CNT), boron nitride nanotube (BNNT), and mechanical properties of low dimensional and biological materials. Prof. Agarwal’s group will be using the Indentation Plastometer to rapidly characterize the plasticity of difficult to test metallic samples, including cold sprayed coatings, wire arc additive manufactured (WAAM) metals, and ultrasonic cast metal matrix composites (MMCs).

The Indentation Plastometer uses an accelerated inverse finite element method, called Profilometry-based Indentation Plastometry (PIP). The method can be used to extract bulk mechanical properties from a 3-minute indentation test. The method enables high throughput testing as well as testing of small sample geometries. 

“When working with experimental processes and materials with novel compositions, producing enough material for tensile testing is often a challenge. The Indentation Plastometer will allow us to quickly test size-constrained samples, generating valuable mechanical property data far faster than before”

Says Professor Agarwal

The team at Plastometrex is looking forward to working with Prof. Agarwal and his team at FIU, to support their wide-ranging and impactful research activities.