Accurate mechanical testing in minutes

The PLX-Benchtop is a compact, easy to use system that enables you to extract much more data from your metal specimens than ever possible with tensile or hardness testing, delivering fast, reliable stress-strain curves from an automated indentation test.

The PLX-Benchtop is a compact testing system that delivers fast, reliable metal stress-strain curves from an automated indentation test.

Streamlined testing,​
saving time and money​

By testing in-house with PIP, a leading additive manufacturing OEM saves over $125k annually on testing and material costs alone, compared with tensile testing. ​

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Non-destructive

Measure stress-strain curves and metal strength parameters in minutes, non-destructively.

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160x faster

Generate stress-strain results in as little as 5 minutes with minimal sample prep and streamlined testing — a fraction of what’s required by traditional tensile tests.​

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99% less material

Test directly on real components and samples, as small as 3 x 3 x 1.5 mm, bypassing the need for costly tensile testing specimens.

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Simplified testing

Optimise testing workflows with a straightforward, automated testing process and user-friendly interface, all from a compact and portable device.​

How it works

A small indent (~1 mm wide and ~100-200 µm deep ) is created on the material’s surface.

The indent is then scanned by an integrated profilometer, which captures the shape of the material deformation.

Using advanced finite element modelling, the software runs a simulation of the same indentation test, continuously adjusting the material properties in the simulation until the simulated indent matches the real one.

Once matched, the user is presented with a stress-strain curve, which provides key mechanical properties including yield strength and ultimate tensile strength (UTS).

How it works

  1. Indent Sample
  2. Measure Shape
  3. Finite Element Analysis
  4. Stress Strain Curves

Completed in just a few minutes,
from start to finish.

Higher confidence, more informed engineering decisions​

Test the untestable

Unlock stress-strain curves from metallographic samples or specimens too small for tensile testing.

More data, less material

Extract multiple stress-strain curves from a single specimen with fine-scale spatial mapping across parts or welds.

Tensile testing one ASTM E8 specimen provides one stress-strain curve. The PLX-Benchtop could extract over 160.
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The best of both worlds

With the PLX-Benchtop, you get all the benefits of tensile and hardness testing in one, with none of the limitations.

Tensile Testing
Hardness Testing
Rapid testing
Rapid testing
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Rapid testing
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Stress-strain data
Stress-strain data
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Stress-strain data
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Test small/complex geometries
Test small/complex geometries
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Test small/complex geometries
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Minimal sample preparation
Minimal sample preparation
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Minimal sample preparation
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See what our customers say

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“PIP has proved to be a great tool for helping us understand our processes.”

Jed Robinson-Wall

Materials Scientist

 at 

Renishaw

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"The PLX-Benchtop has been widely used at IMDEA Materials Institute. It is an indispensable tool for characterizing novel materials, which may only be manufactured in small volumes using innovative processing techniques such as additive manufacturing."

Dr Ilchat Sabirov

Senior Researcher

 at 

IMDEA Materials Institute

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"The PLX-Benchtop allows us to characterise the properties of finely structured parts in an entirely new way. The data allows us to build up a more comprehensive picture of the properties of parts made via additive manufacturing, deepening our understanding of the process."

Tony Fry

Principal Scientist

 at 

National Physics Laboratory

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"Plastometrex’s unique technology platform enable us to assess, improve, and deploy additive parts far more efficiently than previously possible."

David Wragg

Senior Metallic Materials Engineer 

 at 

Leonardo Helicopters UK

Interactive material data at your fingertips​

1. Choose device, base metal, alloy, or processing method
2. Explore comparison data between PIP and tensile
3. Book a trial to see how PIP performs on your materials

Working in harmony with the Plastometrex technology suite

From the bespoke software that powers the PLX-Benchtop and provides a detailed analytics bank, to our expanding range of add-on modules that unlock new testing capabilities.

PLX-HotStage

The PLX-HotStage is an add-on module for our benchtop testing device that extracts metal stress-strain curves from indentation test data at temperatures of up-to 800 °C

HotPIP add-on module for our benchtop testing device that extracts metal stress-strain curves from indentation test data at temperatures of up-to 800 °C

CORSICA+

Explore software-driven performance improvements, expert application support, and a host of other benefits with our CORSICA+ subscription.

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See the PLX-Benchtop in action

Join our team of application engineers to get a first-hand look at how PIP can enhance your data and streamline your materials testing workflow.​

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