The semi-automatic Vickers hardness tester is mainly used for testing small and thin specimens, as well as brittle materials. By choosing various accessories or upgrading various structures, it can be ...
The semi-automatic Vickers hardness tester is mainly used for testing small and thin specimens, as well as brittle materials. By choosing various accessories or upgrading various structures, it can be widely applied to various metals (ferrous metals, non-ferrous metals, castings, alloy materials, etc.), metal structures, metal surface processing layers, electroplated layers, hardened layers (oxidation, various diffusion layers, coating layers), heat treatment specimens, carbonized specimens, quenched specimens, micro parts of phase inclusions, and the testing of brittle non-metallic materials such as glass, agate, artificial gemstones, and ceramics. It is particularly suitable for measuring the hardness gradient distribution curve of a large number of workpieces and the hardness of designated parts.
The automatic displacement stage controlled by an internal stepping motor, operated through mouse clicks, features diverse control modes, high positioning accuracy, good repeatability, fast movement speed, and high working efficiency.
Software parameters:
1. Introduction
The semi-automatic Vickers hardness tester integrates multiple latest advanced technologies such as optical imaging, mechanical displacement, electronic control, digital imaging, image analysis, and computer processing. It controls the Vickers hardness tester and the automatic stage through a computer host, digitizes the hardness indentation and displays it on the computer screen. It accurately measures the microhardness of metals and some non-metallic materials, as well as the depth of hardened layers, thickness of coatings, and distance between two points through automatic reading, manual reading, and other methods. It can also capture the surface morphology of metals and perform fixed-magnification printing, etc. This system breaks through the traditional hardness testing methods, achieving fully automatic, high-precision, and high-repeatability hardness testing, and is an important device for material analysis.
2. Composition
The computer host controls the operation of the hardness tester and receives the corresponding information through the RS232 serial port. The computer host also controls the platform control box via the RS232 serial port, and through the platform control box, it controls the movement of the automatic stage and receives the corresponding information. The optical signal of the indentation made by the Vickers hardness tester is captured by a digital camera and displayed on the computer monitor. Then, through automatic or manual reading, the Vickers hardness value is measured.
3. Main Functions
The automatic displacement stage controlled by an internal stepping motor, operated by mouse clicks, features diverse control modes, high positioning accuracy, good repeatability, fast movement speed and high working efficiency.
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Pressure Control | Converts hardness test force; system senses force changes and displays them in real time. |
| Turret Control | Software-controlled switching between objective lens and indenter, no manual operation required. |
| Loading Control | Software-controlled loading of hardness tester, no manual operation required. |
| Measurement Control | Software-controlled turret rotation, loading, and direct reading of Vickers hardness value. |
| Light Brightness Control | Allows setting of light source brightness. |
| Image Acquisition | Displays hardness image in real time; supports image storage, printing, and timed printing. |
| Manual / Automatic Measurement | Manual: Diagonal measurement, two-point line measurement, four-point measurement.Automatic: Auto-detects four vertices of indentation; supports continuous testing, printing test, and specified coordinate testing. |
| Hardness Conversion | Automatically converts between Brinell, Rockwell, Vickers, and Knoop hardness values per national/ISO/ASTM standards, with real-time display. |
| Graphical Report | Automatically records measurement data, generates hardness-depth curves, and saves/prints curves + all indentation images + current hardness values.Customizable inspection reports; displays hardened layer depth profiles after continuous sample measurement.Exports measurement data (D1, D2, hardness table, hardened layer depth, max/average values) and inserts images into Excel; edits and prints test reports in Word/PDF format.Saves and prints sample morphology images to show indentation and microstructure. |
| Rockwell Measurement | Supports automatic Rockwell hardness measurement by switching Rockwell indenter. |
| Automatic Loading Stage | Auto-point selection via mouse click; sets linear start/random positions; controls 8-direction movement of X-Y stage with adjustable speed, auto-reset, and zeroing.Programmable 14 movement modes: 1) Along line; 2) Along line with angle; 3) Free click; 4) Horizontal along line; 5) Vertical along line; 6) Along multi-curve; 7) Along curve matrix; 8) Arc; 9) Gear center; 10) Gear tooth parallel; 11) Auto along edge with angle; 12) Auto along edge matrix; 13) Center; 14) Along curve multi-tooth parallel. |
| Motor | Stepper motor |
| Max Travel Distance | 50mm |
| Min Travel Distance | 1μm |
| Movement Speed | Adjustable |
| Displacement Repeatability | 1μm |
| Sample Stage Size | 100mm × 100mm |
| Image Acquisition / Recognition | High-quality 1.3MP camera; high-speed acquisition: 1280×1024 resolution, 25 frames/sec; stores images in BMP/JPG format. |
| Auto Measurement Time | ~0.3s per indentation |
| Measurement Repeatability | ±1.0% (700HV/500gf, clear indentation) |
| Minimum Measurement Unit | 0.01μm |
Standard configuration：
| Category | Item | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Core Technical Parameters | Test Force Options | 4 Test Force Groups Optional:1) 0.3, 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 5 Kgf2) 0.3, 0.5, 1, 3, 5, 10 Kgf3) 1, 3, 5, 10, 20, 30 Kgf4) 1, 5, 10, 20, 30, 50 Kgf |
| Test Force Unit Conversion | Test Force Unit Conversion: Kgf ↔ N | |
| Optical System | Optical system designed by senior optical engineers: clear imaging, usable as a simple microscope, adjustable brightness, eye-friendly for long-time operation | |
| Display | 7-inch LCD touch screen: displays hardness value, converted hardness, test method, test force, dwell time, measurement count, and test process clearly | |
| Calibration | Built-in calibration function: manual adjustment/input for instrument error correction | |
| Measurement Range | Configurable upper/lower measurement limits, displayed on the main measurement interface | |
| Loading Mode | Loading Mode: Fully automatic | |
| Turret Control | Turret Control: Fully automatic lens-indenter switching | |
| Center Alignment | Objective lens & indenter center alignment accuracy < 1μm | |
| Housing | Die-cast aluminum one-piece housing: stable structure, high-grade white automotive paint, scratch-resistant | |
| Hardness Conversion | Real-time hardness conversion to Rockwell, Vickers, Brinell scales | |
| Standard Accessories | Micro Vickers Indenter | Micro Vickers Indenter: 1 pc |
| 10X Objective Lens | 10× Objective Lens: 1 pc | |
| 20X Objective Lens | 20× Objective Lens: 1 pc | |
| Weights | Weights: 1 set | |
| Vickers Hardness Blocks | Vickers Hardness Blocks: 2 pcs | |
| 10X Digital Measuring Eyepiece | 10× Digital Measuring Eyepiece: 1 pc | |
| Electric Stage Controller | Electric Stage Controller: 1 pc | |
| Electric Cross Stage | Electric Cross Stage: 1 pc | |
| Spirit Level | Spirit Level: 1 pc | |
| Leveling Screws | Leveling Screws: 4 pcs | |
| Screwdrivers | Screwdrivers: 2 pcs | |
| External Power Cord | External Power Cord: 1 pc | |
| Dust Cover | Dust Cover: 1 pc | |
| Installation & Operation Manual | Installation & Operation Manual: 1 copy | |
| Optical Matching Mirror | Optical Matching Mirror: 1 pc | |
| USB Dongle | USB Dongle: 1 pc | |
| Camera | Camera: 1 pc | |
| Software CD | Software CD: 1 pc | |
| Dedicated Control Cable | Dedicated Control Cable: 1 pc | |
| RS232 Communication Cable | RS232 Communication Cable: 1 pc | |
| Software Configuration | XY Sample Stage Control | Electric XY stage: software or manual control, simultaneous XY movement, fine positioning via keyboard arrow keys |
| XY Sensing | XY Sensing: Controls electric XY stage | |
| Loading Mode & Path Setting | Multiple loading modes (along line, along edge with angle, etc.); customizable loading point coordinates | |
| Auto Edge Scan | Auto-scans sample edge and finds inflection points (e.g., gear tooth top/root) | |
| Auto Loading & Measurement | Auto-loading, auto-measurement, and auto-plotting of hardening curve; one-click operation | |
| Hardness Conversion & Correction | Converts Vickers to HB/HR scales; corrects spherical/cylindrical sample measurements; validates measurement values | |
| Data Statistics | Auto-calculates average, variance, Cp, Cpk | |
| Data Storage | Saves measurement data & images in one file for later recall | |
| Test Report | Auto-generates WORD/EXCEL reports; customizable format; includes hardness values, stats, indentation images, hardening curves | |
| Knoop Hardness Measurement | Configurable for Knoop hardness measurement | |
| Indentation Fracture Toughness | Configurable for indentation fracture toughness measurement | |
| Other Functions | Full micro-image processing: image capture, calibration, measurement, annotation, album management, timed printing | |
| Computer | Computer: Lenovo commercial PC |
Technical parameters of the hardness tester:
| Parameter Name | Parameter Data |
|---|---|
| Hardness Scale (4 options) | 1) HV0.3, HV0.5, HV1, HV2, HV3, HV52) HV0.3, HV0.5, HV1, HV3, HV5, HV103) HV1, HV3, HV5, HV10, HV20, HV304) HV1, HV5, HV10, HV20, HV30, HV50 |
| Display | 7-inch LCD touch screen |
| Test Force Range (kgf) | 1) 0.3, 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 5 kgf2) 0.3, 0.5, 1, 3, 5, 10 kgf3) 1, 3, 5, 10, 20, 30 kgf4) 1, 5, 10, 20, 30, 50 kgf |
| Corresponding Hardness Scale (4 options) | Matches the selected test force group (see "Hardness Scale" above) |
| Loading Control | Automatic (loading / dwell / unloading) |
| Test Force Dwell Time (s) | 5 ~ 60 seconds |
| Test Force Selection | External test force rotary knob; test force automatically displayed on 7-inch LCD touch screen |
| Objective Lens Magnification | 10×, 20× |
| Optical Channel | Dual optical channels (eyepiece and CCD camera channel) |
| Optical System (dual channel, no switching needed) | 1) Automatic digital reticle2) Total magnification: 100× (observation), 200× (measurement)3) Measuring range: 400 μm4) Resolution: 0.125 μm |
| Hardness Measurement Range | (5-3000) HV |
| Data Output (Optional) | Built-in printer; test data can also be saved/analyzed via USB to a USB flash drive |
| Maximum Specimen Height (mm) | 165 mm |
| Maximum Specimen Width (mm) | 130 mm (distance from indenter centerline to machine wall) |
| Power Supply | AC220V/50Hz |
