Alemnis AG develops micro- and nanomechanical measurement instruments for in-situ nanoindentation and mechanical materials testing.
Alemnis AG
Gwatt (Thun), SwitzerlandNew on Amplifa
About Alemnis
Alemnis AG is a Swiss company based in the Gwatt Business Park in Thun (Canton of Bern), specializing in scientific instruments for micro- and nanomechanics. Its core product is the Alemnis Standard Assembly (ASA), a modular nanoindenter platform for in-situ measurements inside a scanning electron microscope (in-SEM) as well as ex-situ in air, including synchrotron and micro-CT configurations. The technology is based on experience gained from joint projects between EPFL and Empa in Thun; a publication by the inventors received the American Vacuum Society's Bunshah Award in 2004. In addition to instrument sales, Alemnis offers contract testing services (material and component testing) and sample preparation such as surface polishing, FIB milling and femtosecond laser processing in its own Applications Laboratory. Customers are universities and research centres worldwide as well as industries such as semiconductors, biomechanics, additive manufacturing, MEMS, coatings, battery, pharmaceuticals and aerospace. In addition, Alemnis supplies consumables such as calibrated indenters, heaters and sample stubs.
- Site
- Gwatt (Thun)
- Processes
- Nanoindentation (in-situ in-SEM and in-air), Micropillar compression, Micro tensile testing, Beam bending (micro bend testing), Fatigue and shock testing, Scratch testing / nanotribology, Ultra-high strain rate testing (up to 10,000 s⁻¹), High-temperature nanoindentation
- Materials
- Nickel (nanocrystalline nickel), Yttria partially stabilized zirconia (YPSZ), Porcelain (dental), Cyclo-olefin polymer (COP), Copolyamide (CoPA), Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), Polyamide 66 (PA66), Tungsten (single crystal)
- Certificates
- ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001
- Industries
- Materials science/Academic research, Semiconductors, Biomechanics, Additive manufacturing, MEMS, Electrical testing
- 01
Instrument development (engineering of scientific measurement instruments)
- 02
Manufacturing/assembly of the ASA nanoindenter platform including modules
- 03
Sales of instruments and consumables
- 04
Sample preparation (polishing, FIB milling, femtosecond laser)
- 05
Contract testing in the Applications Laboratory
- 06
Technical support
Testing Methods and Materials
Alemnis Standard Assembly (nanoindenter platform)
Modular platform for in-situ in-SEM and ex-situ nanoindentation, micropillar compression and micro tensile testing with intrinsic displacement control.
High-temperature module (up to 800 °C)
Enables high-temperature nanoindentation, e.g. on semiconductors, P91 steel and nickel-based alloys.
Low-temperature module (-150 °C)
For testing hygroscopic materials and biomaterials at low temperatures.
Piezo sensor/actuator (±175 V)
Piezoelectric transducer for the highest measurement and actuation rates.
Ultra-high strain rate module (>1,000 s⁻¹)
Tri-axial sensing and actuation for dynamic testing and nanotribology.
Very-high strain rate module (up to 1,000 s⁻¹)
Impact and fatigue testing with normal load range of 1 N.
Vacuum Transfer Module
Protected sample transfer for air-sensitive materials such as lithium metal, battery materials and pharmaceutical powders.
Metallic materials
Tested materials include, among others, nickel-based alloys, titanium alloys, steels (e.g. P91) and tungsten single crystals.
Ceramics and dental materials
Fracture toughness determination on YPSZ and dental porcelain using micropillar splitting.
Polymers and fibres
Micro tensile and compression testing on COP, CoPA, PET and PA66 as well as microfibres.
Semiconductors (Si, Ge, GaAs)
In-situ testing with real-time contact observation in the SEM.
Locations
Gwatt (Thun)
CHHeadquarters in the Gwatt Business Park with an Applications Laboratory for contract testing
- Materials
- Metals, ceramics, polymers, composites, coatings, powders, fibres
- Alemnis Standard Assembly (ASA)
- HTM-800 high-temperature module
- LTM-CRYO low-temperature module
- SmarTip piezo transducer
- UHS-3-3 and VHS-1-1 strain rate modules
- Vacuum Transfer Module (VTM)
- TESCAN Lyra FIB system
- Zeiss DSM962 SEM
- Keyence VH-Z100R optical microscope
Test Objects and Applications
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nanoindentation (in-situ in-SEM and in-air)Testing | – | – | – | – | Metals, Ceramics, Polymers, Composites, Coatings |
| Micropillar compressionTesting | – | – | – | – | Metals, Ceramics, Polymers, Foot materials, Composites |
| Micro tensile testingTesting | – | – | 100 µN – 4 N | – | Metals, Ceramics, Polymers, Composites |
| Beam bending (micro bend testing)Testing | – | – | – | – | Single-crystal tungsten, Titanium, GaAs |
| Fatigue and shock testingTesting | – | – | – | – | Ceramics, Polymers, MEMS |
| Scratch testing / nanotribologyTesting | – | – | – | – | Coatings, Metals |
| Ultra-high strain rate testing (up to 10,000 s⁻¹)Testing | – | – | – | – | Ceramics, Polymers, Fused silica |
| High-temperature nanoindentationTesting | – | – | – | – | Semiconductors (Si, Ge), P91 steel, Bulk metallic glasses, Ni-Nb alloys |
| Low-temperature testing (LTM-CRYO)Testing | – | – | – | – | Hygroscopic materials, Biomaterials |
| Testing of air-sensitive materials (Vacuum Transfer Module VTM)Testing | – | – | – | – | Lithium-ion battery materials, Lithium metal, Reactive metals, Pharmaceutical powders, Nuclear materials |
| Fracture toughness testing (micropillar splitting)Testing | – | – | – | – | YPSZ, Porcelain, Dental ceramics |
| Creep and stress relaxation testsTesting | – | – | – | – | Polymers, Metals |
| In-situ testing combined with EBSD / HR-EBSDTesting | – | – | – | – | Tungsten, GaAs, Titanium |
| AFM-combined testingTesting | – | – | – | – | – |
| Contract testing services (material & component testing) including sample preparation (FIB milling)Testing | – | – | – | – | Metals, Ceramics, Polymers, Composites, Coating layers, Powders, Fibres |
| Instrument development for micro-/nanomechanics (design of scientific measurement instruments)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
10 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nanoindenter platform | Alemnis Alemnis Standard Assembly (ASA) | – | In-situ in-SEM and in-air; usable in synchrotron/micro-CT configurations | – | Gwatt (Thun), Switzerland |
| High-temperature module | Alemnis HTM-800 | – | up to 800 °C | – | – |
| Low-temperature module | Alemnis LTM-CRYO | – | -150 °C | – | – |
| Piezo sensor/transducer | Alemnis SmarTip | – | +/- 175 V | – | – |
| Ultra-high strain rate module | Alemnis UHS-3-3 | – | tri-axial sensing and actuation, >1,000 s⁻¹ | – | – |
| Very-high strain rate module | Alemnis VHS-1-1 | – | up to 1,000 s⁻¹, normal load range 1 N | – | – |
| Vacuum Transfer Module | Alemnis VTM | – | – | – | – |
| FIB system (gallium focused ion beam) | TESCAN Lyra | – | – | – | – |
| Scanning electron microscope (SEM) | Zeiss DSM962 | – | – | – | – |
| Optical microscope | Keyence VH-Z100R | – | – | – | – |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality and Certification
Alemnis is certified to ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001. These certifications confirm the documented standards for product quality, environmental protection and occupational safety.
| Evidence | Gwatt (Thun) |
|---|---|
| ISO 9001 | |
| ISO 14001 | |
| ISO 45001 |
History
- 2004
Publication by the inventors awarded the American Vacuum Society's Bunshah Award; technology derived from joint projects between EPFL and Empa
- 2019
Website/imprint online; company address Schorenstrasse 39, Gwatt (Thun)