About Hot Disk® AB

The Hot Disk AB company was formed in 1995, based on three decades of acknowledged research by Dr. Silas Gustafsson and his research group at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden. Hot Disk AB develops, designs, manufactures, sells, installs and services highly flexible yet fully integrated instruments with aligned sensors for measuring thermal transport properties - thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity and specific heat capacity. Our continuously upgraded standard instrument, the TPS 2500 S, accurately measures a vast range of materials, including solids, liquids, pastes, powders and composite materials. It successfully tackles highly synthetic products such as polymers, coatings, plastics, oils, substrates, nano materials and liquids, gels, phase change- or thermal interface materials, while also effective regarding anisotropic (e.g. fiber-reinforced or otherwise layered) materials. Beyond these, the TPS 2500 S readily measures other refinements: high-temperature superconductors, metal alloys, ceramics, rubbers, adhesives, textiles, glass structures, carbons, and graphites. Furthermore, naturally occurring materials are easily tested: woods, grains, fluids, biological tissues, soils, rocks, metals and other minerals. Many common industrial products would of course fall into several of the above categories, involving successive refinements and/or composites of basic materials or constructs: papers, foams, films, insulation layers, protective membranes and encasement shields. All of the above are swiftly and accurately measured by our TPS 2500 S instrument, which makes it unique in the thermal transport measurement field. While alternate solutions still remain on the market, these inevitably require several different, complementary and costly instruments to cover the range the TPS 2500 S system speedily and reliably covers alone.

By the end of 2007, over two hundred twenty (220) standard Hot Disk Thermal Constants Analyser systems had been delivered to users all over the world, representing twenty-two countries on four continents. 2007 also, and notably, involved the successful launch of our cost-effective TPS 1500 instrumentation, more of which is described in our "Products" link. We are now in early 2008 on the brink of commercially introducing a new and highly specialized TPS 4500 system. The TPS 4500 will accurately measure thin, electrically insulating surface layers with thicknesses down to 1 micrometer. Applications are essentially geared toward materials employed in microelectronics. These thin-deposited materials may be of homogenous disposition involving a particular material, or indeed constitute highly anisotropic (layered) nano-structures. Furthermore, a special application of the new pulse technique employed in our TPS 4500 will facilitate the measurement of liquids down to a sample amount of a single (1) drop. 2008, in sum, looks to continue a very positive trend for Hot Disk, fuelled by our recent and imminent launches of new instrumentation to an ever-broadening customer base.

Hot Disk development work is carried out at Chalmers University of Technology, now in effect into its fifth decade and focusing solely on thermal transport properties. Our products are manufactured in Sweden and tested at Chalmers, and here is also where we attend to our after-sales services when not visiting customers personally. It should be noted that we always offer attentive system installations on site with our customers, helping them set up and run operations according to their specific needs and wishes. This service is included in each system price. We are also keen to offer continued service and guidance during the full lifetime of our systems. Building trust with our customers is a cornerstone of our philosophy. Internationally, we have affiliates in in the USA and a separate sales organization in Shanghai, China. Distributors are furthermore present in Japan, Taiwan, Korea, Great Britain, Germany, Austria, France, Benelux, Poland, Slovenia, Switzerland and the Czech Republic. These local distributors are responsible for sales work, sample testing, installation and training in their respective regions. In other markets, the Hot Disk Head Office in Gothenburg and Sales Office in Uppsala, Sweden, distribute directly to end-users and also handle the abovementioned tasks. (Facilities for application work and sample testing for customers are at hand.)

Since Hot Disk's inception, several new modules and variations of the basic Hot Disk system have been developed. Diligent and meticulous R&D work is ingrained in our company ethos, and reflects our goal to offer as wide a range of applications as possible with state-of-the-art, robust quality instruments and sensor portfolios. While designing our products to meet the needs and wishes of demanding customers - commercial, educational and institutional alike - we see an equally important goal in ease and reliability of operation. To this should be added our constant willingness to cater also to users with highly specialized measurement needs. Our research team is noted for its skill in modifying and customizing our extant product range for such scenarios. Over the past year Hot Disk development work has accelerated, culminating in the launch of three new measurement systems (see our News link for details), and we look forward to presenting several more achievements in the near future.