Glossary

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Acronyms and abbreviations (118)

AC

Alternating current electronics

Electric current whose direction reverses periodically, as in mains power outlets. Its voltage is usually quoted as an RMS value (for example 230 V AC). Instruments and chargers are specified for AC supply, and AC measurements (such as noise or impedance at a given frequency) are separate from steady DC readings.

Used on this site: Key specs, Floor Plan

AFM

Atomic force microscope / microscopy instrumentation

A scanning-probe technique in which a very sharp tip on a flexible cantilever is scanned across a surface. The tiny deflection of the cantilever is sensed (usually with a laser or an interferometer) and converted into a three-dimensional height map with nanometre-scale detail. It also measures mechanical and electrical properties such as stiffness, adhesion and conductivity.

Used on this site: Catalogue, Key specs, Reference

ANSI

American National Standards Institute electronics

A US organisation that coordinates voluntary technical standards. In electronics manufacturing the reference on this site is ANSI/ESD S20.20, the standard for setting up an ESD control programme, which surface resistance meters, mats and benches are checked against.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

AOI

Automated optical inspection electronics

A machine that photographs each assembled circuit board with cameras and controlled lighting and compares it against a reference image or rules. It flags missing, shifted, rotated or tombstoned components, bridged solder and wrong parts. It sits after the reflow oven on an SMT line to catch defects before functional test.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

ASTM

American Society for Testing and Materials (now ASTM International) electronics

A standards body that publishes test methods and material specifications. Environmental-chamber vendors say their chambers can be used to meet ISO, ASTM, IEC and MIL-STD test methods.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

A-TEEM

Absorbance-Transmittance and fluorescence Excitation-Emission Matrix instrumentation

A HORIBA measurement mode that records absorbance and a full fluorescence excitation-emission matrix (EEM) at the same time on the same sample. Combining the two corrects for the sample absorbing its own signal and yields a molecular fingerprint of dyes, proteins or organic matter in a single scan.

Used on this site: Key specs

AWG

American wire gauge electronics

A standard system for sizing round electrical wire in which a larger gauge number means a thinner conductor (for example 32 AWG is much thinner than 10 AWG). Wire cutting and stripping machines are specified by the AWG range or cross-section they can handle.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

AXI

Automated X-ray inspection electronics

Inspection of a circuit board using X-rays so that solder joints hidden under components, such as those beneath BGA packages, can be seen. Software measures voids, bridges and missing balls automatically and passes or fails the board. It complements AOI, which can only see what is visible from above.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

BGA

Ball grid array semiconductor

An integrated-circuit package whose connections are a grid of small solder balls on its underside instead of leads around the edge. It gives many connections in a small area but the joints are hidden under the package, so they are checked by X-ray inspection rather than by cameras.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

BMS

Battery management system electronics

The electronic board in a battery pack that monitors cell voltage, current and temperature, balances the cells, controls contactors and protects the pack from over-charge, over-discharge and overheating. End-of-line testers check that a BMS communicates and balances correctly before a pack ships.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

BSE

Backscattered electrons (and BSED, the backscattered-electron detector) instrumentation

Electrons from the SEM beam that bounce back out of the sample after being scattered by atomic nuclei. Heavier elements scatter more strongly, so a BSE image shows composition contrast, with heavy-element regions appearing brighter. A BSED is the detector that collects them; on the compact SEM listed here it is retractable.

Used on this site: Key specs

C4D

Capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection instrumentation

A detector for ions in a liquid in which two electrodes outside a capillary tube sense changes in conductivity without touching the solution. It is commonly paired with capillary electrophoresis and flow-injection analysis to measure inorganic and small organic ions.

Used on this site: Catalogue

CAN

Controller area network electronics

A robust two-wire serial communication bus originally developed for vehicles, on which electronic modules exchange short messages without a host computer. Battery management systems commonly report voltages, temperatures and faults over CAN, so end-of-line testers connect to the pack through it.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

CAT (II / III)

Measurement category (overvoltage category) II / III electronics

A rating from the IEC 61010 safety standard for where on a mains installation an instrument may be connected, with a working voltage such as CAT III 300 V. A higher category sits closer to the supply and must withstand larger transient surges.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

CC/CV/CR/CP

Constant current / constant voltage / constant resistance / constant power electronics

The four load or charge modes of a battery or power test system. The instrument holds current, voltage, resistance or power steady while it charges or discharges the device under test. Choosing the mode lets the same test rack reproduce charging profiles, load profiles and capacity tests.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

CCD

Charge-coupled device instrumentation

A silicon image sensor in which light creates charge in an array of pixels that is shifted out and read as a picture or spectrum. CCDs are used as detectors in spectrometers and as cameras in microscopes and inspection machines because they are sensitive and have low noise.

Used on this site: Catalogue, Key specs, Floor Plan

CCS2

Combined Charging System, Type 2 electronics

The European EV charging connector standard that combines the Type 2 AC connector with two extra DC pins for fast charging. EV charger testers on this site list support for DC charging via CCS2 as well as the CHAdeMO standard.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

CE

Conformité Européenne (CE marking) electronics

The marking by which a manufacturer declares that a product meets applicable European Union safety, health and environmental requirements. It is a declaration by the maker, not a quality grade. In the key specs it appears in a list of a machine’s features and certifications.

Used on this site: Key specs

CIE

Commission Internationale de l’Éclairage (International Commission on Illumination) physics

The international body that publishes standards for light and colour measurement, including colour-matching functions and chromaticity coordinates. Photometric LED testers are quoted as complying with CIE publications such as CIE 84 and CIE 177.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

CPH

Components per hour electronics

The rated placement speed of a pick-and-place mounter, counted as chips or components placed each hour. Makers usually quote an optimum figure under ideal conditions, so real throughput is lower once board changes, feeder changes and vision checks are included.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

Cpk

Process capability index electronics

A statistic that compares how tightly a process is centred and spread against its tolerance limits. A Cpk of 1.33 or 2 means the spread fits well inside the limits. Mounter and printer makers quote alignment accuracy as a Cpk at a stated limit (for example 2 Cpk at +/-12.5 um) to show repeatability, not just average accuracy.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

CSP

Chip-scale package semiconductor

An integrated-circuit package that is only slightly larger than the silicon die itself, typically connected with small solder balls. It saves board space in phones and modules and is placed by fine-pitch pick-and-place machines. Like BGA, its joints are hidden underneath.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

CT / VT / PT

Current transformer / voltage transformer / potential transformer electronics

Instrument transformers that scale a large current (CT) or high voltage (VT, also called PT) down to a safe measurable value for meters and protection relays. Turns-ratio testers quote the VT/PT and CT ratio ranges they can verify.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

CVD

Chemical vapor deposition semiconductor

A process in which gases react or decompose on a heated surface to leave a thin solid film, such as silicon, silicon nitride or graphene. It is a core step in chip-making. On this site it is named as one of the processes a laboratory tube furnace can support.

Used on this site: Catalogue

CW

Continuous wave physics

A mode of laser operation in which the beam is emitted steadily rather than in pulses. CW lasers are used where stable power matters, such as Raman excitation, spectroscopy and alignment, in contrast with pulsed lasers that deliver high peak energy in short bursts.

Used on this site: Catalogue

DC

Direct current electronics

Electric current that flows in one direction at a steady value, as from batteries and power supplies. Circuit boards, chargers and battery packs work on DC, and tests such as DC bias, DC output voltage or DC noise are distinct from AC measurements.

Used on this site: Key specs, Floor Plan

DPM

Direct part marking electronics

Permanently marking a code (such as a 2D data matrix) directly on a component by laser, dot-peen or etching instead of using a label. Verifiers grade how readable the mark is so that scanners can reliably read it later for traceability.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

DPSS

Diode-pumped solid-state (laser) physics

A laser in which a solid crystal, such as Nd:YAG, is excited by light from semiconductor laser diodes rather than a flash lamp. DPSS lasers are compact, efficient and stable and are widely used for Raman and fluorescence excitation, microscopy and materials processing.

Used on this site: Catalogue

DUT

Device under test electronics

The item currently connected to a tester or placed in a test chamber. In the shielded test chamber listed here, the maximum DUT size sets what can physically be measured, for example radio modules or small products.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

DUV

Deep ultraviolet semiconductor

Ultraviolet light with wavelengths below about 300 nm, in chip-making typically 248 nm and 193 nm. DUV lithography machines use it to print circuit patterns on silicon wafers and remain the workhorse of volume chip production, with EUV added for the finest layers.

Used on this site: High value

EBSD

Electron backscatter diffraction instrumentation

An SEM add-on that records diffraction patterns of electrons backscattered from a tilted crystalline sample. The patterns reveal crystal orientation, grain size and phase, which is useful for metals, ceramics, semiconductors and failure analysis.

Used on this site: Key specs

EDS

Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy instrumentation

An analysis add-on for the SEM. The electron beam makes the sample emit X-rays whose energies are characteristic of each element, so a detector can identify and map which elements are present. It is used to analyse contamination, particles and solder joints.

Used on this site: Key specs

EEM

Excitation-emission matrix instrumentation

A fluorescence data set in which the emission spectrum is recorded at each of many excitation wavelengths, giving a two-dimensional map. The pattern of peaks acts as a fingerprint for dissolved organic matter, dyes and proteins.

Used on this site: Key specs

EIS

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy instrumentation

A technique in which a small AC voltage of varying frequency is applied to an electrochemical cell and the current response is measured. The frequency dependence separates processes such as charge transfer and diffusion, so it is used for batteries, fuel cells, corrosion and sensors.

Used on this site: Catalogue, Key specs, Floor Plan, Reference

EM

Electron microscopy instrumentation

Imaging with electrons (SEM and TEM) instead of light. “EM grids” are the small metal mesh discs that hold ultra-thin specimens in a TEM, and the Catalogue lists ultrasonic cleaners for them.

Used on this site: Catalogue

EMC

Electromagnetic compatibility electronics

The ability of electronic equipment to work without causing or suffering unacceptable electromagnetic interference. EMC testing checks emissions and immunity against standards, and is a requirement before many electronic products can be sold.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

EMS

Electronics manufacturing services electronics

Companies that build electronic products and assemblies for other brands, usually including SMT assembly, wiring, test and box build. On this site the Floor Plan discusses the Philippine share of the global EMS market and EMS peers. In the Catalogue, an “EMS -” prefix before an ultrasonic cleaner or SEM product is a supplier label (probably Electron Microscopy Sciences; the site does not expand it), not this term.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

EN

European Standard (European Norm) electronics

A standard adopted by the European standards bodies CEN and CENELEC. Examples here are EN 13751 (detecting irradiated food by PSL) and IEC/EN 61851-1 (EV charging).

Used on this site: Catalogue, Floor Plan

EOL

End-of-line (test) electronics

The final test at the end of a production line before a product ships. For battery packs, an EOL tester typically checks BMS communication, cell balancing, contactors, insulation and a charge-discharge run.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

ESD

Electrostatic discharge electronics

A sudden flow of static electricity between two charged objects, which can damage or weaken sensitive electronic components even when it is too small to feel. Factories control it with grounded benches, wrist straps, ionizers, conductive packaging and tested surface resistance.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

ESR

Electron spin resonance physics

A technique, also called electron paramagnetic resonance, in which a sample in a magnetic field absorbs microwaves when unpaired electrons change spin state. It detects free radicals, for example those created by radiation, and is used in dosimetry and in checking whether foods were irradiated.

Used on this site: Catalogue

EUT

Equipment under test electronics

The product or system connected to a tester during a test; the term is used interchangeably with DUT. In the LED tester listings it is used to specify how much load the unit can carry.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

EUV

Extreme ultraviolet semiconductor

Light of around 13.5 nm wavelength used in the most advanced chip lithography. Because such light is absorbed by air and glass, the machines use vacuum and mirrors. EUV lets chipmakers print the finest transistor patterns in fewer steps.

Used on this site: High value

EV

Electric vehicle electronics

A vehicle driven by an electric motor powered from a battery pack. EVs drive demand for battery management boards, wire harnesses, chargers and test equipment, which are the product areas discussed on the Floor Plan.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

EVSE

Electric vehicle supply equipment electronics

The charging station or wall box that safely delivers power to an electric vehicle. EVSE testers simulate a vehicle to confirm that a charger signals correctly and responds safely to faults.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

FE-SEM

Field-emission scanning electron microscope instrumentation

An SEM whose electron source is a sharp field-emission tip instead of a heated filament, giving a smaller, brighter beam and higher resolution, especially at low accelerating voltage. The Floor Plan notes an FE-SEM added in 2026 to a Philippine DOST materials-analysis laboratory.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

FIFO / LIFO

First in, first out / last in, first out electronics

Two ways a buffer releases items: FIFO sends out the oldest board first, LIFO the most recently stored. A board-handling buffer between SMT machines can be built in either order.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

FMR

Ferromagnetic resonance physics

A technique in which a magnetic material in a field absorbs microwaves at a frequency set by its magnetisation and anisotropy. Measuring the resonance gives the damping and dynamic properties that matter for spintronic and magnetic devices.

Used on this site: Catalogue

FOV

Field of view instrumentation

The area that a camera, microscope or inspection system sees in one image. A larger FOV covers more of a board or sample at once, but usually at lower resolution.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

FS

Full scale instrumentation

The maximum value of an instrument’s measuring range. An accuracy quoted as a percentage of FS (for example ±0.5% FS) is a fixed error of that fraction of the top of the range, so it is a larger share of small readings.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

GB

Guobiao (Chinese national standard) electronics

The prefix of China’s national standards. A battery or LED test system listing cites GB 24825-2009, the Chinese performance standard for LED modules for general lighting.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

GPU

Graphics processing unit semiconductor

A chip with thousands of small processing cores designed for massively parallel calculation. Originally for graphics, GPUs are now the main hardware for AI training and are often counted when data-centre capacity is described.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

HEPA

High-efficiency particulate air (filter) semiconductor

A filter that removes at least 99.97 percent of airborne particles of 0.3 micrometres in its standard definition. HEPA filtering is what keeps cleanrooms, where dust ruins semiconductor and micro-fabrication work, clean.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

HV

High voltage physics

A voltage high enough to need special insulation and safety practice. In the electrospinning machines listed it is the high-voltage supply that draws polymer solution into fibres, and in the Floor Plan it is the high-voltage cable tester used for charger and battery cabling.

Used on this site: Key specs, Floor Plan

IATF

International Automotive Task Force electronics

The group behind IATF 16949, the quality management standard for automotive suppliers. A manufacturer certified to it is audited against rules for defect prevention and traceability, and is needed to supply wiring and electronics to car makers.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

IC

Integrated circuit semiconductor

An electronic circuit with many transistors and other parts formed on one piece of semiconductor, commonly called a chip. Power ICs, sensors, and analogue and digital ICs are the products of the semiconductor industry discussed on this site.

Used on this site: Floor Plan, High value

ICT

Information and communications technology electronics

The broad field of computing, networking and telecommunications equipment and services. On the Floor Plan it describes a Philippine government R&D agency for ICT and microelectronics. It should not be confused with in-circuit test, which is a separate board-testing method.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

IEC

International Electrotechnical Commission electronics

The international body that publishes standards for electrical and electronic technologies. IEC standards cited here include IEC 60601-1 (medical electrical safety), IEC 61851 (EV charging) and IEC 61340-5-1 (static control).

Used on this site: Floor Plan

IES

Illuminating Engineering Society physics

The North American lighting-science society that publishes the LM-79 and LM-80 methods for testing LED lighting.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

IoT

Internet of Things electronics

Everyday devices, sensors and modules that are connected to a network to report data or be controlled. IoT products are built from small SMT-assembled boards with radios, which is why the Floor Plan links IoT modules to the SMT line.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

IP (ingress protection)

Ingress Protection rating (IP52, IP54, IP65, IP67, IP68) electronics

A two-digit code from IEC 60529 that states how well an enclosure resists solids and water. The first digit rates dust protection and the second rates water; IP67 means dust-tight and able to survive temporary immersion. Leak testers check that sealed housings such as battery packs meet the rating.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

IR

Infrared physics

Light with wavelengths longer than visible red, felt as radiant heat. In a reflow oven, infrared heaters (often combined with circulating hot air) bring the board and solder paste up to the soldering temperature. In battery grading, “OCV and IR sorter” uses IR for internal resistance instead.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

ISO

International Organization for Standardization electronics

The international body that publishes standards across many industries. Examples on this site are ISO 14644 (cleanroom classes such as ISO 7 and ISO 8), ISO 13485 (quality systems for medical devices) and ISO 9001 (general quality management).

Used on this site: Floor Plan

JIS

Japanese Industrial Standards electronics

The national standards of Japan. JIS T 0601-1 is the Japanese edition of the medical electrical safety standard IEC 60601-1, which a listed medical safety tester complies with.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

LCR

Inductance (L), capacitance (C) and resistance (R) – as in LCR meter electronics

An instrument that measures a component’s inductance, capacitance and resistance at chosen test frequencies, often also reporting quality factor (Q). Makers of coils and transformers test every wound part with one.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

LED

Light-emitting diode electronics

A semiconductor device that emits light when current flows through it. LED modules are made on SMT lines, and their brightness, colour and efficacy are measured with photometric testers; the catalogue also lists LED lamps used as selectable-wavelength light sources.

Used on this site: Catalogue, Key specs, Floor Plan

LM-79

IES LM-79 (electrical and photometric measurement of solid-state lighting) physics

A method published by the Illuminating Engineering Society for measuring the total light output, power, efficacy and colour of LED luminaires and lamps, usually in an integrating sphere. LED photometric testers advertise compliance with it.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

LM-80

IES LM-80 (measuring luminous flux and colour maintenance of LED packages, arrays and modules) physics

A method that specifies how to measure the gradual drop in light output of LED packages over thousands of hours at set temperatures. Its data is used to predict LED lifetime.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

LoRaWAN

Long Range Wide Area Network electronics

A low-power wireless protocol designed to send small data packets over several kilometres, used for sensors and meters. The High value page notes a Philippine company that designs LoRaWAN devices.

Used on this site: High value

LV

Low vacuum (mode) instrumentation

An SEM operating mode in which the specimen chamber holds a small amount of gas. The gas neutralises charge build-up so that non-conductive samples can be imaged without a conductive coating, at some cost in resolution.

Used on this site: Key specs

MCA

Multichannel analyzer physics

An electronic instrument that sorts detector pulses by their height into many channels and counts how many fall in each. The result is an energy spectrum, as used in gamma and alpha spectroscopy to identify radioactive isotopes.

Used on this site: Catalogue, Reference

MEMS

Micro-electromechanical systems semiconductor

Tiny mechanical structures such as sensors, microphones and resonators made with chip-making techniques on silicon, together with their electronics. The Floor Plan mentions MEMS vibration, pressure and temperature sensors in development at a Philippine microfabrication facility.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

MIL-STD

United States Military Standard electronics

US Department of Defense standards, such as MIL-STD-810 for environmental testing and MIL-STD-883 for microcircuit test. It is cited as one of the standards a temperature and humidity chamber can be used for.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

MOSFET

Metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor semiconductor

The most common type of transistor, in which a voltage on an insulated gate controls current between source and drain. It is the basic switch in digital chips and a widely used power switch.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

MP

Megapixel electronics

One million pixels, the resolution of a camera sensor. Inspection machines and microscope cameras list their cameras in MP (for example a 5 MP top camera on a desktop AOI, or a 5 MP fluorescence camera).

Used on this site: Key specs, Floor Plan

MPMS

Magnetic Property Measurement System physics

Quantum Design’s SQUID-based magnetometer platform that measures a sample’s magnetic moment as temperature and magnetic field are varied. It is the sibling of the PPMS.

Used on this site: Reference

MP-SPR

Multi-parametric surface plasmon resonance instrumentation

A form of SPR that scans the angle of incident light and so measures at many angles and wavelengths. This gives both the refractive-index change and the thickness of films on a metal surface, even for thick layers or in turbid liquids.

Used on this site: Catalogue, Reference

NA

Numerical aperture physics

A number that describes the range of angles over which a lens collects or emits light. Higher NA means finer resolution. In the specs it limits the focus spot of a Raman microscope, and in lithography high-NA EUV machines print smaller features.

Used on this site: Key specs, High value

NIR

Near-infrared physics

Light just beyond the red end of the visible spectrum, roughly 700 to 2500 nm. NIR lasers and detectors are used in spectroscopy because they cause little fluorescence in many samples.

Used on this site: Key specs

OCV

Open-circuit voltage electronics

The voltage of a battery cell when no load is connected. Cell graders measure it, together with internal resistance, to sort matched cells into the same module.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

OSAT

Outsourced semiconductor assembly and test semiconductor

A company that packages finished silicon dice and tests the chips on behalf of chip designers and makers. Steps include die attach, wire bond and moulding. The Floor Plan leaves OSAT out because it needs a lot of capital.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

OSL

Optically stimulated luminescence physics

A dosimetry method in which a crystal stores energy from radiation and later releases it as light when stimulated by a light source instead of heat. The amount of light is proportional to dose, and readers erase and reuse the dosimeters.

Used on this site: Catalogue, Reference

PCB

Printed circuit board electronics

A board of insulating material with copper tracks that connects and supports electronic components. A bare PCB becomes a working circuit after SMT assembly and soldering.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

PE

Protective earth electronics

The safety ground conductor that carries fault current away so that exposed metal does not become live. EV charger testers simulate PE faults, such as a lost earth connection, to check that the charger responds safely.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

PIV

Particle image velocimetry physics

A flow-measurement method in which tiny tracer particles in a fluid are lit by two timed laser flashes, and cameras track how far they move between flashes to compute velocity fields.

Used on this site: Catalogue, Reference

PLC

Programmable logic controller electronics

A rugged industrial computer that reads inputs and drives outputs to control machines. It is the controller inside many automated machines, such as the board magazine loader listed on the Floor Plan.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

PPMS

Physical Property Measurement System physics

A Quantum Design cryostat with a superconducting magnet that cools a sample to a few kelvin and measures electrical transport, heat capacity, thermal transport and magnetism under controlled temperature and field.

Used on this site: Catalogue, Reference

PSECE

Philippine Semiconductor and Electronics Convention and Exhibition semiconductor

The annual trade show of the Philippine semiconductor and electronics industry organised by SEIPI. The catalogue and High value pages refer to the 2026 edition.

Used on this site: Catalogue, Floor Plan, High value

PSL

Photostimulated luminescence physics

A technique that detects whether a material has been irradiated by shining light on it and measuring the luminescence it releases. The catalogue cites it under standard EN 13751 for food irradiation checks (EN 13751, “Foodstuffs - detection of irradiated food using photostimulated luminescence”).

Used on this site: Catalogue

PVD

Physical vapor deposition semiconductor

A family of vacuum coating methods in which material is vaporised from a solid source, for example by sputtering or evaporation, and condenses as a thin film on a substrate. It is used for metals in chips, optical coatings and protective layers.

Used on this site: Catalogue

QFP

Quad flat package semiconductor

An integrated-circuit package with leads on all four sides that stick out flat from the edge. Mounters list QFP placement accuracy because the many fine leads must align with their pads.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

QPDI

Quadrature phase differential interferometry instrumentation

A way of measuring the cantilever motion in an AFM by laser interferometry instead of an optical lever. Because the reading is referenced directly to the laser wavelength, it gives very low detection noise (the Key specs page quotes below 10 fm/√Hz for the Vero AFM).

Used on this site: Key specs

RF

Radio frequency electronics

Electromagnetic signals in the range used for radio and wireless communication, from kilohertz up to many gigahertz. RF boards and modules are tested with RF fixtures; telecom and radar exports are RF-intensive.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

RH

Relative humidity physics

The amount of water vapour in air as a percentage of the most it can hold at that temperature. Humidity and burn-in chambers are rated by their temperature and RH range, for example 10 to 98% RH or 85 °C / 85% RH stress tests.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

RIIDs

Radioisotope identification devices physics

Handheld instruments that read the gamma spectrum of a source and identify the isotope automatically. They are used by security and emergency teams.

Used on this site: Catalogue

RMS

Root mean square physics

A way of expressing the effective size of a varying signal or noise as the square root of the mean of its squares. The spec for a spectrofluorometer quotes signal-to-noise ratio as an RMS value.

Used on this site: Key specs

RS232

RS-232 serial communication electronics

An old but still common serial interface standard for connecting instruments to computers and controllers. Bench instruments often provide it alongside USB for control and data output.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

SE

Secondary electrons instrumentation

Low-energy electrons knocked out of the surface of a sample by the SEM beam. They are collected by a detector to form the standard topographic SEM image, showing surface detail and texture. Not to be confused with “SE Asia” (South-East Asia) on the Floor Plan.

Used on this site: Key specs

SEIPI

Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines Foundation semiconductor

The industry association of Philippine semiconductor and electronics companies. It publishes export reports and runs the PSECE trade show, and the site uses its figures as the main source of demand data.

Used on this site: Catalogue, Floor Plan, High value, Reference

SEM

Scanning electron microscope / microscopy instrumentation

A microscope that scans a focused beam of electrons over a sample and builds an image from the electrons or X-rays that come back. It reaches far higher magnification than a light microscope and is used to inspect fine structure, defects, particles and fracture surfaces.

Used on this site: Catalogue, Key specs, Floor Plan, High value, Reference

SMT

Surface-mount technology electronics

The method of building electronics by placing components directly on the surface of a PCB and soldering them there rather than through holes. An SMT line prints solder paste, places parts, reflows the solder and inspects the result.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

SNR

Signal-to-noise ratio physics

The ratio of the strength of a measured signal to the random noise in it. A higher SNR gives cleaner data and a better detection limit. The Duetta spectrometer spec quotes a water Raman SNR.

Used on this site: Key specs

SPF

Sun protection factor physics

A rating of how much a sunscreen delays UV-caused skin reddening compared with unprotected skin. It is measured under a solar simulator or with a UV transmittance analyzer, both listed in the Catalogue.

Used on this site: Catalogue

SPI

Solder paste inspection electronics

A machine that measures the volume, height, area and position of solder paste deposits on a PCB after printing and before components are placed. Catching paste defects there is cheaper than finding solder faults after reflow. It is unrelated to “SPI Semicon Asia, Inc.”, a company name in the Catalogue and Floor Plan.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

SPR

Surface plasmon resonance instrumentation

An optical effect at a thin metal film in which light couples to electron oscillations at a particular angle. That angle changes when molecules bind to the surface, so SPR follows binding and film growth in real time without labels.

Used on this site: Catalogue, Reference

SQUID

Superconducting quantum interference device physics

An extremely sensitive magnetic-field sensor based on superconducting loops with Josephson junctions. SQUID magnetometers measure tiny magnetic moments in magnetic materials, superconductors and nanoparticles.

Used on this site: Catalogue, Reference

TCSPC

Time-correlated single-photon counting instrumentation

A technique that times individual photons after each short light pulse and builds a histogram of arrival times. The histogram gives the fluorescence lifetime, which reflects the molecule’s environment and interactions.

Used on this site: Catalogue, Reference

TEM

Transmission electron microscope / microscopy instrumentation

A microscope in which electrons pass through an extremely thin specimen to form an image, with resolution down to atomic scale. Thin sections for it are cut with diamond knives, and the catalogue lists these supplies.

Used on this site: Catalogue

TERS

Tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy instrumentation

A technique combining Raman spectroscopy with a sharp metallic AFM tip that strongly enhances the Raman signal beneath its apex. It gives chemical information at nanometre spatial resolution.

Used on this site: Catalogue, Key specs

THz

Terahertz physics

Electromagnetic waves between microwaves and infrared, around 0.1 to 10 THz (a terahertz is one trillion cycles per second). Terahertz systems image through packaging and measure coatings without contact.

Used on this site: Catalogue

TLD

Thermoluminescent dosimetry / dosimeter physics

A radiation measurement method in which a crystal stores energy from radiation and releases it as light when heated. The light is proportional to the dose received. TLD badges and cards are worn by staff, and a reader heats them to read out dose.

Used on this site: Catalogue, Reference

TTR

Transformer turns ratio (tester) electronics

The ratio of primary to secondary turns of a transformer, and the name of the handheld instrument that measures it. The listings quote ratio ranges such as 10,000:1 and accuracy of ±0.2%.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

UDI

Unique Device Identification electronics

A regulatory system that requires medical devices to carry a unique code (barcode) for traceability. Label verifiers grade whether the printed UDI barcode scans reliably.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

USB

Universal Serial Bus electronics

A standard wired interface for connecting peripherals and instruments to a computer, carrying data and limited power. Bench testers and meters on the Floor Plan list USB alongside RS232 for control, firmware updates and data export.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

UV

Ultraviolet physics

Light with wavelengths shorter than visible violet, below about 400 nm. UV sensors, transmittance analyzers and UV chambers are used for sunscreen, material ageing and exposure testing.

Used on this site: Catalogue, Key specs, Floor Plan

VAC / VDC

Volts alternating current / volts direct current electronics

Units of mains or supply voltage qualified by the type of current. For example 120/230 VAC is the AC mains range an ionizer accepts, and 24 VDC is a DC supply.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

VFD

Vacuum fluorescent display electronics

A bright, self-lit display in which phosphor segments glow when struck by electrons inside a vacuum tube. It appears here as the “4-line VFD” of a cable tester; it is not a variable-frequency drive.

Used on this site: Floor Plan

YAG

Yttrium aluminium garnet (as in Nd:YAG laser) physics

A synthetic crystal that, when doped with neodymium (Nd), makes a widely used solid-state laser crystal emitting at 1064 nm. Nd:YAG lasers are used for Raman and fluorescence excitation, PIV and micromachining.

Used on this site: Catalogue

No acronym matches.

Machines and equipment (102)

AOI (automated optical inspection) machine

electronics

What it is: An inline machine that photographs every assembled circuit board with cameras and controlled multi-angle lighting.

How it works: Image-processing software compares each component and solder joint with a reference (golden) image or programmed rules for presence, position, polarity and solder shape; 3D versions also measure height. Boards that fail are flagged for rework.

Typical uses: Placed after the pick-and-place machine or after the reflow oven to catch missing, shifted, tombstoned, rotated or bridged parts before functional test.

Mentioned on: Floor Plan

Area radiation monitor

physics

What it is: A fixed radiation monitor with alarms.

How it works: A detector, often a Geiger-Muller or ion-chamber type, measures dose rate continuously at one location and sounds a local and remote alarm above a set level.

Typical uses: Nuclear facilities, laboratories and hospitals.

Mentioned on: Catalogue

Atomic force microscope (AFM)

instrumentation

What it is: A scanning-probe microscope that maps a surface by feeling it with a nanometre-sharp tip.

How it works: A tip on a flexible cantilever is scanned over the surface and its motion is converted to a 3D height map.

Typical uses: Measuring roughness, grain structure, thin films, polymers and mechanical or electrical surface properties.

Mentioned on: Catalogue, Key specs, Reference

Battery cycler / battery test system

electronics

What it is: A system that charges and discharges cells repeatedly.

How it works: It applies programmed constant-current or constant-voltage profiles and logs capacity.

Typical uses: Measuring cell capacity and life; also testing battery-powered modules.

Mentioned on: Catalogue, Floor Plan

Battery pack end-of-line (EOL) tester

electronics

What it is: A final production-line test system for finished battery packs.

How it works: It connects to the pack power and communication terminals (often over CAN), checks BMS communication and cell balancing, switches the contactors, measures insulation resistance and runs a short charge-discharge cycle, then passes or fails the pack automatically.

Typical uses: The last quality gate in EV, e-bike and energy-storage pack production before shipping.

Mentioned on: Floor Plan

Board loader / unloader (magazine)

electronics

What it is: Feeds bare boards into, or stacks finished boards from, a line.

How it works: Boards are held in a magazine rack; a lift indexes the rack and a pusher slides each board onto the conveyor. At the line end the unloader catches boards and stacks them into an empty magazine.

Typical uses: Start and end of an SMT line; a buffer version (FIFO/LIFO) holds boards between machines.

Mentioned on: Floor Plan

Burn-in rack / environmental chamber

electronics

What it is: Equipment that stresses products under heat and humidity while they run.

How it works: Modules are powered and monitored inside a chamber held at a set temperature (and humidity cycle) for hours or days, which makes weak parts fail early instead of in the customer’s hands.

Typical uses: Reliability screening of electronic modules, LED drivers and power supplies, and stress tests such as 85 °C / 85% RH.

Mentioned on: Floor Plan

Busbar / nickel-strip spot welder

electronics

What it is: A resistance welder that joins nickel strip or busbars to battery cell terminals.

How it works: Two electrodes press the metal against the cell terminal and pass a short, high-current pulse; resistance heating at the interface melts a small nugget and fuses the parts without solder or added metal.

Typical uses: Assembling cylindrical or prismatic cells into battery modules and packs.

Mentioned on: Floor Plan

Cable and enclosure label printer

electronics

What it is: A thermal-transfer printer for durable industrial labels and markers.

How it works: A heated printhead transfers ink from a ribbon onto wrap-around cable labels, heat-shrink sleeves and rating plates, driven from a PC or the printer’s own software.

Typical uses: Identifying wires, cables, panels and finished enclosures for traceability and compliance.

Mentioned on: Floor Plan

Capillary flow porometer

instrumentation

What it is: A pore-size measurement instrument.

How it works: A wetted sample is pushed with gas at rising pressure; the pressure at which liquid leaves each pore gives its size.

Typical uses: Filtration membranes, battery separators, textiles, ceramics and fuel-cell layers.

Mentioned on: Catalogue, Reference

Cell grading and sorting tester

electronics

What it is: A tester that measures battery cells and sorts them into matched grades.

How it works: Each cell is charged and discharged under control to find its capacity, and its open-circuit voltage and internal resistance are read; the machine then bins cells with similar values together.

Typical uses: Building modules from matched cells so they age evenly and avoid weak-cell failures.

Mentioned on: Floor Plan

C-frame stamping press

electronics

What it is: A metal press whose C-shaped frame gives open access to the die area from three sides.

How it works: A motor-driven flywheel and ram push a punch through a die set to cut or form sheet metal in a single stroke; the press listed here is rated 25 to 40 tonnes.

Typical uses: Brackets, shields, terminals and busbars for electronics and battery assemblies.

Mentioned on: Floor Plan

Closed-cycle cryocooler

physics

What it is: A refrigerator that cools to a few kelvin without liquid cryogens.

How it works: A compressor and cold head cycle helium gas to remove heat from the sample space.

Typical uses: Cooling detectors, superconducting devices, magnets and low-temperature experiments.

Mentioned on: Catalogue

Coil winding machine

electronics

What it is: A machine that winds insulated copper wire onto bobbins or toroidal cores.

How it works: A spindle turns the former while a traversing guide lays wire in even layers; turn count, tension and pitch are programmed so every part has the same inductance.

Typical uses: Inductors, chokes, transformers, relays and sensors.

Mentioned on: Floor Plan

Contact-angle meter / surface tensiometer

instrumentation

What it is: An instrument that measures wettability and surface tension.

How it works: Measures the shape of a liquid drop on a surface, or force on a probe.

Typical uses: Checking coatings, adhesion, cleaning and plasma treatments.

Mentioned on: Catalogue

Contamination and clearance portal monitor

physics

What it is: Walk-through or scanning monitors for radioactive contamination.

How it works: Detectors scan people, tools, waste drums or vehicles.

Typical uses: Nuclear facilities, hospitals and ports.

Mentioned on: Catalogue

Continuity / hi-pot tester

electronics

What it is: A tester that proves every wire connection is correct and the insulation is adequate.

How it works: It first passes a small current to check each point-to-point connection and find opens, shorts and miswires, then applies a high voltage between conductors to detect insulation breakdown or leakage.

Typical uses: Final testing of wire harnesses and cable assemblies.

Mentioned on: Floor Plan

Crimping press with applicators

electronics

What it is: A press that fixes terminals onto stripped wire ends.

How it works: The terminal sits in a tooling set called an applicator; the press ram closes the crimp barrels around the conductor and insulation, forming a gas-tight cold-welded joint.

Typical uses: Wire-harness assembly, followed by pull-force and continuity testing.

Mentioned on: Floor Plan

Curing oven

electronics

What it is: A controlled-temperature oven for hardening or drying coatings and compounds.

How it works: Parts are held at a set temperature for a set time so varnish, potting compound and core adhesive cross-link or dry out.

Typical uses: Wound coils, transformers and potted assemblies after winding or coating.

Mentioned on: Floor Plan

Defect inspection and metrology system

semiconductor

What it is: Tools that find defects on wafers and measure the dimensions of printed features.

How it works: Optical systems scan the wafer and compare die with die to spot anomalies; electron-beam tools then review defects at high resolution, while metrology tools measure line width, film thickness and layer-to-layer overlay.

Typical uses: Controlling yield: catching process problems between steps, the product areas listed by KLA.

Mentioned on: High value

Deposition and etch tools

semiconductor

What it is: Wafer-processing tools that add thin films (deposition) or remove selected material (etch).

How it works: Deposition forms a film from gases or vapour on a heated wafer in a vacuum chamber (CVD, PVD, atomic layer deposition). Etch uses plasma or chemicals to remove film that is not protected by patterned resist, transferring the printed pattern into the layer.

Typical uses: Repeated many times to build the transistors and metal wiring of a chip.

Mentioned on: High value

Dip coater

instrumentation

What it is: A thin-film coating device.

How it works: Lowers a substrate into solution and withdraws it at controlled speed.

Typical uses: Sol-gel, nanotechnology and biomedical coatings.

Mentioned on: Catalogue

DUV lithography system

semiconductor

What it is: A chip-printing machine that exposes wafers with deep-ultraviolet laser light (248 nm KrF or 193 nm ArF).

How it works: Light shines through a patterned photomask and a reduction lens projects a 4x smaller image onto photoresist on the wafer; immersion versions put water between lens and wafer to raise the numerical aperture, and fine layers are printed by multiple exposures.

Typical uses: Most layers of volume chip production; EUV is added only for the finest layers.

Mentioned on: High value

Electrical safety analyzer (hi-pot, ground bond, insulation)

electronics

What it is: A multi-function tester for product electrical safety.

How it works: It applies high AC or DC voltage between live parts and the enclosure (hi-pot or dielectric withstand), measures insulation resistance, and drives a high current through the earth connection to prove low ground-bond resistance.

Typical uses: Safety certification and production testing of enclosures, chargers and battery packs.

Mentioned on: Floor Plan

Electron spin resonance (ESR) spectrometer

physics

What it is: A spectrometer for unpaired electrons.

How it works: The sample sits in a magnetic field and absorbs microwaves when unpaired electrons (radicals) flip spin; the absorption signal gives the radical content. A related technique, PSL, instead reads light released after stimulation.

Typical uses: Checking irradiated foods and alanine dosimetry.

Mentioned on: Catalogue

Electrospinning / electrospraying machine

instrumentation

What it is: A machine that makes nanofibres.

How it works: A high voltage draws a polymer solution onto a drum or plate.

Typical uses: Filtration media, wound dressings, tissue scaffolds, batteries and sensors.

Mentioned on: Catalogue

ELISpot reader / automated imaging microscope

instrumentation

What it is: A combined reader and microscope for immunology.

How it works: Counts spots where single cells secrete signal molecules and images cells automatically.

Typical uses: Vaccine research and immune monitoring.

Mentioned on: Catalogue

Ellipsometer

instrumentation

What it is: A tool for measuring thin-film thickness and optical constants.

How it works: It analyses how light polarisation changes when reflected from a surface.

Typical uses: Thin films in semiconductor and coating work.

Mentioned on: Catalogue, Reference

Environmental radiation detector (GM tube plus NaI scintillator)

physics

What it is: A detector combining Geiger-Muller tubes and a sodium-iodide scintillator.

How it works: Measures both low background and high accident dose.

Typical uses: Site and environmental monitoring, emergency preparedness.

Mentioned on: Catalogue

ESD workbench and ionizer

electronics

What it is: A static-safe workstation that stops electrostatic discharge damaging components.

How it works: The work surface is a dissipative mat connected to ground through a resistor, and operators wear grounded wrist straps; an ionizer blows balanced positive and negative ions to neutralise charge on insulators that cannot be grounded.

Typical uses: Handling and repairing sensitive components and boards.

Mentioned on: Floor Plan

EUV lithography system

semiconductor

What it is: The most advanced chip-printing machine, using 13.5 nm extreme-ultraviolet light.

How it works: A powerful laser hits tin droplets to create a plasma that emits EUV; because air and glass absorb it, the whole optical path is in vacuum and uses multilayer mirrors and a reflective mask. High-NA versions use a larger numerical aperture for finer features.

Typical uses: The finest layers of leading-edge logic and memory chips; ASML is the maker discussed on the High value page.

Mentioned on: High value

EV charger (EVSE) tester

electronics

What it is: A tester that simulates an electric vehicle so a charger can be checked without a car.

How it works: It imitates the vehicle side of the IEC 61851 control-pilot and proximity-pilot signalling (states A to D) and injects faults such as protective-earth loss to confirm the charger signals correctly and shuts off safely.

Typical uses: Testing finished AC chargers (Mode 3 EVSE) on the production line.

Mentioned on: Floor Plan

Femtosecond fiber laser

physics

What it is: A laser emitting extremely short pulses.

How it works: A fiber-based laser produces pulses of about 10 to 1000 femtoseconds.

Typical uses: Ultrafast spectroscopy, multi-photon microscopy, 3D nanoprinting, micromachining.

Mentioned on: Catalogue, Reference

Ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) spectrometer

physics

What it is: A spectrometer for magnetic dynamics.

How it works: Probes how magnetic moments precess under microwave fields over wide frequency ranges.

Typical uses: Spintronics and magnetic-materials research.

Mentioned on: Catalogue

Fluorescence / absorbance spectrometer (spectrofluorometer)

instrumentation

What it is: A spectrometer that records the light a sample absorbs and re-emits.

How it works: Light of selected wavelengths excites the sample and a detector records the emission spectrum or, for lifetime models, how long the glow lasts.

Typical uses: Measuring dyes, proteins, quantum dots, pharmaceuticals and organic matter in water.

Mentioned on: Catalogue, Key specs

Freeze dryer (lyophiliser)

instrumentation

What it is: Equipment that removes water from frozen material.

How it works: Sublimes ice under vacuum.

Typical uses: Preserving biologicals and foods.

Mentioned on: Catalogue

Frequency-locked narrow-linewidth laser

physics

What it is: A laser whose output frequency is stabilised so its spectral width is extremely narrow.

How it works: Feedback electronics compare the laser frequency with a stable reference, such as an optical cavity, an atomic or molecular absorption line, or a wavemeter, and correct drift continuously.

Typical uses: Atomic clocks, precision spectroscopy, interferometry and metrology.

Mentioned on: Catalogue

Friction and abrasion tester (tribometer)

instrumentation

What it is: A tester for friction and wear.

How it works: Measures static and kinetic friction under set loads and speeds.

Typical uses: Films, fabrics, plastics and coatings.

Mentioned on: Catalogue

Gamma and alpha spectrometer

physics

What it is: Radiation spectroscopy equipment.

How it works: Detectors (germanium, sodium iodide, silicon) convert each event to a pulse sorted by energy.

Typical uses: Environmental and food radioactivity labs, nuclear power, waste characterisation.

Mentioned on: Catalogue

Hand-solder and rework station

electronics

What it is: A temperature-controlled station for soldering and desoldering by hand.

How it works: A heated iron tip or a hot-air nozzle with closed-loop temperature control melts the solder at a joint; hot air lets a technician lift and refit surface-mount packages.

Typical uses: Repairing and reworking single boards, prototypes and replaced parts.

Mentioned on: Floor Plan

Harness assembly board

electronics

What it is: A jig board that holds wires in the final harness layout.

How it works: The full-size wiring drawing is printed on the board, with pegs, clips and terminals holding each wire so the technician can route, tie and tape it to length and shape.

Typical uses: Assembling wire harnesses for vehicles, chargers and equipment.

Mentioned on: Floor Plan

High-performance computing cluster

instrumentation

What it is: Many linked servers sharing heavy calculations.

How it works: Parallel processing across nodes.

Typical uses: Simulation, modelling, AI and research computing.

Mentioned on: Catalogue

Laboratory laser (DPSS, argon-ion, pulsed Nd:YAG)

physics

What it is: Light sources used to excite, probe or process samples.

How it works: Diode-pumped solid-state, argon-ion and pulsed Nd:YAG types supply stable or high-energy beams.

Typical uses: Raman and fluorescence excitation, spectroscopy, microscopy, interferometry.

Mentioned on: Catalogue

Laboratory spray dryer

instrumentation

What it is: Equipment that makes powder from liquid.

How it works: Sprays liquid into hot air.

Typical uses: Pharmaceuticals, food ingredients, ceramics.

Mentioned on: Catalogue

LCR meter

electronics

What it is: A bench instrument that measures the impedance properties of passive components.

How it works: It applies an AC test signal at a selectable frequency, measures voltage and current including phase, and calculates inductance (L), capacitance (C) and resistance (R), often with quality factor Q.

Typical uses: Testing wound parts, inductors and capacitors on receipt and at final inspection.

Mentioned on: Floor Plan

LED photometric tester (integrating sphere)

physics

What it is: A system that measures LED light output.

How it works: A reflective sphere averages light so a spectroradiometer measures brightness, colour and efficacy.

Typical uses: LED module and luminaire testing.

Mentioned on: Floor Plan

LED photoreactor lamp

electronics

What it is: LED lamps with selectable wavelengths.

How it works: Provide specific light for reactions.

Typical uses: Photochemistry and imaging illumination.

Mentioned on: Catalogue

Liquid helium / liquid nitrogen plant

physics

What it is: Equipment that makes or recovers cryogenic liquids on site.

How it works: Mechanical refrigeration liquefies or recycles helium or nitrogen gas.

Typical uses: Labs running superconducting magnets and cryostats.

Mentioned on: Catalogue

Mask inspection tool

semiconductor

What it is: An inspector for photomasks (reticles), the patterned plates used in lithography.

How it works: It scans the mask with light and compares each pattern with the design data or a neighbouring copy to find defects; EUV masks may be inspected with EUV-wavelength light. KLA dates its own history to a pioneering mask inspection tool in 1975.

Typical uses: A defective mask would print the same flaw on every wafer, so masks are inspected before use and after cleaning.

Mentioned on: High value

Maskless photolithography writer

semiconductor

What it is: A direct-write lithography tool.

How it works: Exposes patterns from a digital file onto photoresist with no physical mask.

Typical uses: Prototyping microelectronic, microfluidic and nanophotonic devices in R&D cleanrooms.

Mentioned on: Catalogue

Medical electrical safety tester

electronics

What it is: A tester that checks the electrical safety of medical devices.

How it works: It measures earth, enclosure and patient leakage currents and protective-earth resistance, with the device powered normally and under single-fault conditions as in IEC 60601-1.

Typical uses: Production and service testing of medical electrical equipment.

Mentioned on: Floor Plan

Medical pouch heat sealer

electronics

What it is: A sealer for sterile-barrier pouches whose settings are controlled and recorded.

How it works: Heated jaws press the pouch seal area at a set temperature, pressure and dwell time, and these values are logged so the seal can be validated as repeatable.

Typical uses: Packaging sterile medical devices.

Mentioned on: Floor Plan

Microscope heating and cooling stage

instrumentation

What it is: A temperature-controlled sample holder for a microscope or spectrometer.

How it works: Heating elements and Peltier or cryogenic cooling ramp the sample between low and high temperatures.

Typical uses: Watching melting, crystallisation and phase changes of polymers, pharmaceuticals and geological samples.

Mentioned on: Catalogue

Muffle furnace and tube furnace

instrumentation

What it is: High-temperature laboratory ovens.

How it works: A sealed or tubular chamber heats samples, optionally under controlled atmosphere or vacuum.

Typical uses: Ashing, heat treatment, annealing, crystal growth, catalyst and CVD-type processes.

Mentioned on: Catalogue, Reference

Multichannel analyzer (MCA)

physics

What it is: Electronics that build an energy spectrum from detector pulses.

How it works: Sorts pulses by height into channels and counts them.

Typical uses: Gamma and alpha spectroscopy.

Mentioned on: Catalogue, Reference

Nuclear counting electronics (scalers, ratemeters, pulsers)

physics

What it is: Basic electronics for radiation counting.

How it works: A scaler counts detector pulses over a set time, a ratemeter shows the count rate, and a pulser injects test pulses to check the electronics; certified sources are used to calibrate.

Typical uses: Calibrating monitors and counters.

Mentioned on: Catalogue

Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) reader

physics

What it is: A dosimeter reader that uses light.

How it works: Stimulates the dosimeter with light and reads the emitted light.

Typical uses: Personnel and environmental dose monitoring.

Mentioned on: Catalogue

Optical table and vibration isolation

physics

What it is: A rigid table or platform for optical work.

How it works: A honeycomb table on air or active isolators stops floor vibration; an acoustic enclosure shields from noise.

Typical uses: Lasers, interferometry, microscopy.

Mentioned on: Catalogue

Overhead stirrer

instrumentation

What it is: A motor-driven mixer.

How it works: A shaft stirs thick or large-volume liquids.

Typical uses: Polymer solutions, slurries and syntheses.

Mentioned on: Catalogue

Pack enclosure leak tester

electronics

What it is: A pressure-decay leak tester for sealed housings.

How it works: The housing is clamped to a test port and pressurised (or evacuated) to a set level, the supply is closed, and the pressure is watched for about a minute; a drop beyond the limit means a leak.

Typical uses: Checking that battery-pack and electronics enclosures meet an ingress rating such as IP65 to IP68.

Mentioned on: Floor Plan

Peel tester

instrumentation

What it is: A tester for adhesive strength.

How it works: Pulls a film, tape or label at a set angle and speed and records the force.

Typical uses: Qualifying adhesives, tapes, coatings and laminates.

Mentioned on: Catalogue

Peristaltic pump

instrumentation

What it is: A pump in which the liquid touches only the tubing.

How it works: Rollers on a rotating head squeeze flexible tubing in turn, pushing a fixed volume of liquid along; the pump itself never contacts the fluid, so it stays clean and the tube is the only wear part.

Typical uses: Transferring or dosing sterile or corrosive liquids.

Mentioned on: Catalogue

Personal electronic dosimeter

physics

What it is: A pocket device that shows radiation dose and dose rate.

How it works: A detector measures radiation continuously and alarms at set levels.

Typical uses: Worker safety in nuclear plants, hospitals and industrial radiography.

Mentioned on: Catalogue

Physical Property Measurement System (PPMS)

physics

What it is: A cryostat with a strong magnet for characterising materials.

How it works: Cools samples to roughly 2 K and measures electrical, thermal and magnetic properties under controlled temperature and field.

Typical uses: Superconductors, magnetic and quantum materials, thermoelectrics.

Mentioned on: Catalogue

Pick-and-place mounter

electronics

What it is: A machine that places surface-mount components on boards.

How it works: Vacuum nozzles on moving heads pick parts from tape feeders, a camera checks each part’s position and rotation, and the head places it at its coordinates on the paste. Speed is quoted in components per hour (CPH).

Typical uses: High-speed SMT assembly.

Mentioned on: Floor Plan

PIV twin-head laser

physics

What it is: A pulsed laser for flow measurement.

How it works: Two timed flashes light a seeded flow so cameras measure velocity.

Typical uses: Aerodynamics, combustion and fluid research.

Mentioned on: Catalogue

Plasma etcher (micro-fabrication)

semiconductor

What it is: A dry-etching tool for patterning thin films.

How it works: In a vacuum chamber, RF power turns a process gas into plasma; reactive ions and radicals remove material that is not covered by the patterned resist.

Typical uses: Patterning and cleaning in micro-fabrication of sensors, MEMS and devices.

Mentioned on: Floor Plan

Potentiostat / galvanostat (EIS analyzer)

instrumentation

What it is: An electrochemistry instrument that controls and measures voltage and current.

How it works: A potentiostat holds an electrode voltage and measures current; a galvanostat does the reverse; EIS adds frequency response.

Typical uses: Batteries, fuel cells, corrosion, sensors and coatings.

Mentioned on: Catalogue

Precision syringe pump

instrumentation

What it is: A pump for steady low flow.

How it works: Pushes a syringe plunger at a programmed rate.

Typical uses: Electrospinning, microfluidics, dosing.

Mentioned on: Catalogue

Pull-force tester

electronics

What it is: A tester for the strength of crimped terminals.

How it works: The terminal is gripped and pulled at a constant speed while a load cell records the peak force, which is compared with the minimum for that wire size.

Typical uses: Crimp quality control in harness production.

Mentioned on: Floor Plan

Radioisotope identification device (RIID) / handheld survey meter

physics

What it is: Handheld radiation instruments.

How it works: Read dose rate or contamination and identify the isotope.

Typical uses: Radiation protection checks, emergency response, decommissioning.

Mentioned on: Catalogue

Radiometer / photometer and UV transmittance analyzer

physics

What it is: Light-measuring instruments.

How it works: Quantify UV, visible and solar irradiance, or how much UV passes through a material.

Typical uses: Checking lamp output, UV exposure, and rating sunscreens, fabrics and glass.

Mentioned on: Catalogue

Raman microscope / spectrometer (incl. handheld and Nano-Raman)

instrumentation

What it is: An instrument that identifies materials from the way they scatter laser light.

How it works: A laser is focused on the sample and the small energy shift of the scattered light is read as a molecular fingerprint.

Typical uses: Identifying contamination and unknown residues, mapping chemical composition, checking stress in semiconductors, detecting microplastics.

Mentioned on: Catalogue, Key specs, Floor Plan

Real-time cell-binding monitor

instrumentation

What it is: An instrument that follows binding of a labelled molecule to living cells.

How it works: Tracks the signal as the molecule binds over hours, giving binding speed and strength.

Typical uses: Drug discovery and radiopharmaceutical research.

Mentioned on: Catalogue

Reflow oven

electronics

What it is: A conveyor oven that melts solder paste to form joints.

How it works: The board passes through zones for preheat, soak, reflow peak and cooling; the heat comes from infrared heaters, circulating hot air or both, with a peak near 240 to 250 °C for lead-free solder.

Typical uses: Soldering assembled boards after pick-and-place.

Mentioned on: Floor Plan

RF / functional test fixture

electronics

What it is: A fixture that connects a module to test instruments to check radio and firmware.

How it works: The module is held by pogo pins or a clamshell; RF cables link it to a signal generator and power meter or analyser while firmware is loaded and functions are exercised.

Typical uses: Functional test of IoT and RF modules before pack-out.

Mentioned on: Floor Plan

Scanning electron microscope (compact SEM)

instrumentation

What it is: A microscope that images surfaces at very high magnification using electrons instead of light.

How it works: A focused electron beam scans the sample and detectors collect the emitted electrons or X-rays to build the image.

Typical uses: Inspecting cracks, voids and intermetallics in solder joints, particles, fracture surfaces and fine structure in materials, electronics and biology labs.

Mentioned on: Catalogue, Key specs, Floor Plan, High value

Selective conformal coating system

electronics

What it is: A machine that applies protective polymer coating only to selected areas of a board.

How it works: A programmed spray or jet valve moves over the board and coats chosen areas, leaving connectors and test points clear; the coating is then cured by UV or heat.

Typical uses: Moisture and contamination protection of assembled boards.

Mentioned on: Floor Plan

Solar simulator

physics

What it is: A lamp system that imitates sunlight.

How it works: Produces repeatable irradiance so devices can be tested indoors for current-voltage curves and efficiency.

Typical uses: Photovoltaic testing, sunscreen (SPF), material fading.

Mentioned on: Catalogue, Reference

Solder paste printer

electronics

What it is: A machine that prints solder paste onto the pads of a bare board.

How it works: A squeegee pushes paste through a stencil with apertures matching the pads, so each pad gets a controlled deposit; vision alignment registers the stencil to the board.

Typical uses: First process step in SMT assembly; paste quality drives later defects.

Mentioned on: Floor Plan

Spectrometer / monochromator with CCD detector

instrumentation

What it is: Optical hardware that splits light by wavelength and records it.

How it works: A grating separates wavelengths; a CCD or other array detector records the intensity at each.

Typical uses: Measuring emission and absorption spectra in research and quality control.

Mentioned on: Catalogue

SPI (solder paste inspection) machine

electronics

What it is: An inspector for printed solder paste.

How it works: A 3D laser or structured-light system measures the volume, height, area and position of every paste deposit and compares them with limits.

Typical uses: Catching print defects before parts are placed, which is far cheaper than fixing them after reflow.

Mentioned on: Floor Plan

Spread oil measuring apparatus

instrumentation

What it is: An instrument that measures micro-gram amounts of oil on steel sheet.

How it works: Observes how an oil film spreads on water.

Typical uses: Lubricant control in steel and metal-forming plants.

Mentioned on: Catalogue

SQUID magnetometer

physics

What it is: A very sensitive magnetometer.

How it works: A superconducting detector senses tiny magnetic moments versus temperature and field.

Typical uses: Magnetic materials, superconductors and nanoparticles.

Mentioned on: Catalogue, Reference

Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) instrument

instrumentation

What it is: A label-free instrument for watching binding on a metal surface.

How it works: Detects changes in refractive index at a metal film as molecules attach.

Typical uses: Molecular interactions, thin films, polymers, coatings and biosensors.

Mentioned on: Catalogue

Surface resistance meter

electronics

What it is: A meter for checking static-control materials.

How it works: Two probes or concentric electrodes apply a test voltage (typically 10 V or 100 V) to the surface and the instrument converts the current to ohms; static-dissipative surfaces typically fall around 10⁶ to 10⁹ ohm.

Typical uses: Checking ESD trays, mats and benches against ANSI/ESD S20.20.

Mentioned on: Floor Plan

Terahertz system

physics

What it is: Components for generating and detecting THz waves.

How it works: Femtosecond-pumped emitters and detectors.

Typical uses: Non-contact imaging and spectroscopy of materials and coatings.

Mentioned on: Catalogue

Thermoluminescent dosimetry (TLD) reader and irradiator

physics

What it is: A reader for dosimetry cards and chips.

How it works: Heats the dosimeters and reads the light released.

Typical uses: Personnel monitoring and radiotherapy checks.

Mentioned on: Catalogue

Thin-film deposition system (sputtering / evaporation)

semiconductor

What it is: A vacuum system that coats a substrate.

How it works: Material is sputtered or evaporated in a chamber onto the substrate.

Typical uses: Semiconductors, optics, solar cells, sensors and coatings.

Mentioned on: Catalogue

Torque fastening station

electronics

What it is: A station with electric torque screwdrivers.

How it works: The driver stops when motor current or a clutch shows the set torque has been reached, and some controllers also count screws and check angle.

Typical uses: Fastening enclosures, busbars and terminals in box build and chargers without over- or under-tightening.

Mentioned on: Floor Plan

Transformer turns-ratio tester

electronics

What it is: A tester that checks the winding ratio and polarity of transformers.

How it works: It applies a low AC voltage to one winding, measures the voltage induced in the other, and reports ratio, phase or polarity and excitation current.

Typical uses: Checking every transformer, including instrument transformers, before shipping.

Mentioned on: Floor Plan

UDI barcode label verifier

electronics

What it is: A barcode verifier that grades the print quality of device labels.

How it works: A camera and lighting system reads the 1D or 2D symbol and grades contrast, decoding and modulation against ISO/IEC print-quality standards, and checks that the UDI data follow GS1 rules.

Typical uses: Medical-device labelling, where an unreadable code breaks traceability.

Mentioned on: Floor Plan

Ultrasonic cleaner

electronics

What it is: A tank cleaner.

How it works: High-frequency sound creates cavitation in a liquid bath.

Typical uses: Cleaning stencils and flux residue from boards.

Mentioned on: Catalogue, Floor Plan

Ultrasonic homogeniser (sonicator)

instrumentation

What it is: A cavitation-based sample processor.

How it works: A vibrating probe creates cavitation in liquid.

Typical uses: Breaking cells, dispersing nanoparticles, emulsifying.

Mentioned on: Catalogue

Ultrasonic spray coater

instrumentation

What it is: A thin-coating machine.

How it works: A vibrating nozzle atomises liquid into a fine mist.

Typical uses: Solar cells, fuel cells, electronics and glass coatings.

Mentioned on: Catalogue

Vacuum pumps, gauges and mass-flow controllers

physics

What it is: Hardware that creates and measures low pressure.

How it works: Pumps remove gas, gauges read pressure, controllers meter process gas.

Typical uses: Coating, surface science and electron/ion instruments.

Mentioned on: Catalogue

Vacuum thermoforming machine

electronics

What it is: A machine that forms plastic sheet into shaped parts.

How it works: A heater softens the sheet, a vacuum then pulls it tightly onto a mould, and it cools to keep the shape.

Typical uses: Making ESD component trays and clamshells.

Mentioned on: Floor Plan

Vibration test controller and shaker system

electronics

What it is: A controller and signal analyzer for shaker tables.

How it works: Drives shakers with controlled profiles and measures resonances.

Typical uses: Product durability and shock/vibration qualification.

Mentioned on: Catalogue

Vibratory deburring / finishing machine

electronics

What it is: A finishing machine that smooths and cleans parts in bulk.

How it works: A bowl or tub vibrates with abrasive media so the parts rub against it, removing burrs and polishing edges.

Typical uses: Deburring stamped brackets, shields and busbars.

Mentioned on: Floor Plan

Whole-body counter and waste assay system

physics

What it is: Large-detector systems that measure radioactivity in people or waste.

How it works: Shielded detectors count gamma emissions.

Typical uses: Occupational monitoring and waste characterisation.

Mentioned on: Catalogue

Wire cut and strip machine

electronics

What it is: A machine that cuts wire to length and strips the insulation from the ends.

How it works: Rollers or belts feed the wire to a set length; blades nick the insulation and pull the slug off, then cut the wire.

Typical uses: Wire-harness manufacture.

Mentioned on: Floor Plan

X-ray inspection machine (BGA / AXI)

electronics

What it is: An X-ray inspector for solder joints hidden under components.

How it works: An X-ray source sits on one side of the board and a detector on the other; dense solder absorbs more than silicon or plastic, so voids, bridges and missing balls appear. AXI software can pass or fail boards automatically, and tilted views build 3D images.

Typical uses: Checking BGA and CSP solder joints.

Mentioned on: Floor Plan

No machine matches.