Small Punch Creep Test · EN 10371
SPC 650
Creep testing of creep-resistant steels up to 650 °C — from a negligible amount of material, for as long as it takes.
A fully automatic machine for estimating the residual life of components in conventional and supercritical power plant. The delivery is complete: it contains everything needed to master the Small Punch Creep Test, even without previous operator experience.
650 °C
maximum test temperature
1000 N
load range
±0.001 mm
punch tip displacement accuracy
1 kHz
data sampling
Where this machine sits in the temperature range
The number in an SPC name is the maximum test temperature — it decides the furnace, the cartridge, the thermocouples and the loading train, and with them the materials the machine can handle. Every higher SPC covers what the lower one does. TTS 190 is a different job — low temperatures and the transition temperature, not creep. The loading method — direct frictionless (DLS) or lever — is chosen per machine, which is why it is not in the name.
Which materials it is for
The maximum test temperature is not just a number in the name. It decides what the furnace, the cartridge, the thermocouples and the loading train are made of — and with them, which materials the machine can handle. SPC 650 is built for the classic power-plant range.
Low-alloy creep-resistant ferritic steels
The classic range of steam lines and boiler pressure parts.
Martensitic 9–12 % Cr steels
Materials of supercritical units and modern steam lines.
Fine-grained C-Mn and pressure-vessel steels
Vessel shells, headers and welded structures.
Weldments and heat-affected zones
Where only a negligible volume of material is available — and where component life is decided anyway.
Typical use
Residual life assessment of high-temperature components in conventional and supercritical units — steam lines, headers, superheaters, boiler membrane walls.
Components of petrochemical and process plant operating at elevated temperatures.
Material and weld development programmes where test material is scarce.
Technical parameters
The parameters apply to direct frictionless loading (DLS). With the lever version the load range is up to 500 N.
The SPC range has four machines. SPC 650 covers the classic power-plant range, SPC 800 goes on to austenitics and the lower nickel range, SPC 1200 to superalloys, and SPC 1000 is the research platform. We are happy to discuss which one fits your materials.
- Test temperature range
- up to 650 °C
- Temperature accuracy
- ±0.2 °C, resolution 0.1 °C
- Load range
- up to 1000 N, ±0.1 % F.S.
- Load ramp
- 30–120 s, no shock
- Loading rate
- 0.001–1 mm/min
- Direct loading travel
- ±30 mm
- Punch tip displacement accuracy
- ±0.001 mm
- Argon flow
- 0–30 ml/min, accuracy ±1 % F.S.
- Chamber tightness
- helium test, 1×10⁻⁹ Pa·m³·s⁻¹
- Test duration
- unlimited
- Data sampling
- up to 1 kHz, recording driven by punch displacement
- Standards
- EN 10371 · EN ISO 204 · ASTM E139 · ASTM E292
Choice of loading
On every Small Punch machine you choose how the force is applied to the specimen. Both versions test to the same standard and give comparable results — it is a matter of laboratory practice, not of how old the design is.
DLS
Direct frictionless loading
A direct push system with a creep-resistant load cell. No lever, no friction — the force on the specimen is the one you set, smoothly and accurately for the whole test.
- Load range
- up to 1000 N
- Load ramp
- 30–120 s, no shock
Lever loading
A lever with a defined specimen preload — the procedure many laboratories are used to and hold their own comparative data for from earlier programmes.
- Load range
- up to 500 N
- Test temperature
- up to 650 °C
Choice of cartridge — two specimen sizes
The machine is the same in both cases; only the exchangeable cartridge with the punch and the die changes. You choose according to how much material you have — and the decision is not final, the cartridge can be ordered later.
to EN 10371
Small Punch
The standard geometry of the standard. Results are directly comparable with other laboratories.
- Test piece
- Ø8 × 0.5 mm
- Punch
- R1.25 mm (Ø2.5 mm ball)
- Die bore
- Ø4 mm
- Die chamfer
- 0.2 × 45°
to EN 10371
Mini Small Punch
For cases where the material really is scarce — it fits on a three-millimetre disc. Originally from TEM discs, typically irradiated materials. Ø1 mm ball.
- Test piece
- Ø3 × 0.25 mm
- Punch
- R0.5 mm (Ø1 mm ball)
- Die bore
- Ø1.75 mm
- Die chamfer
- 0.2 mm
Both geometries are part of EN 10371 — results from either are to the standard. For the miniature test piece, however, the standard itself notes that there is less experience with it so far, and gives some of the more detailed recommendations only for the standard Ø8 mm size. Take that into account when planning a test programme.
Specimens for this test
No specimen preparation of your own, or the material sits on a component in service that cannot be taken off line? We can solve both for you.
Service
We will prepare the specimens
From material you send us we machine test pieces exactly to the dimension and tolerance of the standard.
Service · SCOOPER 50
We will take the sample in service
The component cannot be shut down or cut into? We take the material on site, practically without a notch.
Accessories · PT 8 + GE 76
Or prepare them yourself
PT 8 punches the test piece out of sheet, GE 76 grinds it to 0.5 ± 0.005 mm as the standard requires. Fixtures for your machine, not stand-alone equipment.
What this machine does differently
01
Loading without friction
A direct push system with a creep-resistant load cell. No lever, no friction — the force on the specimen is the one you set.
02
Temperature measured on the specimen
The thermocouple rests on the surface of the test piece with a 5 N contact force. Not the air temperature in the furnace, but the temperature of the material — controlled and held for the whole test.
03
The specimen protected throughout
A gas-tight chamber with argon, verified by a helium test to a leak rate of 1×10⁻⁹ Pa·m³·s⁻¹, and automatic compensation of the bellows stiffness. No oxidation, no distortion of the result.
04
Ceramics with precise geometry
Punch, both dies and the balls in Si₃N₄ to very tight dimensions, cartridge in nickel steel. That is where the long service life and the repeatable test geometry come from.
05
The test survives a power cut
The UPS holds the machine for at least 10 minutes — enough for a smooth switch to the laboratory back-up supply. A thousand-hour test is not thrown away.
06
Everything is recorded
Temperature, force, punch tip displacement, creep rate, argon flow, furnace thermocouples and the state of the UPS. Recording is driven by punch displacement, not only by time.
07
Supervision from anywhere
Fully automated software with visual indication of the machine state, remote control from Windows, macOS, iOS, Android and Linux.
08
Repeatability you can demonstrate
You can check the results against the reference specimens supplied with the machine at any time. Suitable for quality systems to ISO 9001:2015.
The machine at work
What is included
The delivery is complete — it contains everything needed to master the method, even if the operator has no previous experience with it.
Complete system
Machine, accessories and spare parts. Nothing has to be bought on top to get the method running.
Reference specimens
Part of the delivery — check on them at any time that the machine measures as it should.
Operator training
A two-day course in your laboratory, on your machine and your specimens.
Cartridges and ceramics
Nickel-steel cartridge, dies, punch and Si₃N₄ balls in the precise geometry of EN 10371.
Dimensions and site requirements
- Machine dimensions
- 780 × 780 × 2040 mm
- With the test table
- 1800 × 1000 × 2040 mm
- Power supply
- 1 NPE 230 V AC 50–60 Hz, TN-S, 16 A
- Surge protection
- EN 61643-11, SPD type 1 and type 2
- Argon
- 5.0 (min. 99.999 %), pressure 50 kPa
- Gas connection
- Parker A-LOK, metric T 6MO-3
- Environment
- air conditioning 23 ± 2 °C
- Supply line
- fixed, with room ventilation
- Weight
- 130 kg / 185 kg with the table
Frequently asked questions
How much material does one test need?
A test piece of Ø8 × 0.5 mm, or Ø3 × 0.25 mm with the miniature cartridge. A creep curve needs several test pieces — depending on how many load levels you want to cover.
Is the test standardised?
Yes — EN 10371:2021 in Europe and ASTM E3205-20 in the United States. The machine tests and evaluates to EN 10371.
Can the material be taken from equipment in service?
Yes, with the SCOOPER 50 sampling machine — from the surface of the component, practically without a notch. We can also prepare the test pieces for you.
Does Small Punch shorten a creep test?
No. The test runs as long as a conventional creep test. Small Punch saves material, not time.
Related equipment
The specimen has to come from somewhere and be prepared somehow. The rest of the SPC range and the UTMdev fixtures follow on from each other.
Tell us what you need to measure
Material, service temperatures, load range. We will advise whether SPC 650 is enough or whether it is worth going higher in the range — and come back with a price and a lead time.
Materials
Product leaflet
Leaflet with more detailed information about the product. Available on request.
Request