Automatic Melt Flow Indexer (MFI)

Automatic Melt Flow Indexer (MFI) — QualiFi™ 6000A

Flagship Fully Automatic MFI System with Software-Controlled Variable Load and Pneumatic Operation

The QualiFi™ 6000A is a high-performance automatic melt flow indexer designed for advanced laboratories and quality control facilities that require precise automation, strong measurement reliability, and enhanced operational safety in thermoplastic melt flow testing. It features a software-driven weight selection system with variable load capability, complete pneumatic control for sample compaction, residual material extrusion, and barrel cleaning, along with a 10.1-inch high-definition touchscreen interface.

This model delivers both Melt Mass Flow Rate (MFR) and Melt Volume Flow Rate (MVR) testing across a broad operating range of 50–450 °C, supporting flow measurements from 0.1–100 g/10 min (MFR) and 0.01–3,000 cm³/10 min (MVR). This extensive range represents the widest testing capability within the QualiFi™ melt flow indexer series.

Positioned at the top of the QualiFi™ lineup, the 6000A stands apart from the 4000A and 5000A models through its software-controlled multi-weight selection system with variable load functionality, enabling fully programmable multi-stage load changes within a single test cycle. Automatic weight lifting and lowering, pneumatic sample handling and cleaning, a built-in safety guard for weight control, and a protective barrier between the furnace and loading system collectively reduce manual intervention and improve consistency throughout testing—from sample loading to final data export.

The QualiFi™ 6000A has been part of CNAS inter-laboratory proficiency testing programs for several consecutive years, consistently achieving Z-scores within the ±0.11 range. These results reflect highly stable measurement performance aligned with internationally recognized reference standards.

Automatic Melt Flow Indexer (MFI) — QualiFi™ 6000A Applications

The QualiFi™ 6000A melt flow indexer is designed for quality control, research and development, and incoming material inspection workflows in any laboratory or industrial setting where thermoplastic melt flow properties are a key specification or process control parameter.

Plastic Raw Material Production & Quality Control

Used for incoming raw material inspection, batch consistency checks, and production quality monitoring in polymer manufacturing environments. The software-driven variable load system and 8-group stored test program capability allow quick switching between test conditions for different resin grades without repeated manual setup. This supports efficient, high-throughput testing where melt flow index is a critical acceptance parameter.

Engineering Plastics Testing

Suitable for melt flow measurement of high-temperature engineering polymers such as polycarbonate (PC), polyamide (PA), fluoropolymers, and polyoxymethylene (POM), operating across a full 50–450 °C range. Independent multi-zone temperature control with ±0.1 °C stability ensures consistent thermal conditions required for accurate testing of advanced engineering materials.

Polyolefin & Commodity Polymer Testing

Provides reliable MFR and MVR measurement for polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), ABS, and similar thermoplastics under standard testing conditions. Automated weight handling and software-based load selection reduce manual steps and help maintain consistency in routine melt flow index testing.

Pharmaceutical & Medical-Grade Polymer Testing

Supports melt flow evaluation of medical and pharmaceutical-grade polymers used in regulated applications. Built-in user access control, 5,000-test USB data storage, DMS data management software, and optional PC connectivity enable structured data handling and traceable documentation for compliance requirements.

Petrochemical Industry & Refinery QC

Used for verifying polymer consistency in petrochemical production and refinery environments where stable melt flow behavior is essential for downstream processing. The corrosion-resistant surface treatment and reinforced aluminum structure support long-term operation in demanding laboratory conditions.

Research Institutions & Universities

Ideal for academic research, polymer development studies, and comparative melt flow analysis. The system supports both MVR-based and calculated MFR methods, enabling direct comparison between measurement approaches for advanced material characterization studies.

Commodity Inspection & Certification Laboratories

Applied in third-party testing, certification, and regulatory compliance environments. Alignment with ISO 1133 and ASTM D1238 standards, combined with CNAS proficiency testing history and CE certification, ensures suitability for accredited laboratories requiring traceable and standardized melt flow measurements.

Standards Compliance

The QualiFi™ 6000A melt flow indexer is engineered and manufactured in accordance with internationally recognized standards governing thermoplastic melt flow testing, laboratory instrument safety, and electromagnetic compatibility.

ISO 1133
Plastics — Determination of melt mass-flow rate (MFR) and melt volume-flow rate (MVR) of thermoplastics. This serves as the primary international standard defining test procedures, measurement principles, and performance expectations for melt flow index testing systems.

ASTM D1238
Standard Test Method for Melt Flow Rates of Thermoplastics by Extrusion Plastometer. This is the key North American reference standard for MFR and MVR determination and defines operational procedures for melt flow index instruments.

EN 61010-1:2010+A1:2019
Safety requirements for electrical equipment used in measurement, control, and laboratory environments. This standard supports CE compliance for electrical and operational safety in laboratory instruments.

EN 61326-1:2013
Electromagnetic compatibility requirements for measurement, control, and laboratory equipment. Ensures stable performance of the instrument in environments with electromagnetic interference.

CE Marking
The QualiFi™ 6000A carries CE marking, confirming compliance with applicable European Union directives for safety, health, and environmental protection requirements related to laboratory measurement and control equipment.

Certifications & Proficiency Verification

The QualiFi™ 6000SA is built on the validated QualiFi™ Series platform and shares the same certification framework and performance verification standards applied across the product family, including CE compliance and CNAS inter-laboratory testing participation.

CE Certification
Complies with EN 61010-1:2010+A1:2019 (Low Voltage Directive) and EN 61326-1:2013 (Electromagnetic Compatibility). Conformity is verified through ECM Certificate of Compliance, confirming adherence to essential safety and EMC requirements for laboratory measurement equipment.

CNAS Proficiency Testing
Participates in consecutive CNAS inter-laboratory proficiency testing programs with consistently satisfactory outcomes. Recorded Z-scores remain within −0.07 to +0.11 across all evaluation rounds, demonstrating stable measurement performance and strong inter-laboratory comparability.

Technical Patents
The QualiFi™ Series incorporates multiple registered patents covering key innovations in measurement technology, thermal control systems, and instrument design architecture, supporting enhanced testing precision and operational reliability.

Automatic Melt Flow Indexer (MFI) — QualiFi™ 6000A Key Features

Instrument Design & Construction

The QualiFi™ 6000A is engineered with a focus on durability, operational safety, and efficient laboratory ergonomics, making it suitable for both intensive quality control and research environments.

All-Aluminum Body with Advanced Surface Treatment
The instrument is built on a full aluminum structure with enhanced surface finishing technology, delivering strong mechanical durability and resistance to corrosion, including salt spray conditions. This construction supports stable performance in demanding laboratory and production quality control settings.

Trapezoidal Barrel Design with 15° Tilt
An innovative trapezoidal barrel layout combined with a 15° inclined body and upper rotating mechanism ensures a compact system footprint while improving workflow accessibility. This ergonomic design allows easier access for sample loading and operation, optimizing space efficiency in laboratory setups.

Integrated Thermal Insulation System
The unit incorporates eco-conscious, molded thermal insulation integrated into the structure. This design improves heat retention within the furnace, stabilizes temperature conditions and contributes to reduced energy consumption during continuous operation.

Movable Protective Safety Cover
A movable protective barrier positioned between the furnace and loading assembly enhances operational safety during weight handling and sample loading. This feature reduces exposure to high-temperature zones and supports safer, controlled test execution throughout the workflow.

Software-Controlled Variable Load System

The QualiFi™ 6000A features an advanced software-driven load management system designed to deliver fully automated, highly repeatable melt flow testing with minimal operator involvement. This system is a core differentiator of the model within the QualiFi™ Series.

Software-Controlled Multi-Weight Selection with Variable Load Function
The instrument uses a software-managed multi-weight selection system with variable load capability, allowing fully programmable load changes during a single test cycle. This eliminates dependence on preset manual configurations and supports more flexible, condition-specific testing workflows.

Automatic Weight Handling System
Weights are lifted and lowered automatically through a motorized control system, removing the need for manual weight handling. This reduces operator exposure to high-temperature components and helps eliminate load sequencing errors, improving overall test consistency and repeatability.

Integrated Weight Safety Guard
A built-in weight safety guard is included as standard to prevent unintended weight drop events during automatic load transitions. This enhances operational safety and ensures stable load control throughout the testing process.

Dual Preloading Modes
The system supports two preloading configurations for flexible testing setup:

• Calibration Weight Load: 0.325–21.6 kg range for standard calibration procedures
  
• Additional Load: 10–50 kg adjustable range for extended test conditions

These adjustable settings enable precise reproduction of test conditions across different materials and standards, supporting consistent and traceable measurement results.

Pneumatic Automation System

The QualiFi™ 6000A integrates a fully pneumatic control system to ensure consistent specimen preparation, efficient workflow transitions, and improved operational safety across melt flow testing procedures.

Pneumatic Compaction with Adjustable Load Control
Pneumatic compaction operates with adjustable force settings (10–50 kg) and configurable compaction time, ensuring uniform specimen packing. This removes operator-dependent variability and supports consistent sample preparation conditions across repeated tests.

Pneumatic Residual Material Extrusion
An automated pneumatic extrusion function applies adjustable load (10–50 kg) to efficiently purge residual material from the barrel after testing. This enables rapid transition between samples while maintaining repeatable cleaning performance.

Pneumatic Barrel Cleaning System
The system includes pneumatic-assisted barrel cleaning to standardize inter-test preparation. This eliminates manual brushing, reduces contamination risk, and ensures consistent cleaning efficiency between consecutive tests.

Air Supply Requirement
The system operates with a compressed air requirement of >0.6 MPa, ensuring stable pneumatic performance for compaction, extrusion, and cleaning functions throughout the testing cycle.

Temperature Control

• Full operating range of 50–450 °C, enabling testing from commodity plastics to high-temperature engineering polymers on a single melt flow index tester platform.
  Multi-stage independent temperature control with dynamic heat distribution ensures a temperature gradient within ≤±0.1 °C along the barrel above the die.
• Temperature indication error is ≤0.2 °C, with temperature fluctuation maintained within ≤±0.2 °C, and a fine temperature resolution of 0.01 °C for precise control.
• Temperature recovery after specimen loading is ≤2 minutes, helping reduce overall cycle time in high-throughput melt flow index testing workflows.
• An intelligent dual PID control algorithm ensures fast heating response, stable temperature rise, and consistent thermal recovery throughout operation.

Measurement Performance

• MFR measurement range: 0.1–100 g/10 min; MVR measurement range: 0.01–3,000 cm³/10 min — one of the widest measurement ranges available in the melt flow indexer category, enabling accurate testing across very low to very high flow thermoplastics.
• Piston displacement indication error: ±0.02 mm; displacement resolution: 0.002 mm, ensuring highly precise piston movement tracking during measurement cycles.
• Timer resolution: 0.0005 seconds — the finest timing resolution in the QualiFi™ melt flow indexer series, supporting highly accurate flow rate calculations.
• Die plug device based on a lever principle, extending the measurable range up to 3,000 cm³/10 min while preventing barrel leakage during high-flow testing conditions.

Control Software & Data Management

• Menu-guided 10.1-inch full HD color touchscreen interface with real-time temperature–time curve and MVR curve visualization, providing clear monitoring of testing conditions and flow behavior during operation.
• Mass method, Volume Method A, and Volume Method B testing are fully supported, with automatic ISO/ASTM effective interval identification and automatic test start for standardized workflow execution.
• 8 stored test plan groups enable fast setup across multiple materials and specifications, improving efficiency in multi-material quality control environments.
• The volume method automatically calculates MFR values from the input specimen mass, allowing direct comparison with mass method results for consistent data validation.
• 5,000-group USB flash storage capacity and integrated DMS data management software support data export, analysis, and structured report generation. Optional PC software enables two-way control between PC and touchscreen, with direct upload to external databases and information systems.
• Multi-language interface support includes English, French, German, Italian, Russian, and additional languages for broader usability in global laboratories.
• A user authority management system with role-based access control protects measurement data and helps prevent operational errors.
• Optional CNAS-validated inter-laboratory proficiency testing records demonstrate performance consistency, with Z-scores maintained within ±0.11 across evaluations.

Accessories & Safety

• Adjustable metal observation mirror with 15° free-angle adjustment, explosion-proof and shatter-resistant design, and switchable viewing angles for clear monitoring of sample extrusion during testing.
• Cutting segment collection box prevents fragment contamination of cut-off samples, helping maintain test integrity and result accuracy.
• Stacking accessory support provides organized placement and easy access to all standard accessories during operation, improving workflow efficiency.
• Standard accessory set includes: barrel, piston rod, guide bush, weight tray and cover, Φ2.095 mm die, barrel cleaning rod, feeding rod, die cleaning rod, cutter, funnel, special tweezers, USB flash drive, wrenches, power cable, and PC software.

Theory and Method

Extrusion Plastometry — MFR and MVR Determination
The QualiFi™ 6000A operates based on the extrusion plastometry principle defined in ISO 1133 and ASTM D1238. A thermoplastic resin sample is introduced into a heated cylindrical barrel and brought to a controlled test temperature under defined preheating conditions. A specified dead-weight load is then applied through a piston, forcing the molten polymer through a precision-engineered die at the base of the barrel.

The melt flow indexer determines either the mass of extrudate collected over set time intervals (Mass Method, Method A: MFR expressed in g/10 min) or piston displacement over time intervals (Volume Method, Method B: MVR expressed in cm³/10 min), enabling evaluation of flow resistance under standardized conditions.

The melt flow index is inversely related to polymer viscosity under test conditions. Higher MFR or MVR values indicate lower melt viscosity and easier flow, while lower values reflect higher viscosity and greater flow resistance. This makes melt flow index a key parameter for quality control, batch consistency evaluation, molecular weight distribution screening, and process verification across thermoplastic materials.

Software-Controlled Variable Load System
A defining feature of the QualiFi™ 6000A within the QualiFi™ melt flow indexer range is its software-driven weight selection system with variable load functionality. Instead of manual weight selection or fixed configurations, test loads are fully programmed through software. The system automatically selects, lifts, and lowers required weights, including multi-stage load variation within a single test cycle, without manual intervention. This removes errors related to incorrect weight selection, handling contamination, and load sequencing inconsistencies in multi-step testing protocols.

Multi-Stage Independent Temperature Control with Dual PID Algorithm
Temperature control is managed by a high-performance heating and sensing system designed for continuous operation across 50–450 °C. Multi-stage independent control ensures dynamic heat distribution along the barrel, maintaining a temperature gradient of ≤±0.1 °C above the die.

Temperature indication error is ≤0.2 °C, with fluctuation maintained within ≤±0.2 °C. The dual PID control algorithm enables rapid heating response and stable recovery, achieving temperature stabilization within less than 2 minutes after sample loading, significantly improving overall test cycle efficiency.

High-Precision Displacement Measurement
Piston displacement used in MVR calculations is measured using a high-precision system with an indication error of ±0.02 mm and a resolution of 0.002 mm. The timer resolution of 0.0005 seconds enables highly accurate measurement of short interval cut-off sequences, supporting high-flow materials and extended measurement ranges up to 3,000 cm³/10 min.

Pneumatic Operation — Compaction, Residual Extrusion, and Barrel Cleaning
The system integrates pneumatic automation across three key stages of the workflow.
Pneumatic compaction applies adjustable force and time (10–50 kg) to ensure uniform specimen packing, eliminating variability associated with manual compaction.
Pneumatic residual extrusion uses adjustable load (10–50 kg) to rapidly purge remaining material from the barrel after testing, improving turnaround efficiency.
Pneumatic barrel cleaning enables fast, consistent cleaning without manual intervention, reducing contamination risk and improving repeatability.

Preloading and Preheating Modes
The QualiFi™ 6000A supports two preloading modes: calibration weight load (0.325–21.6 kg) and additional load (10–50 kg), both adjustable for accurate reproduction of test conditions across different materials. Two preheating modes (no-load and loaded) provide flexibility for various polymer types and testing protocols, supporting diverse laboratory requirements on a single platform.

Measurement and Control Software
The onboard software supports Mass Method (Method A), Volume Method A, and Volume Method B testing in full compliance with ISO 1133 and ASTM D1238 standards. It automatically identifies effective test intervals and initiates measurements at the correct piston position without operator input, ensuring standardized operation.

Eight stored test plan groups allow pre-configuration of complete test parameters for different materials, reducing setup time and improving efficiency in multi-material testing environments. Real-time temperature–time curves and MVR flow curves displayed on the 10.1-inch touchscreen enable continuous monitoring of thermal stability and test repeatability throughout operation.

Automatic Melt Flow Indexer (MFI) — QualiFi™ 6000A Technical Specifications

Standard Accessory Configuration

Optional Accessories