Thermal Conductivity Measurement Simplified with TOPS

TOPS revolutionizes your thermal conductivity testing for solids, liquids, pastes, gels, and foams – all in one instrument.

Say goodbye to slow, complex testing. Get fast, accurate, and simple thermal conductivity measurements—so you can speed up material development, improve quality control processes, and gain deeper insights into material properties.

TOPS Isn't Just a Testing Tool—It’s a Game-Changer for Research, Development, and Manufacturing.

Accelerate Innovation

High-throughput, rapid thermal conductivity measurements for faster material discovery and product development.

Master Process Variation to Optimize Quality

Improved understanding of process variation by testing material during and after production.

Increase Operational Efficiency

Reduced testing time allows for more tests, greater data collection, and faster decision-making.

The Future of Thermal Conductivity Testing with TOPS

The Thermo-Optical Plane Source (TOPS) tool is the fastest, most efficient way to measure
thermal conductivity—with minimal sample preparation and no complex setup. Whether you’re
developing new materials or ensuring quality control, TOPS delivers rapid, reliable results with
unsurpassed ease.

Unmatched Simplicity

TOPS directly measures the thermal conductivity of your material, eliminating the need to make assumptions about your materials specific heat capacity or density —one of the biggest limitations of transient methods.

Conventional techniques also require extensive sample preparation, often forcing you to shape materials to fit the instrument, making it impossible to test production-ready parts.

TOPS eliminates the need for extensive sample preparation, multiple test phases, complex calculations, or material property assumptions. Simply apply an emissivity film and insert your sample—whether in bulk or a specific shape.

Record Time Testing

TOPS dramatically shortens testing cycles compared to traditional methods by utilizing laser heating and infrared pyrometry for a non-contact, single-sided measurement. Unlike conventional techniques that require heat to pass through the entire material, TOPS provides direct, steady-state thermal conductivity measurements in record time—delivering insights in less than 3 minutes.

Unsurpassed Versatility

TOPS offers exceptional versatility, analyzing a wide range of materials and geometries for diverse applications and industries. With the ability to measure samples of nearly any shape and size with minimal restrictions, it provides unparalleled flexibility for precise and adaptable testing.

Unlike traditional methods that provide only a single thermal conductivity value for the entire sample, TOPS enables multiple measurements by adjusting the laser spot position. This added precision reveals localized variations within the material, which is particularly valuable for composites and other heterogeneous materials where uniformity is difficult to achieve.

Designed for ease of use, TOPS is a plug-and-play solution featuring a compact design, a Class I laser for safety, and fully automated operations and data analysis. Training takes just a few hours and can be executed remotely. No advanced engineering or thermal analysis expertise is required.

TOPS Specifications

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Performance Specifications

Thermal conductivity range: ~0.05 W/m-K to ~60 W/m-K
Temp range: room temperature to 100˚ C
Test cycle time: ~1-3 minutes
Uncertainty: +/- 5%
Repeatability: +/- 1%
Laser spot: ~1mm in diameter
Minimum sample size: 2x2x2mm ³ – Materials are restricted to 50mm in height.
Maximum sample size: 304mm x 304mm (or 12″ x 12″) and 50mm in height (or 1.9″)
Materials tested: solids, liquids, pastes, gels, and foams
Sample preparation: Surface roughness <1μm rms (120 grit) and apply a transducer film

Product Specifications

Dimensions: 18″W x 25″H x 21″D
Weight: 120 Lbs.
Power requirements: 110/220 VAC, 50/60 Hz, 15 Amp power outlet

Frequently Asked Questions about TOPS

What are the sample preparation requirements to use the TOPS tool?

Samples’ surface finish should be less than approximately 1micron RMS (120 grit or greater finish).

Can the TOPS system measure high thermal conductivity materials?

Generation 1 of the TOPS tool can measure up to 60 W/m-K. We are currently developing new emissivity coatings that will allow measurement of higher thermal conductivity materials and increased ranges for temperature testing.

Why do I need to apply the emissivity coating to my test sample?

The emissivity film is used to provide known absorption and emissivity characteristics at the surface of the sample. This facilitates measurements that provide the same heating and sensing surfaces between materials.

How do I apply the emissivity film?

The emissivity film comes in sheets of different size pieces. It is adhesive backed and is simple to apply to your sample by hand and can be removed from the sample after use.

Where do I procure the adhesive backed emissivity film?

The emissivity coating is specific to TOPS measurements and can be purchased from Laser Thermal. The system was developed, validated, and qualified using the specially developed film and must be used to ensure accurate results.

Do I need to know my material’s heat capacity or density to complete the TOPS test?

No. It works in a steady-state regime where the measurement is insensitive to volumetric heat capacity (specific heat multiplied by density). This provides a direct measurement of thermal conductivity without the need to know your material’s heat capacity or density.

Will the laser heating used to perform the measurement damage my sample?

No. The laser power applied to make ideal measurements should only raise the surface of the sample by about 5 degrees Kelvin.

How does the TOPS system account for material anisotropy?

TOPS fundamentally measures the product of the in-plane and cross-plane thermal conductivities. In the current generation 1 TOPS tool, there is currently not an option to separate these values.

How can I measure liquids, pastes and gels in the TOPS system?

Laser Thermal has designed special containers for both liquids and pastes/gels, using slightly different containers, that loads a small volume until it is in contact with an emissivity coating applied across the top of the container that is then used to measure the properties of the liquid, gel, or paste.

Can the TOPS measure samples thinner than 2mm?

In certain cases, particularly for insulating materials, TOPS can measure samples thinner than 2 mm. If you have a specific sample requirement, please let Laser Thermal know and we will be happy to provide guidance.

Can the TOPS system measure through plane and in plane directions?

TOPS fundamentally measures the product of the in-plane and cross-plane thermal conductivities. In the current generation 1 TOPS tool, there is currently not an option to separate these values.

What is the penetration depth of the TOPS measurement?

The TOPS penetration depth, generally defined as the depth at which the temperature decays to 1/e that of the surface, is a function of the spot radius. As an example, for a 1mm spot, the measurement depth is the radius, or about 500 microns.

How does the TOPS system measure a porous surface such as foam?

The emissivity coating is placed on the surface of porous samples, similar to how the emissivity film would be placed on a solid sample surface, and the measurement is conducted as if it were a solid sample.