Nova Mechanica SA is a spin–off company that resulted from the wish of the Public Technological Institute, ‘Centre of Research and Technological Growth in Thessaly’ (CE.RE.TE.TH.), and private investors with expertise in research and development, to develop, promote and seek commercial applications in several industries for innovative research results that have been discovered by our experienced researchers, to the Greek as well as to the International markets.

Nova Mechanica SA was founded in late 2007, is an independent, small-size enterprise, based in Larisa – Greece. The Scientific research fields of expertise are Mechanics, Nanotechnology, New Materials and Materials Assessment, ‘High Performance Diagnostics’, Textiles - Bio textiles, Indenters and Bio-sensors. The company collaborates closely with the 4 Institutes of CE.RE.TE.TH., as well as leading academic institutions and researchers and is currently in a position to undertake any project in relevant research fields, supported by our professional partners in the Greek and International market.

Nova Mechanica SA experienced and efficient Scientific and Managerial Team is ready to provide its innovative products and services to the Greek as to the international market, networking closely with leading academic institutions and high-tech companies in order to provide excellent technology transfer and knowledge-management dissemination services.

The company’s business aim is the promotion and sale of pioneering applications related to nanotechnology and strength of materials, the measurement of mechanical attributes of advanced materials of systems, the designing of new complex materials with special attributes and high commercial value, as well as the growth of systems of qualitative control of production and health-monitoring of materials in various operation systems. The applications address needs of the manufacturing industry, the biomedical industry and the developers of micro-nano electronic systems, based on the growth of new materials (functionally graded composites, high-tech textiles, semi –gels, gels) with special/specific characteristics.

Potential customers of this category are interested in new technologies that allow material optimisation possibilities through their mechanical characterization. Such enterprises constitute large or medium size industries producing rubber / elastic and plastic materials, composite materials, structural materials (steel, cement), medical products, diagnostic devices, products used by the defence industries, enterprises that are active in steel production and construction, as well as several research Institutes.
We have filed for two patents related to the indentation of rubber-like materials and biomaterials that are pending in the Greek Patent Office:
1) Pretension mechanism and method for the extraction of mechanical properties of elastomers, human and animal tissues, trough indentation tests, ΟΒΙ: 20080100186/13-06-2008.

2) Modified indenter tip and method for the extraction of mechanical properties of elastomers, human and animal tissues, through indentation tests, ΟΒΙ: 20080100187/13-06-2008.

and we are planning to apply for European Patent protection, according to the European Law of patent priority.

In the last decade, the indentation test has become a useful tool for probing mechanical properties of small material volumes. In this context, little has been done for rubber-like materials (elastomers), although there is pressing need to use indentation in biomechanics and tissue examination.
Elastomer models serve well in the description of certain biomaterials, including very soft tissues, cells and the DNA. Pathological soft tissues (e.g., tumours) show different elastic behaviour, in comparison to healthy tissues. For example, the cancerous tissue is 3-7 times stiffer than the normal tissue and diabetes can increase the stiffness of the soft tissues of feet, causing pain in the region of the heel. We have recently extended indentation techniques to measure very low elastic properties that are often encountered in human and animal organs.