What Cannon Instrument does

Cannon Instrument Company is a privately held, Pennsylvania-based manufacturer of precision viscosity and physical property measurement instruments, founded in 1938 and operating from a 50,000 sq. ft. facility in State College, PA with 51-100 employees. The company serves regulated laboratories in the petroleum, fuels and lubricants, polymer and plastics, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and asphalt/construction materials industries, selling automated and manual viscometers, rheometers, cold-cranking simulators, constant temperature baths, flash point testers, densitometers, and certified viscosity and flash point reference standards that comply with ASTM, AASHTO, and SAE J300 methods.

The core technology portfolio is anchored by the CAV 5 Family (CAV-R, CAV-X, CAV-D) next-generation automated kinematic viscometry platform with TargetHeat, Start Optimization, and WashPort adaptive cleaning; the miniPV series for automated dilute solution polymer viscosity; the miniAV and miniAV-LT kinematic viscometers including a low-temperature model for jet fuel; the TESC-2983 and TESC-5133 thermoelectric rotational viscometers; and the CCS-G6 cold-cranking simulator. Cannon maintains an in-house glass-blowing operation for its manual CANNON-Fenske, CANNON-Ubbelohde, and CANNON-Manning viscometers, and operates a NIST-accredited A2LA calibration laboratory. The product ecosystem is extended through distribution partnerships with Hitachi High-Tech (NEXTA DSC/DMA/STA/TMA thermal analysis), Tanaka (density), Eralytics (flash point), and GreenLab (distillation).

Cannon's revenue model combines one-time hardware sales across a broad price tier from portable to benchtop systems, recurring consumables through certified reference standards (viscosity check oils, flash point reference materials, HTHS and silicone standards, Thomas-Stormer standards), and ongoing service, calibration, maintenance, and training revenue. The go-to-market motion is sales-led and event-driven, executed through a dedicated USA and international sales team, a B2B portal, a global dealer/distributor network, and active participation in Pittcon, STLE, ASTM D02, ACS, and AMI trade conferences. ISO 9001:2015 certified since 2020 and Great Place to Work certified in 2024.

Name

Cannon Instrument

Legal name

Cannon Instrument Company

Website

https://cannoninstrument.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1940

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Cannon Instrument Company, founded 1938 and based in State College, Pennsylvania, manufactures precision viscometers, rheometers, cold-cranking simulators, and certified reference standards for regulated laboratories in petroleum, polymer, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and asphalt testing applications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Laboratory Viscosity and Physical Property Testing Instruments

NAICS

Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516), Instruments and Related Products Manufacturing for Measuring, Displaying, and Controlling Industrial Process Variables (334513), Testing Laboratories and Services (54138)

SIC

Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

Metrology, Calibration & Testing Equipment (Balances, pH/DO, Standards) (HLAGAIAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Release Testing & Batch Certification (QC) (HLAGADAC), Test, Measurement & Lab Equipment Retail (CRACAKAH)

Keywords

• Viscometers and rheometers
• Physical property testing
• Viscosity reference standards
• Polymer viscosity analysis
• Petroleum fuel testing

Headquarters

HQ city

State College

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Precision Testing Instruments: Sale of automated and manual viscometers, rheometers, cold-cranking simulators, constant temperature baths, flash point testers, densitometers, and other physical property testing instruments. Products range from portable to benchtop systems with applications across petroleum, polymer, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics industries.
2. Viscosity and Flash Point Reference Standards: Sale of certified viscosity reference standards including viscosity check oils, flash point reference materials, high-temperature viscosity standards, silicone viscosity standards, and Thomas-Stormer standards. Recurring consumables that require regular recalibration and replenishment.
3. Service, Calibration and Maintenance: Instrument calibration, maintenance, repair services, and service plans. The company offers IQ PQ OQ checklists, warranty programs, and technical service support. Also includes custom formulation and laboratory testing services.
4. Training and Consulting: Training programs and consulting services for customers on instrument operation, viscosity testing methodologies, and regulatory compliance, providing ongoing customer engagement and revenue.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Cannon Instrument Company manufactures and sells precision viscosity and physical property testing instruments, including automated and manual kinematic viscometers, rotational viscometers, polymer viscometers, cold-cranking simulators, constant temperature baths, flash point testers, and densitometers. The company also produces certified viscosity and flash point reference standards, offers instrument calibration, maintenance, repair, training, and consulting services, and distributes partner thermal analysis instruments (DSC, TGA, TMA, DMA) from Hitachi High-Tech for laboratory customers in petroleum, polymer, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, and asphalt industries.

Product overview

Cannon Instrument Company offers a comprehensive portfolio of precision viscosity and physical property testing instruments. The core product line includes the CAV 5 Family of automated kinematic viscometers (CAV-R, CAV-X, CAV-D), the miniPV series for automated polymer/dilute solution viscosity (miniPV, miniPV-X, miniPV-H, miniPV-HX), miniAV series for kinematic viscosity testing including low-temperature miniAV-LT, and manual glass viscometers. Supporting products include constant temperature baths (CT-500, CT-2000, TE-3000), flash point testers, densitometers, cold-cranking simulators (CCS-G6), TESC rotational viscometers, DVR digital vacuum regulators, and comprehensive viscosity/flash point reference standards. The company also distributes partner thermal analysis instruments from Hitachi including NEXTA DSC, DMA, STA, and TMA series. The product ecosystem is managed through VISCPRO software and supported by the SPS Solution Preparation System for polymer testing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CAV 5 Family: Next-generation automated viscometry platform featuring CAV-R, CAV-X, and CAV-D models with advanced thermal conditioning, intelligent sample handling, and adaptive cleaning technologies.
• miniAV
• miniPV
• miniPV-H
• CCS-G6
• miniPV-X
• TESC-2983
• TESC-5133

Products and services

• CAV 5 Family (CAV-R, CAV-X, CAV-D) Next-generation automated kinematic viscometry platform featuring advanced thermal conditioning, intelligent sample handling, and adaptive cleaning technologies. Three models (CAV-R, CAV-X, CAV-D) for laboratory customers in petroleum, polymer, pharmaceutical, and general industrial testing applications.
• CCS-G6 Cold-Cranking Simulator Next-generation Cold-Cranking Simulator for cold-temperature engine oil testing with a modern, space-saving design, used by lubricant manufacturers and testing laboratories for ASTM-compliant cold-temperature viscosity characterization.
• miniPV-X Automated Polymer Viscometer Fully automated, single-bath, benchtop viscometer with 10-position sample handler for dilute solution viscosity of polymers and kinematic viscosity for general purpose applications in organic solvents and aqueous solutions.
• miniPV-H Automated Polymer Viscometer Fully automated, single-sample, benchtop viscometer for unattended processing and testing in aggressive/corrosive solvents for dilute solution viscosity of polymers and kinematic viscosity applications.
• miniPV-HX Automated Polymer Viscometer Automated single-bath dilute solution polymer viscometer with hardened construction for aggressive solvent applications.
• miniPV Automated Polymer Viscometer Automated single-bath polymer viscometer for dilute solution viscosity measurements.
• miniAV Kinematic Viscometer Single-bath kinematic viscometer for petroleum and fuel testing applications.
• miniAV-LT Low Temperature Viscometer Low-temperature kinematic viscometer designed for jet fuel testing at -40°C and -20°C, with proprietary reference standards N.84B and N.95B specifically developed for this instrument.
• TESC-2983 Thermoelectric Sample Conditioner and Rotational Viscometer Fully-integrated thermoelectrically heated-cooled sample conditioner and rotational viscometer system for ASTM D2983 low-temperature viscosity testing, offering nearly 200% better precision than manual procedures at 300W power with ultra-compact design.
• TESC-5133 Low Temperature Viscometer Low temperature viscometer for engine lubricants conforming to and automating ASTM D5133 testing.
• CAV 4.1 Automated Kinematic Viscometer Fully-automated, single bath, benchtop kinematic viscometer for ASTM D445/446 testing of transparent and opaque liquids.
• DVR-3000 Digital Vacuum Regulator Digital Vacuum Regulator for precision control in laboratory testing applications.
• Manual Glass Viscometers Comprehensive line of manually operated glass viscometers including CANNON-Fenske, CANNON-Ubbelohde, CANNON-Manning, Zeitfuchs Cross-Arm, BS/IP/MSL, and other styles for various viscosity measurement applications, produced by in-house glass blowing team in Pennsylvania.
• Constant Temperature Baths Precision temperature control baths including CT-500 Series, CT-2000 Extended Range, TE-3000 Sub-Zero, and CBC-100 External Thermoelectric Bath Cooler for viscometer operation.
• Flash Point Testers Instruments for determining flash point of petroleum products and flammable materials, including Eralytics flash point testing instruments distributed by Cannon.
• Densitometers Density measurement instruments for petroleum and chemical testing applications, including Tanaka density instruments distributed by Cannon.
• Other Physical Property Testers Additional testing instruments for various physical property measurements beyond viscosity, including GreenLab distillation point instruments.
• Viscosity and Flash Point Reference Standards Certified reference materials including Viscosity Check Oils, Flash Point Reference Materials, Flow Cup Viscosity Standards, High Temperature (HTHS) Viscosity Standards, Silicone Viscosity Standards, and Thomas-Stormer Standards, serving as recurring consumables for instrument calibration.
• SPS Solution Preparation System Semi-automated gravimetric polymer solution preparation system providing ±0.02% concentration accuracy and approximately 2-minute solution preparation for relative viscosity measurements on CANNON automated polymer viscometers.
• Distillation Packing Laboratory distillation equipment accessories and packing materials.
• CANNON Bath Oils Silicone bath fluids and oils for viscometer operation including 5 cSt, 10 cSt, and 20 cSt formulations.
• NEXTA DSC Series (Hitachi Differential Scanning Calorimeter) Hitachi differential scanning calorimeter series (DSC600, DSC200) with superior sensitivity (0.1 µW or lower), world-class baseline stability, RealView real-time image capture, full temperature modulated DSC capability, and a robust robotic autosampler. Distributed by Cannon as part of its polymer and material testing portfolio.
• NEXTA DMA200 (Hitachi Dynamic Mechanical Analyzer) Hitachi Dynamic Mechanical Analyzer for polymer material analysis and characterization. Distributed by Cannon.
• NEXTA STA Series (Hitachi Simultaneous Thermogravimetric Analyzer) Hitachi Simultaneous Thermogravimetric Analyzer for compositional analysis of polymer materials. Distributed by Cannon.
• TMA7000 Series (Hitachi Thermomechanical Analyzer) Hitachi Thermomechanical Analyzer for dimensional stability evaluation of electronic materials and components. Distributed by Cannon.
• Instrument Calibration, Service, and Maintenance Instrument calibration, maintenance, repair services, and service plans. Includes IQ PQ OQ checklists, warranty programs, technical service support, and custom formulation and laboratory testing services for laboratory customers.
• Training and Consulting Training programs and consulting services for customers on instrument operation, viscosity testing methodologies, and regulatory compliance.

Quantifiable outcome

• TESC-2983 offers nearly 200% better precision for Procedure D over other manual D2983 procedures
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature11 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• TanakacoreTechnology or IntegrationTanaka is a partner providing density measurement instruments that complement Cannon's viscosity and physical property testing portfolio. Cannon integrates Tanaka instruments as part of its comprehensive solution offering for petroleum, lubricant, and industrial laboratories.
• EralyticscoreTechnology or IntegrationEralytics supplies flash point testing instruments distributed by Cannon as part of its physical property testing product line. The partnership extends Cannon's offering beyond viscosity into complementary fuel testing parameters including flash point and moisture.
• Hitachi High-TechcoreTechnology or IntegrationHitachi High-Tech provides the NEXTA thermal analysis series (DSC, TGA, TMA, DMA) distributed by Cannon. These instruments complement Cannon's viscometry products for polymer testing and research applications, with Cannon featuring application notes and webinars on Hitachi thermal analysis technology.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• TA Instruments (Waters): Specializes in thermal analysis, rheology, and viscometry for polymer, pharmaceutical, and materials laboratories. Directly comparable as a combined rheology/thermal analysis competitor and overlaps with Cannon's polymer testing portfolio, including partner-distributed thermal analysis lines.
• Anton Paar: Austrian manufacturer of high-precision laboratory and process measurement instruments including viscometers, rheometers, density meters, and refractometers. Directly competes with Cannon across kinematic viscosity, rotational viscosity, and density measurement, and serves the same petroleum, polymer, and pharmaceutical laboratory customers globally.
• Brookfield Engineering (AMETEK): Long-established manufacturer of rotational viscometers and rheometers, now part of AMETEK. Competes directly with Cannon's rotational viscometer and rheometer offerings and shares a similar customer base in petroleum, polymer, cosmetics, and food testing laboratories.
• Fungilab: Spanish manufacturer of rotational viscometers and rheometers targeting petroleum, paint, food, and cosmetics laboratories. Directly comparable to Cannon as a niche specialist offering rotational and kinematic viscosity measurement with similar end-market focus.
• NETZSCH Group: German manufacturer of thermal analysis (DSC, TGA, DMA) and viscometry instruments for polymer, chemical, and industrial customers. Directly comparable to Cannon's thermal analysis and rheology offering, particularly in polymer and materials characterization applications.

Broad incumbents

• Mettler Toledo: Swiss precision instrument manufacturer with density meters, refractometers, and laboratory balances that overlap with Cannon's physical property testing portfolio. Targets the same regulated laboratory customers in petroleum, pharmaceutical, and food testing with a broader offering.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific: Global analytical instrument giant offering viscometry, rheology, density, and physical property testing within a vast laboratory instrument portfolio. Serves the same petroleum, pharmaceutical, and polymer customers as Cannon but with broader modalities and substantially greater scale.
• Shimadzu Scientific Instruments: Japanese analytical instrument manufacturer offering chromatography, spectroscopy, and physical property testing instruments. Competes for the same petroleum, polymer, and pharmaceutical laboratory customers through broader portfolio scope rather than direct viscometry specialization.
• Agilent Technologies: Major analytical instrument manufacturer serving pharmaceutical, chemical, food, and environmental laboratories. While not a direct viscosity specialist, Agilent's chromatography and spectroscopy portfolio competes for the same laboratory CapEx budgets as Cannon's viscometry solutions.

Emerging players

• Hydramotion: UK-based specialist in inline and laboratory viscosity measurement for industrial process and laboratory applications. Comparable as a niche viscometry player but with a focus on inline/process viscosity rather than Cannon's bench-top and standards-driven laboratory approach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/Cannoninstrument
• Facebookfacebook.com/cannoninstrumentcompany
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cannon-instrument-company
• Xx.com/CANNON_Instr

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cannon Instrument