The "Nanopress" was originally developed for explorative research in the field of mechanical break junction circuits. A subsequent application required the incorporation of a high-resolution load cell for the characterization of thin films under stressed condition.

The Nanopress system's design includes a coarse adjustment capability for 1.5 mm travel and a piezo actuator for a servo-controlled nanopositioning range of 30 microns. A capacitive probe provides the nanometer-level displacement feedback signal that is fed into DSM's SA piezo servo amplifier and used to establish the system's servo control. The system is scalable and can be used for stress testing of small material samples as well as for mechanical break junction testing. Replaceable "jaws" convert the Nanopress from a 3- to a 4-point bend test device.