A dilatometer is a precision instrument for the measurement of dimensional changes in material as a function of temperature. Dilatometry can be used to test a wide range of material including traditional and advanced ceramics, glasses, metals, and polymers. It provides measurements of a wide variety of properties including linear thermal expansion, coefficient of thermal expansion, sintering temperature, shrinkage steps, phase transitions, density change, softening point and decomposition temperature, anisotropic behavior, and glass transition temperature.