By: Toby Rogers, Director of Lloyd Instruments Materials Testing Equipment and Chatillon Force Testing Instruments
Material tester,
friction tester,
polymer tester, adhesiveness tester. Material testing machines go by many names. When companies need to test their products, the market for material testing machines can be a difficult jungle to navigate in.
What application does your
material testing machine need to satisfy? What does this kind of machine cost? How do you evaluate the quality of the different material testing machines on the market? And how do you make sure that you can use this machine for applications you have today as well as in the future?
When it comes to choosing the right material tester, this is what you should consider before purchasing the product:
1) Quality
A good quality material tester itself is not enough if you want to make sure that you get the best material tester at the best price. The combination of the quality of the material tester and the
material testing software is what you need to be aware of when buying a machine that needs to perform stable and reliable tests at all times. While the material tester performs the test the material testing software calculates and stores the results of your tests. It can also transfer and integrate your data to your own analysis software.
2) Flexibility
If your application requirements change over time, significant savings can be made by initially investing in a material tester that comes with a comprehensive
software package. A comprehensive software package enables you to perform many different types of tests without the need for additional investments in new software modules if your requirements change. A software that has the flexibility to adapt to the changing needs of you customers is a major benefit. Acquisition of additional material testing software modules every time your testing needs change can end up becoming a costly affair, some material testers that are on the market today, come with a comprehensive software package as a standard.
3) Ease of use
Always remember to try the material tester before you buy, so you know whether the material tester design and software package is intuitive and meets your application requirements. Most modern material testers offer you a standards library that with a single click configures the machine to test according to a specific international standard. If you need a special test setup for your products some material testers also have a built in wizard that guides you through the test setup, so that you easily and quickly configure unusual or complex tests.
4) Securing the future
Once you are aware of the flexibility of your new
material testing software, it is also a good idea to think about what testing needs the future might bring . Will your product range expand in the future? If so, it is important that the material tester you purchase has sufficient capacity for your future requirements. As a rule of thumb one can say that a material tester will always be able to take smaller
load cells than the ones it had attached when you bought it.
5) Be realistic about your needs
There is a material tester for every need. Are the tests you need to perform advanced and must meet specific standards, then a material tester with high assurance documentation , traceability, reliability and accuracy is what you should go for. However, is the area that your test results must be within wide, then there is no reason to invest in the most expensive model in the market. If you are unsure about your needs, you are always welcome to call our specialists for advice, so you are sure to get the material tester that suits your particular needs.
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