Instron at the World's Largest Wind Turbine Testing Facility

Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt helped to usher in a new era for Siemens Wind Power with the world’s largest testing facility for wind turbines, featuring Instron systems.

With locations in Aalborg and Brande, the new Siemens testing center is a global leader due to its footprint comprising over 27,000 square meters and its advanced testing abilities.  The facility is part of a one billion krone investment in Denmark’s wind turbine industry.

Watch the inauguration, including footage of Prime Minister Thorning-Schmidt learning about a 5900 Series system (hosted by TV MidtVest). Read more

Analysis at Every Stage of the Plastics Lifecycle

In their April issue, Plastics Engineering has shared insight on Instron’s investment of analysis for every stage in the plastics lifecycle. As Instron develops new products, a heavy emphasis is being placed on improving efficiency and increasing production without sacrificing quality. Automation, among other things, helps to remove manual errors and in turn, provide more consistency and repeatability.

The AutoX can perform multiple types of tests with high accuracy and travel. The TrendTracker™ is a results management software package that allows the user to search, view, and compare multiple test results generated over time.  Responding to customer needs, the CEAST HV500 can be used to test specimens at temperatures as high as 500 °C and a low-cost Carousel Automated Feeding System can carry out tensile, tear, and t-peel testing of thin-film plastics.

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United Way Honors Instron for 2012-2013

The United Way has honored Instron again this year in recognition for the 2012—2013 campaign season.

At the Worldwide Headquarters, Instron received the Cornerstone Award for superior volunteerism in addition to the Most Improved Business Campaign Award for the third year in a row.  Where Instron’s Industrial Products Group was recognized with the Platinum Award, the highest level of recognition for donations for the second year in a row, the Instron Binghamton (NY) Facility was praised for its leadership.

As a company, as part of our communities, we are proud to contribute in the ways we can.
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Instron Supporting Britain's Economic Growth

The BBC sheds light on where to place bets for Britain’s future economic success. The recent segment displays a repertoire of Instron’s single column 3300 machine, dual column 5900 machine, and Bluehill® software running tests at the Tissue Regenix laboratory.

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The Evolution of Composites Testing

In insights from industry, Ian McEnteggart, Composites Manager, talks to AZoM about key processes in today’s composites testing world and how they are transforming the application for composites. Ian shares the value of unique testing methods, specialized instrumentation, and meeting national standards.

Instron equipment is widely used for testing composites, able to perform over 100 different test types on composite materials.

Ian has been contributing to Instron for over thirty years and specializes in this growing market. He holds a degree in physics from the University of Birmingham and a diploma in systems engineering. His background boasts of designing materials testing systems, developing international standards, and being published worldwide.

Read on to learn more.

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Protecting Your Investment: The Instron BioCoat

Do you perform mechanical testing with an Instron BioPuls Bath, a homemade bath, or with wet specimens? Medical devices and biomaterials are often tested in a bath of water or saline heated to 37 °C (body temperature) to replicate a more physiologically accurate environment. While this creates an accurate simulation, using liquid can pose a risk of damaging your Instron system, since many of the frame’s electronics are housed directly under the liquid-filled test space. More often than not, the risk usually comes from filling and emptying the bath.

This risk can be minimized by using the Instron BioCoat: a flexible, polyurethane cover for any single column Instron system (you may remember our post from July). The BioCoat, along with a base plate adapter, creates a water-resistant seal around the base of the machine, greatly minimizing the risk of leaking water or other liquids damaging the electronics within the base of the Instron frame. The flexibility of the BioCoat also allows for easy access to the load and strain cables in the back of the machine.

This video shows how the BioCoat protects the base of the Instron frame. As always, you can contact your local Instron representative for more information. Read more

Question from a Customer: Why is strain rate important?

A. Strain rate is the speed at which a material is deformed and different strain rates can have a big effect on the tensile properties of some materials.
Take silly putty as an example. If you slowly pull on a piece of silly putty, it will stretch an enormous amount before it breaks. But if you pull on it quickly, it breaks almost immediately. This is known as strain-rate sensitivity. Many plastics and polymers and some steels are strain-rate sensitive.
So it’s important to remember that stress/strain data captured at lower strain rates may not produce accurate predictions for the properties of that material at high strain rates. Using that data to analyze and design parts and structures can result in those parts and structures being perfectly able to withstand predicted day-to-day forces. However, when subject to sudden high strain rates such as those found in a collision, those parts and structures could shatter rather than absorb the energy of that collision.

For more information on various materials testing terminology, visit our online glossary. Read more