Welcome to our new Instron Community Blog hosted by Instron. It is a compilation of the freshest, brightest, most-talented minds that Instron has to offer. The world of materials science is so vast and encompasses the broadest range of industries, materials, and challenges that no one person can possibly possess all the knowledge required to be the resident expert – or master of materials science. It takes a small army behind the scenes collaborating and sharing technical know-how, experiences, and ideas to present the most accurate, relevant, and timely information to you – our readers.

We invite you to tell us who you are, share your stories and talk about your experiences. Join the Instron Community.

Friday, May 27, 2011

At the Heart of the Community

Our colleagues are at it again ..... During the United Way Day of Caring, 16 Instron employees volunteered their personal time to help the community by sorting and distributing donations received at the United Way supported Ecumenical Community Food Pantry of Norwood. Read more

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Last Chance for Savings

Are you aware that we're offering a significant savings on grip upgrades? If you're in the market to replace your current pneumatic or screw-action grips with new pneumatic grips, keep reading ....

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Thursday, May 19, 2011

Unveiling at the Control Show

With visitors from industries that include automobile, biomedical, metals, and aerospace, the Control Show is one of the most significant Quality Assurance trade events, and we were thrilled to take part in it with our ITW Test & Measurement partners.

"We met with visitors from all over the world, so it was a great chance to meet people and showcase our systems," said first-time attendee Tara Ward, Wilson Hardness Marketing Manager. "We performed tests on our Instron systems and our hardness testers. We also took this global opportunity to unveil two new Wilson Hardness testers - the UH3000 Basic Tester and the Vickers Hardness Tester 1102/1202. It was quite a success."

What did you think of Control 2011?
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Monday, May 16, 2011

Section 179 Deduction for Testing Equipment

Are you looking to purchase new testing equipment or materials testing software this year? Are you familiar with Section 179 and the updates recently passed for 2011?

If not, read about the equipment that qualifies for the Section 179 Deduction, as well as the great tax savings you’re entitled to on new testing systems; it’s a great way to save money on this year’s purchases. We suggest consulting your tax advisor to determine the effects of acquiring capital for your company.

Lastly, it’s important to point out that to be eligible for this tax savings, the equipment or testing software needs to be purchased and installed before 12/31/11.
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Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Live Calibration at ANTEC

Despite the busy traffic at ANTEC, our very own Ben Twombly, Director of Rheology & Thermal Products, takes a few moments to show us just how easy it is to calibrate a pendulum tester.

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Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Calibration / Verification ... Is There Really a Difference?

Calibration and Verification are commonly used across many scientific disciplines and industries with varied yet similar meanings. We have found that although the terms are closely related, they are often mistakenly used interchangeably.

The true relationship is that calibration (the comparative measurement) leads to the completion of the verification. Verification is not possible without the preceding calibration. You must always first perform the calibration between the standard reference and the examined device to determine the difference between them. It is then appropriate to compare the observed difference/error with the allowable errors as stated by the device’s performance specification to complete the verification.

However, in practice, the verification is so closely related to the calibration that they are treated as two inseparable parts of the same process.
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