The Need for Accredited Calibration

Our customers expect confidence, integrity of data, and reliable test results. Regular calibration of mechanical testing machines to internationally recognized standards by an accredited organization helps provide this reassurance and are vital contributors in reducing business risk and cost.

How often should a system be calibrated?
In many cases, the frequency of calibration is dictated by the requirements provided in standards or procedures specified by the company’s quality assurance requirements. The most frequently used materials testing standards recommend that a system is calibrated annually. Best practice also dictates that the equipment should be calibrated if it has undergone significant repair, configuration, or has moved locations.

What’s the difference between accredited and unaccredited calibration?
An accredited calibration laboratory is subject to an independent, third party evaluation of its competence to perform calibration procedures meeting ISO 17025, the international standard for requirements and competence of calibration and testing laboratories. This includes verification that the laboratory provides measurement results traceable to recognized National Measurement Institutes (NMIs), such as:
- National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in US
- National Physical Laboratory (NPL) in the UK
- Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) in Germany

Using an accredited calibration laboratory provides confidence that the calibration certificates will be recognized and accepted worldwide.

Which standard should I calibrate to?
This depends on the testing procedure or quality control requirements. Many testing procedures and standards require that the testing machine has to be calibrated to a particular calibration standard. For tensile testing, the most commonly specified calibration standards are ASTM E4 or ISO 7500-1. Additionally, where strain measurement devices are used, ASTM E83 or ISO 9513 are often specified. Read more

Recent Quake Activities

Did you just experience the East Coast or Colorado earthquakes? For those of us in the Northeast, this isn't something we're used to experiencing. However, out in California, it tends to be an occurrence that most likely doesn't bring as much Facebook activity as today's quakes.

Eighty percent of all earthquakes occur along the edge of the Pacific Coast. Depending on its force, some buildings, roadways or bridges could collapse.

With a daily volume of nearly 300,000 vehicles, one of the busiest bridges in the USA is the 71 year old west-coast San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge (SFOBB). This 4.5 mile (7.2 km) long bridge consists of two major spans. Once deemed impossible to build, Caltrans designated the SFOBB as the emergency lifeline route to use in disaster response activities. This requires the bridge to be secure, fully functional, and earthquake-resistant. In 1989, the bridge closed for more than a month due to repairs needed after the Loma Prieta earthquake. In response, the eastern span between Oakland and Yerba Buena Island is now being replaced by an entirely new crossing – making the bridge less susceptible to damage during an earthquake. This is known as the East Span Seismic Safety Project.

"We are using Instron's testing system to tensile test large diameter steel bars (#14 and #18) to ASTM A 615, ASTM A 706 and ASTM A 722 specifications," said Rosme Aguilar, the Structural Materials Testing Lab Branch Chief. "This custom built 2 million pound (8,896 kN) capacity system has replaced our existing testing system because its 1 million pound (4,448 kN) capacity could no longer handle materials of larger diameter and strength that require a higher capacity."

The system, which stands more than 26 feet (8 meters) high, is located at the Structural Materials Testing Lab in Sacramento, CA. As California's only state transportation testing lab accredited by the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA), it quickly responded to a recent bridge collapse due to a tanker truck explosion. The lab had the responsibilities of assisting with the damage assessment to determine if the material properties of the steel girders and bent caps had been compromised due to the heat from the tanker truck fire. Remarkably, the damaged bridge was fully functional in 18 days. Read more

Stent Testing

Each year more than a million people in the United States have coronary angioplasty. A stent placed in an artery as part of the angioplasty restores blood flow through narrowed or blocked arteries. Stents - a small mesh tube - help prevent the arteries from becoming narrowed or blocked again and are usually made of metal mesh, but sometimes they're made of fabric. Fabric stents, also called stent grafts, are used in larger arteries.



In partnership with Machine Solutions Inc. (MSI), we provided a solution to test stents during expansion and compression. A typical test can be observed in the video that features a single column system and the RX fixture with MSI’s proprietary segmental compression mechanism. You'll see that the data acquisition during the test is handled by materials testing software that provides radial hoop strength and radial stiffness results.

We know it's important to develop systems that are in accordance with not only ASTM standards, but also international testing recommendations. Here's a few we kept in mind for stents testing:
• The FDA guidance document titled “Non-Clinical Tests and Recommended Labeling for Intravascular Stents and Associated Delivery Systems”
• ISO Standard 25539-1:2003(E) Titled “Cardiovascular implants – Endovascular devices”
• ISO/TS 15539:2000(E) Titled “Cardiovascular implants – endovascularprostheses” Read more

If We Can't Test It ....

We often get asked to help our customers with specific tests that they are struggling to do with their existing test facilities. Where we are not able to offer equipment to meet their needs, we have many customers around the world that offer services for contract testing or research. Find out more on a sample of these customers.

BDC Laboratories provides custom test fixture design, as well as both GLP and non-GLP testing services to the medical device industry encompassing both bench and durability studies. In addition to these comprehensive testing and R&D support solutions, BDC offers silicone mock vessels for device evaluations. Stents and stent grafts, heart valves, and catheters are a small subset of BDCs expertise in implantable technologies.

Confirmed LLC provides medical device testing and characterization services, including corrosion testing per ASTM F2129, Nitinol device transformation temperature testing per ASTM F2082, tensile testing per ASTM F2516, fatigue testing/FEA services, and custom device-specific test development. Confirmed LLC has significant expertise in the development, manufacturing and testing of Nitinol-based medical devices, as well as broader expertise with 300-series stainless steel, MP35N, L605, other Co-Cr alloys, Ti, and Ti-based alloys. Their mission is to not just give you data, but to provide the technical expertise you need to achieve your development goals.

CRITT MTDS, (Centre Régional d’Innovation et de Transfert de Technologie - Matériaux Dépôts et Traitements de Surface), based in Charleville Mézières & Nogent, France, are providers of medical device testing and characterization services COFRAC-Accredited Laboratory for work area n°136 on Orthopaedic Implants. Their capability in material characterization has been developed to various standards for Stainless Materials, Ti, CO-CR according to various standards like ISO 5832; for ceramics, for Polymers, PEEK and for porous coatings. They also offer tests of medical devices according to various standards such as ISO 7206 and ISO 14242 for hip implants; ISO 14243 and ISO 14879-1 for knee implants; ASTM F2077, ASTM 1798, and ASTM F1717 for spinal devices ASTM F543 on metallic screws; and ISO 14801 on dental implants. Their broad capability covers the development cycle from raw material characterization, process qualification, through to final product validation. Read more

The Best Solution for Gripping Low-Force Specimens

Generally, most customers assume that rubber-coated or serrated faces provide the ideal gripping solution. But do they?

Low-force biomaterial and tissue testing applications vary widely, and include specimens such as native tissue, bio-engineered tissues, hydrogels, and contact lenses.

In most cases, these specimens are tested in a heated, fluid environment that simulates physiological conditions; in other cases, the specimens are hydrated for several hours before testing. Rubber-coated faces tend to cause specimen slippage, while serrated faces cause premature failure.

A study conducted by the our Application Lab proved one of the best gripping solution to be sandpaper or a grip surface called SurfAlloy®, a surface that resembles sandpaper. This slightly roughened surface provides enough friction to prevent slipping, and not too much grit that could cause premature failure.

Do you have any gripping techniques to share? Read more

Who's Up for a Friendly Challenge?

Our Bluehill Product Manager posted this data acquisition challenge .... Are you up for it? After trying your hand at the challenge, read what Parasar posts as the solution. Read more

ITW Acquires Despatch

Despatch - a leading manufacturer of thermal equipment for making carbon fiber - is now part of the ITW family.
ITW recently acquired Despatch, a world leading provider of thermal equipment for the production of carbon fiber, among other things. As background, ITW is also the parent company of Instron - although Instron and Despatch fall under different Divisions: Instron is part of Test & Measurement, Despatch is part of Electronics. Nonetheless, it is noteworthy that the ITW reach has now expanded to include not only the testing of carbon fiber materials, but now also the production of these advanced materials. Given that several of our key customers in the carbon-composite business have told us of their plans to expand production, this seems to bode well for everyone involved.

The complete ITW announcement is as follows:
ITW Acquires Despatch Industries; Company is a Leading Provider of Thermal Processing Equipment
GLENVIEW, ILLINOIS—(July 25, 2011)—Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE: ITW) today announced that it has acquired Despatch Industries, a leading provider of thermal processing equipment for the solar, carbon fiber and other thermal technology markets. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
With full-year 2011 revenues expected to exceed $200 million, Despatch Industries products include solar cell firing furnaces, carbon fiber process ovens, and batch thermal processing equipment. Despatch furnaces and industrial ovens primarily serve customers in the solar energy, advanced materials and electronics industries. The company was founded in 1902 and is located in Lakeville, Minnesota.
“We are excited about this acquisition as the Company’s core thermal technology aligns well with certain of our other existing electronics equipment businesses,” said Steve Martindale, executive vice president. “As a leader in thermal processing, Despatch provides us with immediate access to attractive and high growth industries such as solar and carbon fiber as well as the opportunity to extend sales of certain of our existing products into these new markets.”
“This is an exciting opportunity for Despatch employees and customers as it will allow us to accelerate our growth and innovation under the global umbrella and strength of ITW,” said Patrick Peyton, Despatch CEO. “Despatch’s strong market presence and proven technology, coupled with ITW’s global breadth and foundational strength, will facilitate a strong expansion of technology advancements and next-generation tools.”
With nearly 100 years of history, Illinois Tool Works Inc. (NYSE: ITW) is a Fortune 200 global diversified industrial manufacturer. The Company’s value-added consumables, equipment and service businesses serve customers in developed as well as emerging markets around the globe. ITW’s key business platforms, including welding, automotive OEM, industrial packaging, food equipment, construction, polymers and fluids, test and measurement, electronics, decorative surfaces and automotive aftermarket, employ more than 60,000 people worldwide. ITW’s revenues totaled $15.4 billion in 2010, with more than half of these revenues generated outside of the United Sates.

CONTACT: John Brooklier, 847-657-4104 or jbrooklier@itw.com Read more