February 16 - Straightpoint has installed two new load cell test machines - a 100-tonne capacity unit at its Hampshire, UK headquarters and a 55-tonne capacity system at its North American facility in Camarillo, California.
The MTS universal test machine can test in compression and tension, which Straightpoint says gives it the ability to test its entire range of load cells up to a capacity of 100 tonnes.
"The MTS unit is the Rolls-Royce of calibration technology," said Straightpoint director David Ayling. "It's a universal testing machine combined with customised tooling, creating a top-of-the-range rig tailored to the specific requirements of force measurement, load monitoring and suspended weighing load cell equipment."
The new test machine joins a ten-year-old 350-tonne capacity test machine at the company's headquarters.
Commenting on the new machines, Ayling added: "We can programme test routines, which means for instance when we need to proof test a load cell and take the force to 50 tonnes three times, our engineers don't have to apply, un-apply and reapply the load manually. Our throughput is going to be dramatically increased as a result."
