It is a cold hard fact that steel production in Europe can hardly be made economically viable unless manufacturing facilities use the very latest equipment and technology. And there is no alternative to operating 24/7.

Whether you work in a quality control laboratory at a major automotive manufacturer or are performing research at a university, it is common to encounter a universal testing machine that was manufactured before the 21st century.

Fatigue is a failure mechanism caused by repeated cyclic loading that leads to cumulative damage within a material, and ultimately catastrophic failure. “Between 80% to 90% of all mechanical service failures can be attributed to Fatigue,” according to the American Society of Metals – Metals Handbook 1975 & 2008.

Materials testing in metal additive manufacturing (AM) involves characterization of raw materials and evaluation of finished parts. The raw materials used in metal AM processes include powders, filaments and sheets. 

Variability in force test results due to incorrect selection of grips and fixtures can be minimized by simply using the proper grips and fixtures. There are many universal solutions available, but will the universal grip or fixture hold up to the test?

Compression is the application of pushing or crushing forces acting upon an object or a material that allows it to become squeezed or squashed. It is the opposite of tension, or the application of pulling forces that allow a material to stretch or elongate.

Computers and software play a major role in force measurement and quality control. Whether in the engineering lab, quality control inspection area, receiving inspection or on the production floor, the use of computers and measurement software are beneficial to product quality and production efficiency.

With conventional machining of metal component parts, the interior structures are often taken for granted as solid, leaving little room for doubt about the internal quality. 

Both the automotive and aerospace industries continue to drive the development of lightweight steels, stronger aluminums, and composite materials.

Additively manufactured parts face unique testing challenges. Along with many aspects of additive manufacturing, testing and inspection of additively manufactured parts is now being studied. Last October the ASTM International Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence announced its first set of R&D projects.