All objects—from toothbrushes to umbrellas to the components of a space shuttle—experience forces throughout their lifecycles. In performing everyday actions like tying a shoelace or ripping open a package, we all exert forces without even realizing it.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created an unprecedented surge in demand for healthcare and consumer products. This crisis has demanded stockpiles of supplies and has shifted the supply chain to local production. 

Load cells are an integral part in a force measurement system. Understanding load cell terminology, common sizing techniques, and how they function will help you choose the most appropriate load cell for your application, which will help prevent accidental damage due to an incorrect selection.

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.

Not using the proper adapters to calibrate load cells, truck and aircraft scales, tension links, dynamometers, and other force measuring devices can produce significant measurement errors and pose serious safety concerns.

More and more industrial manufacturers are moving towards automated solutions both to improve efficiency and solve staffing dilemmas. These jobs are often boring, repetitive, and/or prone to injury due to the work environment or the repetitive motion.

The load cell sensor is arguably the most important component in a force measurement or material testing system’s ability to provide accurate, precise and valid measurements. A sensor’s accuracy is often the primary characteristic that is used to specify a load cell sensor for a given application.

Mark-10 introduces their all-new G1105 Cork Extraction Fixture, designed for measuring the pull-out force of a cork stopper from a bottle. By measuring the extraction force, bottlers can ensure a satisfying customer experience, while maintaining the freshness of the contents.

Tensile testing is arguably the most common test method used in both force measurement and material testing. Tensile testing is used primarily to determine the mechanical behavior of a component, part or material under static, axial loading.

The L.S. Starrett Company has introduced a series of Motorized Digital Test Frames for performing a wide range of basic, high volume in-situ lean manufacturing force testing applications including tension, compression, flexural cyclic, shear and friction.