Back to School Force Measurement Essentials

Interface has a long history of collaborating with colleges and universities around the world. From individual engineering students testing the force of launching miniature rockets to supplying onsite test labs with load cells and equipment for R&D, we are a resource for higher education learning and experimentation.

In our view, innovation and exploration have no boundaries. What validates new ideas and manifests problem solving requires modern and reliable tools that support student’s projects and activities. Its key to any program’s success. It is also why we are proud to be known around the globe as a leader in building and designing force measurement products that facilitate these initiatives through higher learning.

It is very inspiring to see new engineering students, future metrologists, and soon-to-be graduates designing new medical devices, creating new spacecraft and interplanetary vehicles, testing materials used for miniature consumer products and of course, building plenty of new robots and AI machines.

In our view, every university or college should have Interface force measurement products on hand to support these types of educational test and measurement research projects. Here is a simplified list of basic sensor products to get started.

Force Measurement Essentials for Higher Learning

Precision load cells in diverse designs and capacities
S-type load cells (load beams)
Miniature load cells and load buttons
Multi-axis sensors
Calibration grade equipment
Instrumentation
Wireless sensor technologies
Rotary and reaction torque transducers
Verification load frames

Our investment in supporting educational programs runs deep into our history as a company. You will find our founder’s name on the Richard F. Caris Mirror Lab at The University of Arizona. Following in his commitment to education, the Richard F. Caris Charitable Trust II continues to support STEM programs including sponsorship of the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF).

We drive to ensure that students who have a passion for science, technology and engineering have access to the best force measurement sensor technologies. It is why we offer a standard discount to all students and education institutions. You can learn more about our education support here. We know that learning requires the best tools, and we want to make sure that every student has the most accurate, quality and precision load cells available today.

As with all inquisitive minds, we thought it would be interesting to share what are other university and colleges buying for their learning programs and campus labs.

Top 10 products for testing projects and campus lab studies:

1200 LowProfile Load Cells are our most popular load cell, available in standard and high-capacity features.
1010 Load Cell model is a fatigue-rated low profile load cell in our 1000 product family, offering various capacities and functions.
2420 Load Cell is one of our stainless-steel standard and high-capacity load cells in our 2400 model series.
1500 Low-Capacity Load Cell designs are common requirements for applications where low sensitivity to eccentric load is important.
WMC Sealed Stainless Steel Miniature Load Cell has an environmentally protected construction that comes in a variety of model capacities and configurations. It is great for small spaces and industrial applications.
3-Axis Load Cells are extremely popular multi-axis sensors designed to provide more testing data and often paired with BSC4 instrumentation. They are ideally suited for aerospace, robotics, automotive, and medical research testing applications.
6-Axis Load Cells are growing in popularity, for cost benefit and their unique ability to simultaneously measure Fx Fy Fz Mx My Mz.
SSM Miniature Load Cells are one of many popular general-purpose s-type designed load cells. You call learn more about all our s-type models here.
Torque Transducers of all types are used by university programs, engineering departments and metrology labs. There are many different options including rotary and reaction torque solutions. For all options, start here to choose the right one.
Load Washer Load Cells are used because of the unique through-hole designs. They come in various models and dimensions, along with capacity options.

As with any project, the questions of what you want to measure, the applications, and where you are sending the data, are all core to choosing the sensor and instrumentation that is best suited for the learning environment or program.

Speaking of where to send the data for performance monitoring and analysis, the five most favorite types of instrumentation selected by university students and engineering labs include:

If you are heading back to school and thinking that it is time to revamp the testing lab or need new force measurement equipment, be sure to reach out to our education application engineers. They have years of experience and can help you get exactly what you need for your project and programs.

Be sure to tune into our Load Cell Basics, for answer to common questions about using these highly accurate sensors for your test and measurement projects. You can find all our Interface videos on our YouTube channel here.

If you are looking to explore more technical resources, be sure to go to our online support area and subscribe to our blogs for weekly updates.

ADDITIONAL EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES

Types of Force Measurement Tests 101

Torque Transducers 101

Multi-Axis Sensors 101

S-Type Load Cells 101

Mini Load Cells 101

Force Measurement Instrumentation 101