Interface and LCM Systems Expands Load Measurement Solutions with Strategic Market Move to Combine Expertise and Excellence
Interface, Inc., the world’s trusted leader in technology, design, and manufacturing of force measurement products, today announced the strategic acquisition of UK-based LCM Systems Ltd, a market leader in specialized load measurement solutions utilized across industries by customers worldwide. The acquisition of LCM Systems accelerates Interface’s growth in global test and measurement by adding critical engineering and manufacturing expertise with an international presence.
“LCM Systems is an established and recognized leader in the design and manufacture of specialized load cells and instrumentation, and we are proud to officially welcome them to the Interface family,” said Greg Adams, CEO, Interface. “Adding their quality, proficiency and long history, the LCM team further bolsters our global capabilities in meeting the rapidly growing demands for exceptional products including their load pins, load shackles, load cells and other sensor technologies.”
LCM Systems was founded in 1984 to provide the yachting industry with precision load cells and readout systems. The load management solutions company grew rapidly over the years to provide engineering and design expertise to market sectors including energy, civil engineering, maritime, aerospace, heavy lifting, and process engineering. The company manufactures a comprehensive range of standard and ruggedized load cells and instrumentation, with a considerable proportion of its market share coming from the supply of customized products tailored to meet customer’s specific requirements. LCM Systems also manufactures load cells suitable for Zone 1 and 2 hazardous area applications.
Read the full press release here.
Interface Acquires LCM Systems
by Dan O’Shea
Green hydrogen production is an increasingly important piece of the renewable energy movement, and a new enough industry that it’s one in which numerous start-ups around the world are playing key roles. It is also just the latest sector to benefit from sensor-based force testing and measurement, which is used in many facets of manufacturing to monitor and optimize machines to keep them running at their best.
In bringing force monitoring to the green hydrogen production industry, Interface may be catching a tiger by the tail, as the sector is growing rapidly and expanding globally, and in many cases is being led by start-ups that are continually looking to improve and optimize their production processes to become more competitive and gain a better return on their investments in electrolyzers and other equipment.
The exciting thing is just this, this whole market is still in its infancy,” Peters said. “These companies are really just figuring out where they’re going to take this. The functionality is there, the capabilities there, and now, it’s a matter of bringing optimization into it and making production more scalable.”
READ: Load cells can help optimize green hydrogen production
How can sensors help an electrolyzer provide green hydrogen?By Randy Franks at Sensor Tips
Energy storage is an essential part of the pursuit for the increased use of renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, geothermal and hydroelectric power. Electrolyzers allow hydrogen-based storage and avoid the reliance on batteries and their raw materials such as lithium, graphite and cobalt that are frequently sourced from China. When renewable energy sources provide the input for electrolyzers, the hydrogen produced is called green hydrogen. With a green hydrogen boom underway, electrolyzer sales doubled in 2022 and could triple in 2023 according to BloombergNEF.
“Regardless of the technology used for the electrolyzer, sensors will be essential for monitoring and maintaining the ongoing green hydrogen process,” says Brian Peters, Global Vice President, Interface Inc., a world leader in force measurement solutions.
The power companies using electrolyzers for producing hydrogen will need to create and maintain a real-time monitoring system to measure the tension of the tie rods to ensure heightened productivity, such as: avoiding unnecessary costly preventive maintenance and preventing shutdowns. Read the full article here.
REF: Electrolyzer and Fuel Cell Tie Rod Monitoring
Job Offer By Interface, Inc.: Manufacturing Design Engineer I Or IIWeighing Review highlights new opportunities with Interface, Inc. by sharing in a recent release our Manufacturing Design Engineer opportunities. Interface continues to add to our growing team. Interface is a Weighing Review Listed Company in their Supplier Directory.
MANUFACTURING DESIGN ENGINEER I SUMMARY:
The Manufacturing Design Engineer I position will develop strain gage-based transducer products in the form of load cells and torque transducers as assigned. The position will interact with sales, engineering, manufacturing, and customers in the performance of their duties. A desire to learn the methods and techniques behind precision force and torque measurement are essential for success.
MANUFACTURING DESIGN ENGINEER II SUMMARY:
The Manufacturing Design Engineer II position requires a knowledge of strain gage transducer technologies, some familiarity with the different basic transducer designs and materials selection, a basic knowledge of machining capabilities and joining technologies. This position requires excellent communication skills for interaction with sales, engineering, manufacturing, and customers. The position will develop force and torque measurement solutions to meet customer needs.
Sensing Technology Enables Hydrogen to Be Renewable Energy SourceBy Randy White, OEM Business Development, Interface
The use of hydrogen as a clean and reliable renewable energy source has been a carrot on a stick for green energy innovators for many, many years. Scientists and technologists have understood the positive impact of hydrogen for a long time, and even harnessed it at times, but the ability to reliably store and harness this energy at a reasonable cost has previously eluded them. However, hydrogen is back in full force as storage and battery technology has advanced, giving new life to the promise of hydrogen.
Hydrogen is critical to the future of green energy because it is an optimal solution to storing renewable energy from other sources such as wind and water. In certain areas, like California, we’re actually producing too much energy from renewable sources, but have no place to store. This is leading to a tremendous amount of resource loss. Therefore, hydrogen innovation has come back to become a storage solution to curtail waste and hold enough energy to power more infrastructure with green energy.
The road to get to a place where hydrogen could become a real solution to meeting the renewable energy demand has been filled with hundreds of technological advancements. One of those solutions are hydrogen electrolyzers. This is a device that use the process of electrolysis to produce and store hydrogen for an indefinite amount of time. Electrolysis is a promising option for carbon-free hydrogen production from renewable and nuclear resources. Read full article here.
Electrolysis Produces Hydrogen
Electrolysis uses electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. This reaction takes place in an electrolyzer. Electrolyzers can range in size from small, appliance-size equipment that is well-suited for small-scale distributed hydrogen production to large-scale, central production facilities that could be tied directly to renewable or other non-greenhouse-gas-emitting forms of electricity production.
Battery Load Testing Presents New Opportunities for InterfaceBy Dan Carney at Design News
The Arizona force management specialist is finding new opportunities for its load cells testing batteries. In addition to measuring the strength of the battery case, it is also important for automakers to measure the pressure of the cells inside the case. In both situations, force management solutions from Interface, Inc. (Scottsdale, Ariz.) are beneficial.
“FEA and computerized modeling get the customer most of the way there,” observed Interface vice president of global sales Brian Peters in a phone interview with Design News. “Automotive OEMs are spending more time on various structural development testing,” he said. “They are push-pull, multi-axis similar to what we see with aerospace fuselage testing.”
This is important because, in addition to the torsional loads normally applied to the battery box in the course of normal driving, there is also the need to model for worst-case crash scenarios.
“You have basic (noise, vibration, and harshness) torsional rigidity requirements, but then you have the crash requirements,” Peters noted. “How do you model, test, and have successful test results? When you run the full system into the barrier, sometimes the outcome is hard to model.”
Interface’s New S-Type Miniature Load Cell Offers Capacities in a Form Factor 80% Smaller and 50% Lighter for Industry 4.0 Applications
Interface, Inc., the world’s trusted leader in technology, design, and manufacturing of force measurement products, today launched its new SuperSC S-Type Miniature Load Cell. SuperSC is an economical general purpose load cell with a compact design that is perfect for test and measurement applications in confined spaces and smaller product dimensions for OEM use cases. The SuperSC is also environmentally sealed and insensitive to off axis loading. Read the complete press release here.
By Dan O’Shea at Fierce Electronics
In the automotive sector, one of the most important areas where force sensor technology can play a role is in the manufacturing of electric vehicle batteries, as well as testing and monitoring batteries for quality assurance.
Brian Peters, vice president of global sales at Interface Force Measurement Solutions, told Fierce Electronics that the need for force sensors in EV battery applications has grown rapidly as more new automakers and battery manufacturers have appeared on the scene and consumer interest in EVs has risen.
“There’s a bit of a renaissance right now where you’ve got all these startups that on paper can design an EV, but they don’t have the internal testing capability,” he said. “ So what we’re seeing is increased demand for third party testing in the automotive sector, because you’ve got all these new players, who unlike the big three automakers don’t have massive in-house test labs or testing capabilities.” Read the entire article here.
May the force be with you: Force sensing keeps factories running, product quality highBy Dan O’Shea at Fierce Electronics
“While some sensors are more focused on monitoring equipment or measuring environmental conditions around a manufacturing process, force sensors measure mechanical forces occurring in the equipment and processes, and the products being manufactured. They measure things like load, tension, resistance, weight or total pressure applied. By employing this kind of sensing technology, manufacturers can monitor the health of their equipment and improve quality assurance for their products.”
‘“Testing things by applying a force to them is super common,” said Keith Skidmore, engineer and regional sales director at Interface Force Measurement Solutions, based in Scottsdale, Arizona. “Many products in lots of industries get tested this way, from aerospace to automotive, through to consumer goods. Chairs, furniture, mattresses, ladders–basically, anything that’s being manufactured, there can be a desire to figure out how strong the various parts of those products are.”’
Read the entire Fierce Electronics article here.
New Product is Designed for High Accuracy and Reliability, While Requiring Little to No Maintenance
“The Interface Pressure Compensated Downhole Load Cell provides critical accuracy, dependability and flexibility to our customers at a modest price,” said Brian Peters, vice president of global sales, Interface. “Our hard-earned expertise and experience gained over many decades engineering force measurement solutions for the oil and gas industry, as well as deep collaboration with our customers, enabled us to bring this first-of-its-kind product to the market.”
High-pressure applications for the new IPCD load cell for test and measurement of wireline and slicklines, perforating processes, horizontal drilling, topside and drill-down, as well as offshore solutions. The Interface downhole load cell is also popular with tractor component testing, pipe recovery, plug setting, well servicing and cleaning, tension line testing and instrument fishing applications. PRESS RELEASE
With a multi–axis sensor design, a single load cell sensor can measure 3 axes of force and 3 torque moments simultaneously. These sensors consist of multiple bridges that precisely measure the applied force from one direction with minimal crosstalk from the other axes. Using a multi-axis sensor, forces can be measured simultaneously in three mutually perpendicular axes with the 6-axis load cells also measuring torque around those axes.
The design and test process for a simple chair used in a kitchen table set demonstrates how multi-axis force data helps improve product design. Typically, these chairs are stress tested to simulate the effects of a person sitting down hundreds of thousands of times over many years. According to Keith Skidmore, Custom Solutions Engineer & Sales Director at Interface, “In the past, force sensors were used to simply measure the effects of force on the legs of the chair or the back rest.” Read Randy Frank’s latest post featuring Interface’s 6-Axis Multi-Axis Sensors.
Torque is defined as the rotational equivalent of linear force. It’s a measure of how much a force acting on an object causes that object to rotate. This is one of the key measurements for engineers doing design, test, and manufacturing across a wide variety of industries where machines, vehicles, components and parts include a spinning or rotating motion. It’s critical to understand how to measure torque if you’re doing product development with these types of systems such as engines, crankshafts, gearboxes, transmissions, and rotors. Read more in Getting the Most Out of Torque Testing in Quality Magazine here.
Force Measurement Solutions Leader Interface Announces Hiring Push for 2021 to Meet Growing Demands for ProductsInterface Plans to Add 25% More Arizona-Based Team Members by the End of the Year
“Despite disruptions caused by the pandemic in 2020, we continued to meet our customers’ product needs, as well as launch new solutions and expand our manufacturing and global sales,” said Greg Adams, CEO, Interface. “As a result of our steadfast focus in managing through this unprecedented time, we created innovative ways to grow our product lines and internal capacities to deliver best in class measurement solutions. PRESS RELEASE
How can force sensing be integrated for Industry 4.0 upgrades?JUNE 18, 2020 BY RANDY FRANK
An example of force measurement testing automation in practice is in the mobile phone and tablet industry. Manufacturers can use a force sensor like an Interface ConvexBT miniature–sized load button load cell to test the pressure sensitivity of a touch screen. By using an actuator, phone manufacturers can set up an automated test line with an integrated actuator/load button load cell to test each screen as they go across the line. This combination helps the manufacturer quickly and automatically conduct the test, while personnel can be devoted to monitoring and analyzing data or used in other areas on the production floor, rather than having to initiate and oversee the test. Read more.
Interface Policy Update Regarding COVID‐19Interface prioritizes health and safety of our team members and those that depend on us. Considering the recent update from the State of Arizona, it is important that we clarify our policy regarding COVID-19 at our manufacturing facilities and headquarters. We will continue to require face coverings and encourage social distancing for our team members and visitors. We will follow the recommendations of public health authorities, including the CDC. Our goal is providing a safe and productive work environment. We are continually monitoring the public health guidance and will re-examine our policies as the public health recommendations evolve. We will update everyone on this site as our policies change.
Selecting and Using a Force Measurement Device: Everything you need to knowIn this latest feature in Quality Magazine, February 2021 Issue, Ken Vining highlights the key factors related to force measurement and data quality. Here is a quick highlight from this feature: Force measurement devices like load cells, torque transducers and data acquisition devices are used across industries to design and test hardware. They’re a key factor in the product development process because the force, torque and weight data they collect helps to ensure products are accurately constructed, work as intended, are safe for use, and can withstand the test of time. In highly regulated and complex industries like medical and defense, this data becomes even more important because any miscalculation in the design of a product can put lives at risk. Read the entire article here
Force Measurement Solutions Leader Interface Announces Executive Promotions Supporting its Continued Growth and ExpansionInterface Promotes Three Key Leaders to Take on Larger Executive Team Roles for Expanding Innovations, Services and New Markets
Interface, the world’s trusted leader in technology, design, and manufacturing of force measurement solutions, announced today key leadership changes within the organization. Ian James was promoted to chief operating officer (COO), Brian Peters was promoted to vice president of Global Sales, and the role of Mark Weathers, vice president of Interface’s Mini and 1923 Wireless products, is now leading advanced manufacturing and OEM solutions. These executive promotions are key steps to drive Interface’s sustained growth across multiple product lines, as well as its expansion into new markets and industries.
“Ian, Brian and Mark represent our breadth of leadership within our organization,” said Greg Adams, CEO, Interface. “In alignment with our entire Interface team, they are instrumental in growing our position as the leader in premium, accurate, and reliable force measurement solutions. Our company is fueled by our dedicated employees and I am honored to be part of their continuous efforts and commitment to provide the high-quality products and an exceptional customer experience for all of those we serve.” READ THE FULL RELEASE HERE
OCTOBER 28, 2020 BY RANDY FRANK
A smaller form factor is frequently on the must have list for many next generation products. However, compromising performance is usually not an acceptable tradeoff. This is especially true in medical products such as force sensors where both precision and miniaturization are required. Read more…
Device Uniquely Uses Multi-Point Calibration for Testing Force on Miniaturized Products Critical to Medical Devices, Robotics, and Industrial Automation
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Sept. 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Leveraging its 52-year history of engineering and manufacturing the most accurate and reliable force measurement solutions, Interface today introduced its new, ultra-precision line of ConvexBT™ Load Button Load Cells. ConvexBT is the most advanced and capable load button on the market targeted for compact designs and use cases, such as medical devices. The accuracy and reliability of ConvexBT is made possible by Interface’s multi-point calibration process, an industry first for micro-sized load cells.
FEATURED IN WEIGHING REVIEW MAGAZINE
A video overview of ConvexBT is available on Interface’s YouTube channel here.
PRESS RELEASE ConvexBT is available now under the product family of Interface Mini® Load Cells. The product is part of a growing line of Interface Load Button Load Cells. The new ConvexBT model LBSU specifications are available at /product-category/load-button-load-cells/.
Enabling Fast and Efficient Force Measurement Product Verification On-Demand, Interface Announces New Force Verification FrameInterface’s Force Verification Load Frame is Lightweight, Easy to Use and is Compatible with a Wide Range of Interface Test and Measurement Products
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Sept. 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Providing customers with a quick and easy way to conduct load cell verification in real-time, Interface today announced the launch of its new Interface Force Verification Frame. The new Interface load frame is lightweight and can be customized with multiple adapters to fit a wide range of different load cells. It is being sold in three different models based on the capacity needs of the user; the IFVF-1K provides a capacity of 1,000 lbf, the IFVF-2.5K provides a capacity of 2,500 lbf and the IFVF-5K provides a capacity of 5,000 lbf.
Multi-axis wireless load cells and digital technology have changed the face of force sensors.
Until about 10 years ago, the force test and measurement industry had been fairly unimaginative. It had developed a standard way of building analog load cells, torque transducers and other devices, and it worked for many years. However, as most of the rest of the technological world advanced and big data changed the way engineers and manufacturers work, this age-old force measurement analog technology stood out with no way to improve data collection or make it more efficient. Read more…
The rise of the Internet-of-Things (IoT) and “Big Data” has had a tremendous impact on almost every industry, including force measurement. Up until about ten years ago, the industry had remained steady and predictable. There was a standard way of building load cells using analog technology that was widely accepted, and they served their purpose well. Read more…
Scottsdale, AZ – Updated March 30, 2020: COVID-19 RESPONSE UPDATE FROM INTERFACE, INC.
Interface, Inc., continues to act, plan and adhere to all requirements related to the spread of the COVID-19. Under Executive Order 2020-18 by the State of Arizona in response to COVID-19, Essential Services and Essential Businesses are to remain open during the stay at home order. Interface is classified as ‘Essential’ as a manufacturer and part of the supply chain for other essential businesses as defined by the Governor.
Please read: INTERFACE’S SUSTAINING ROLE IN ARIZONA AND THE GLOBAL BUSINESS ECOSYSTEM DURING COVID-19
Scottsdale, AZ – March 13, 2020: READ NEWS UPDATE FROM INTERFACE’S CEO HERE
ENERGY TECH EDITION, FEBRUARY – 17 – 2020, ISSN 2644-237X, CIOREVIEW.COM
Like every other industry, the energy sector too has witnessed the latest technological trends being implemented into its functioning, making the sector more productive and accountable for energy consumption and energy loss. Although every energy firm and service provider must have an undivided focus on boosting the operational efficiency and gaining huge returns, this still does not translate to diminishing the major business opportunities that may occur in the energy market. An insight into one of PwC’s reports centered on energy says, enterprises must double down on digitization to drive efficiencies and open up new opportunities in the energy sector.
Interface: Bringing Accuracy to Force Measurement
“Today, Interface has a pool of 32000 products to offer across the globe, which includes standard test and measurement tools, custom designs, as well as OEM force measurement solutions.”
Moving forward, Interface intends to contribute more deeply in the energy sector by bringing forth more cost-effective and durable force measurement solutions in the market. “We plan on introducing wireless capability into most of our solutions to focus on the issue of expensive cable damage and cable routing for topside instrumentation,” says Peters. Above all, Interface wants to continue growing its roots globally as a trusted technology provider and explore the various technological revelations that are shaping the energy tech domain.
Scottsdale, AZ- January 27, 2020 – Interface, Inc., the leader in force measurement solutions today announced the appointment of Greg Adams to the position of chief executive officer. As CEO, Adams will be responsible for driving growth for Interface across key served and targeted market segments. Cathy Caris and Sherry Cowan, co-owners whose father founded Interface, announced to the employees today of the change.
“We are very proud of what Interface has accomplished over its 50 plus year history,” commented Caris and Cowan. “In the past few years, we have made progress on several important fronts deepening our operational bench and new product development. We are confident that this work provides a foundation for Interface to begin optimizing to its full potential. The company is fortunate to have Greg as its new CEO and is looking forward to beginning the new fiscal year under his leadership.”
The new Interface Bluetooth Telemetry System features a free iOS and Android app to allow users to view data from multiple sensors in real-time on a smartphone or tablet. Providing its customers with a more accessible solution for viewing and downloading force measurement data, Interface has introduced its new Bluetooth® Telemetry System (BTS) solution. At the heart of Interface’s BTS solution is the powerful Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) strain bridge transmitter module that provides access to high-quality measurements on a mobile platform such as a phone or tablet. BTS joins Interface’s Wireless Telemetry System (WTS) in the growing demand by manufacturers and integrators who need flexibility and freedom from the restraints of wired systems. The Interface BTS is available now and details of the solution can be found here. PRESS RELEASE
Contributor Ken Vining, Jan. 9, 2020 – Accuracy is a critical factor in modern engineering. It can mean the difference between a solid, reliable, high-quality product and one that fails or quickly becomes a liability to its users. But for as important as accuracy is, it’s quite an ambiguous term in engineering. When someone expresses the importance of accuracy, a lot of questions inevitably follow, especially when it comes to load cells. Load cells are important for testing and measuring force, weight, and torque on practically any product you can imagine. They are installed on finished products to track force factors in real-time, and in the long-term they assist with preventative maintenance and collecting data for future products.
A Free iOS and Android App Allow Users to View Data from Multiple Sensors in Real-Time on a Smartphone or Tablet
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Jan. 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ Providing its customers with a more accessible solution for viewing and downloading force measurement data, Interface today introduced its new Bluetooth® Telemetry System (BTS) solution. At the heart of Interface’s BTS solution is the powerful Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) strain bridge transmitter module that provides access to high quality measurements on a mobile platform such as a phone or tablet. BTS features high measurement resolution, simple integration into iOS and Android Apps, achievable ranges of up to 90m line of sight, extended battery life and the ability to view data from multiple sensors all at once. FULL PRESS RELEASE
July 2, 2019
Trends are not typically something that come to mind when we think about metrology; however, there have been some recent shifts in the industry worth taking note. Although these moves happen slowly over time when they do occur, we are starting to see some significant changes unfold. Read more…
AxialTQ Redefines the Category of Torque Measurement Systems in Terms of Function, Accuracy Customization and Compatibility
PHOENIX, Oct. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire – To address the demand for a more accurate, reliable, customizable and easy-to-use force measurement device, Interface has introduced the pioneering AxialTQ torque measurement system. At the heart of AxialTQ’s innovation is the rotor and high-precision sensing element technology, which when combined with next-generation electronics, produces industry-leading accuracy. READ THE FULL RELEASE
PHOENIX, October 17, 2018 — Providing automotive, aerospace and industrial professionals in need of easy-to-use wireless data communication between a force or torque sensor and a receiver, Interface today announced the expansion of its Wireless Telemetry System (WTS). Interface’s WTS includes sensor transmitters, receivers, displays, accessories and free software, which operates on a standard 2.4 GHz signal, making it FCC compliant. READ THE FULL RELEASE
AxialTQ Redefines the Category of Torque Measurement Systems in Terms of Function, Accuracy Customization and Compatibility
PHOENIX, October 17, 2018 —To address the demand for a more accurate, reliable, customizable and easy-to-use force measurement device, Interface has introduced the pioneering AxialTQ torque measurement system. At the heart of AxialTQ’s innovation is the rotor and high-precision sensing element technology, which when combined with next-generation electronics, produces industry-leading accuracy.
Interface Inc. Gold Standard® Calibration System Load Cell Calibration 101
