Test and Measurement

Interface’s robust line of load cells, torque transducers, multi-axis sensors, and instrumentation are used on every continent for T&M. We are the top supplier to calibration and testing labs. We see our products used today for continuous improvement programs, advancements in smart manufacturing and new product designs. If it must be measured, Interface has a solution. Interface’s force measurement products are being used to gather data from machines, components, equipment, consumer products, and other applications by metrologists, engineers and testing experts.

test measurement applications

6-Axis Load Cell Solutions using Raspberry Pi

Aircraft Screwdriver Fastening Control

Automotive Head Rest Testing

Bike Fork Bending

Bike Frame Fatigue Testing

Bike Handlebar Fatigue Testing

Bike Helmet Impact Test

Bike Load Testing

Bike Power Pedals

Bolt Fastening Force and Torque

Car Wash System

E-Bike Torque Measurement

Fitness Equipment and Machines

Gaming Simulation Brake Pedal

Garbage Truck On-Board Weighing

Golf Ball Tee

Golf Club Swing Accuracy

Linear Test Stand

Material Tensile Testing

Metal Press Cutting Machine

Mobile Force System

Mountain Bike Shocks Testing

Mouse Touch-Pad Force Testing

Press Load Monitoring

Printer Cartridge Seal

Sanding Machine Force Monitoring

Snack Weighing and Packaging Machine

Spring Compression Testing

Tank Weighing and Center of Gravity

Tensile Testing for 3D Materials

Torque Verification

Treadmill Force Measurement

Verification Test Stand

Veterinary Weighing Scales

Waste Management Container Weighing

Water Bottle Dispensing and Weighing

Test and Measurement Overview

Nearly every industry utilizes product or material testing. It’s integral to invention, innovation, advancement, safety and consumption. Test and measurement is no small industry, with applications ranging from medical to rockets. Force and torque measurement are used in structural, material, static, friction, fatigue testing and more. Interface solutions are made for T&M.

Interface Accelerates Growth in the T&M Industry

Interface continues to experience significant growth in demand and fulfillment of our precision measurement products and services. Our focus remains steadfast to serve customers with innovative solutions, facilitated by requests for specialized engineering and production requirements. Every ask is met with full consideration, and when you decide that we have what you need, we work expeditiously to meet the delivery schedules aligned to your requirements. We call it teamwork at Interface and to our customers, it’s a partnership.

As the overall T&M industry grows, the demand from engineers and manufacturers across all industries for proven and “tested” solutions for their test and measurement equipment expands. Our sensor technologies are used every day for optimizing products with realtime, accurate measurement. So as you grow, we grow to meet your needs and be the best in accurate, quality, durable and reliable T&M solutions.

Those that are in the test and measurement field help to guarantee product safety, reliability and longevity. Therefore, the tools they use are critical to the confirmation of their work. That’s why Interface builds products that reliably and consistently gather high-quality, accurate data for any application. For more information on our T&M offerings, or to discover more T&M product applications, please contact us today.

Consumer Product E-Bike Torque Measurement

An E-Bike manufacturer needed to test the torque on their electronic bicycles. They needed a torque sensing system that measures how much force the bike rider is pedaling onto the pedals, because this determines how much electric power the bike’s motor generates. Interface’s T12 Square Drive Torque Transducer is installed and replaced the outdated pedal sensor. The T12 is attached to the SI-USB4 4 Channel USB Interface Module. In a controlled environment, a cyclist pedals on the E-Bike and the T12 Square Drive Torque Transducer collects the measurements. The data is sent to the SI-USB4 4 Channel USB Interface Module where the torque measurements are recorded, graphed, and logged when connected to the customer’s PC or laptop.

OUR TEST AND MEASUREMENT APPLICATIONS INCLUDE:

Material Testing

Material Testing

Material testing subjects matters to various mechanical, physical, chemical, and thermal tests to assess their property characteristics and behavior under specific conditions. This includes various forms of force to determine values of fatigue, strength, and failure.

The primary goals of material testing are to determine the material’s suitability for a particular application, ensure quality control, and understand its performance characteristics during various use cases. It is also critical testing for adherence to compliance and regulatory standards.

Force measurement plays a huge part during material testing of materials used for various parts, products, structures, and consumer goods. Interface products are commonly found in test machines and equipment used for material testing. Material testing engineers utilize our force sensor technologies, including LowProfile and miniature load cells, DAQ systems, and instrumentation to measure and record the durability, fatigue, safety, and quality of the materials.

Interface’s force sensors are most often used in the material testing category of mechanical testing, including:

These types of material tests are used across industries, including medical, infrastructure, aerospace, automotive, industrial automation, manufacturing, consumer goods and in the machines used to assemble products.

Material testing starts early in the research and development phases of product development and continues through packaging. Load cells are used for testing a wide variety of materials across different industries. Materials commonly tested used force measurement solutions:

Metals: Steel, aluminum, and other metallic materials are frequently tested using load cells to determine their tensile and compression strength, yield, fatigue, and other mechanical properties.

Plastics: Load cells are used to test the mechanical properties of polymers and plastics for all types of use cases including tensile strength, bending range and elasticity. As new products are used for 3D printing, this is growing in test use cases.

Construction Materials: Interface precision sensors are used in the material testing of concrete, cement, and construction materials to evaluate their compressive strength, shear strength, and load-bearing capacity.

Textiles and Fabrics: Manufacturers utilize sensors to understand the tensile strength, resistance, and elasticity of textiles.

Biomaterials: Bio researchers use data from load cells to study the mechanical properties of these materials utilized in medical devices, implants, and other health related products.

The versatility of Interface load cells and the accuracy for measurement are why material engineers choose our products for material tests.

MaterialTesting_InfographicPoster

Fatigue Testing

Fatigue testing is valuable for engineers to confirm their product designs and structures are safe and reliable. By understanding the fatigue behavior of materials, engineers can design components resistant to fatigue failure.

Strain gage load cells are vital for accurate fatigue testing. These devices measure the forces and stresses exerted on a test specimen during cyclic loading. The fatigue life of a specimen is the number of cycles it takes to fail. This data can be used to create stress-life or strain-life curves, which are used to predict the fatigue life of components under different loading conditions.

In a fatigue testing setup, fatigue-rated load cells and data logging instrumentation are used for testing materials, parts, or assemblies for weakness, and often ultimately to destruction. Load cells are typically attached to the specimen, or the test machine, and the cyclic loading is applied according to the test protocol.

INTERFACE FATIGUE-RATED LOAD CELLS:

1000 Fatigue-Rated LowProfile® Load Cell

1000 High Capacity Fatigue-Rated LowProfile® Load Cell

1500 Low Capacity LowProfile® Load Cell

1208 Flange Standard Precision LowProfile® Load Cell

Interface fatigue-rated load cells are vital for test and measurement projects in various industries, from aerospace and automotive to civil engineering and manufacturing. Manufacturers of test machines, aircraft, spacecraft, automotive components, consumer products, heavy machinery, bridges, energy production equipment, and industrial systems use our fatigue-rated load cells.

The fatigue rating of a load cell is a distinct specification, guaranteeing it has a service life of up to 100 million fully reversed load cycles at full rated capacity. They are typically integrated into testing machines or equipment.

The load cells continuously record the applied forces or stresses, allowing engineers and researchers to monitor how the material responds to repeated loading. By analyzing the data from load cells, researchers can determine factors such as the material’s endurance limit, fatigue life, and stress-strain behavior. This information is invaluable for optimizing material selection, design, and manufacturing processes to enhance product performance and reliability while identifying fatigue and potential failure risks.

Interface has specialized in fatigue-rated load cells and their applications since our founding in 1968. The stringent discipline necessary to consistently produce actual fatigue-rated load cells is why Interface is known for this specialized load cell design and construction.

The LowProfile® configuration of our fatigue-rated load cell provides up to 100 million duty cycles. The gaged sensors in every load cell are individually inspected, tested, and certified to meet our rigid performance standards.

Structural Testing

Structural testing provides valuable data for design optimization, compliance with standards, and preventing failures, ultimately leading to safer and more efficient products and structures.

Interface force measurement solutions are used in various forms of structural testing. The core purpose of structural testing using force measurement is to ensure the safety, reliability, and quality of structures, components, and materials.

Our sensor technologies and instruments are used in infrastructure projects worldwide. Civil and mechanical engineers use force measurement devices to evaluate the structural integrity of materials and equipment. The aerospace, automotive, maritime, and energy markets depend on load cells and instrumentation for structural testing applications.

Our load cells and instrumentation come in various forms and configurations, including compression load cells, tension load cells, shear load cells, and multi-axis load cells.

Each load cell type is chosen based on the specific requirements of the test, such as the nature of the force, the expected magnitude, and the mounting and installation constraints. These sensors are specialized devices that measure the forces and loads exerted on structures, materials, or components during various testing procedures.

Types Of Structural Testing

Load cells help evaluate the structural integrity of aircraft components, wings, and fuselages under various loads and conditions. These devices also measure the impact forces and deformation in vehicle crash tests to evaluate safety features and structural integrity. Load cells assess the structural integrity of wind turbine towers under various wind conditions.

Force sensors are vital to structural testing, offering engineers and researchers the means to gather critical data for assessing the integrity and performance of a wide range of structures. Interface’s load cells provide accurate, real-time measurements of forces and loads, allowing for informed decision-making in design, construction, and maintenance, ultimately contributing to safer and more reliable structures in our built environment.

Machine Builders

Interface’s solutions are known for quality and accuracy, which are at the forefront of all decisions by those designing, manufacturing, and assembling machinery or industrial equipment.

Why do machine builders choose Interface precision load cells, torque transducers, instrumentation, data acquisition devices, and accessories? The quality and accuracy of these test and measurement devices are valuable when designing, developing, and selling tools, machines, and systems that optimize processes and enhance production.

An engineer who builds machines requires the highest quality sensor and instrumentation for developing, assembling, and integrating components for stand-alone and multi-station automated machine tools and systems. These automated machine-tool systems are used in all manufacturing sectors, including assembly, processing, and fabricating systems.

Machine builders use Interface sensor technologies to weigh raw materials, components, and finished products to ensure they meet the required specifications. Force measurement devices are important in measuring a machine’s or process’s force to control product quality and prevent accidents. Machine builders frequently use load cells to monitor loads over time to detect and prevent potential machine problems.

Why Machine Builders Use Interface Solutions

Improve safety: Force measurement devices are important in measuring a machine’s or process’s force to control product quality and prevent accidents. Load cells monitor the weight and distribution of loads and ensure that machines operate correctly.
Increased productivity: Force measurement sensors can help improve machines’ efficiency by optimizing the force applied during different operations. Force measurement sensors can help reduce machine downtime and enhance the quality of products with accurate data, helping to make intelligent decisions.
Reduced waste and operating costs: Measurement devices can help to reduce costs by preventing machine failures and improving the quality of products.
Quality improvement: Machine builders use Interface sensor technologies to weigh raw materials, components, and finished products to ensure they meet the required specifications. By measuring the force of their machines and processes, machine builders can ensure that their products meet the required specifications.
Maintaining machines: Machine builders frequently use load cells to monitor loads over time to detect and prevent potential machine problems.

Types of Machines Using Interface Products

CNC machines: Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machines are automated machines that cut, drill, mill, and turn metal parts.
Injection molding machines: These machines melt plastic pellets and inject them into a mold to create a variety of plastic parts.
Presses: Most presses form metal parts by applying force, which is one of the primary reasons they rely heavily on Interface force measurement products. They are used in various applications, including stamping, forging, and cutting.
Lathes: The lathe turns metal parts, which includes machining shafts, bearings, and gears.
Milling machines: To cut and mill metal parts, machine builders will use milling for machining flat surfaces, slots, and pockets.
Grinders: Interface products are used in grinders to accurately measure the forces used to remove material and create a smooth surface finish.
Industrial Robots: Robots are used to perform various tasks in the manufacturing process, including welding, painting, and assembly. From R&D to installation, robotics requires thorough testing and measurement. Machine builders work with engineers to develop and design robots.

Our experience and product diversity have led machine builders and engineers to choose Interface force measurement sensors throughout their careers. Interface has served machine builders for more than 55 years, and it’s a relationship and role we know very well.

Test and Measurement

test measurement applications