November_December_2021_AMP_Digital

A D V A N C E D M A T E R I A L S & P R O C E S S E S | N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 1 2 7 T esting labs face constant pres- sures to increase production, lower costs, and create safer working environments for their employ- ees. While these goals might appear to conflict with each other, providers of materials testing equipment are using developments in automation to help labs achieve them simultaneously. All leading materials testing sup- pliers offer fully automated solutions, which can provide enormous value through improved throughput, de- creased operating cost, and increased safety. However, fully automated sys- tems are significant capital expen- ditures; for many labs, the possible benefits of such a system fall short of justifying the cost. To accommodate labs that do not warrant fully automated systems, ma- terials testing suppliers are develop- ing hardware and software solutions to automate many of the discrete actions required by a manual testing process. Some parts of the process have already been addressed, notably improving the throughput and reliability of amanually operated system, which also inherently reduces costs. Other areas have been targeted tomake systems safer, protect- ing both equipment and operators. This article discusses the following six emerging solutions and how their automated nature adds value to a lab: 1. Automated crosshead positioning 2. Automated fixture collision detection 3. Automated grip pressure control 4. Automated file change tracking 5. Barcode integration 6. LIMS integration AUTOMATED CROSSHEAD POSITIONING Many testing labs use a materi- als testing system to examine different types of material, requiring different fixturing and test methods to control the crosshead. When switching from one test type to another, technicians have traditionally been responsible for swapping out fixtures and manually re- positioning the crosshead to the loca- tion required for the next test. Manual positioning (also referred to as jog- ging) of the system’s crosshead is typ- ically performed with a handheld or frame-mounted control. Precisely set- ting crosshead position is fundamental AUTOMATING THE TESTING PROCESS Labs without fully automated testing systems can benefit from adapting one or more parts of the process to increase throughput, decrease costs, and improve safety. TECHNICAL SPOTLIGHT Fully automated testing systems like the Instron AT3 pictured can automate a variety of tests, including tensile, flexure, and compression.