Are you in the market for a measurement product or service that can be integrated into a piece of equipment? Whether it’s a product for strain gaging, sensors, load cells or load pins, torque wrenches, or any other possible product that an engineer might need to carry out a job, there are manufacturers and distributors out there to supply their needs.
To understand that need of engineers it’s best to understand what their required products and tools are and do. Take the hydraulic load cell, for instance. These can operate at temperatures as low as -76 degrees F! And there’s not just one type of load cells, there are five that include hydraulic load cells, strain gauge type load cells, spool type load cells, diaphragm load cells, and ring type load cells. Often times, load cells are used in conjunction with a weighing system. Why? Because they are highly accurate in load measurement data. Much of the efficiency and accuracy that load cells offer can be attributed to their strain gauge technology, a well established technology that has been proving its success for nearly 40 years now.
Then there are torque wrenches and torque sensors. Invented by Conrad Bahr in 1918, torque wrenches are handy tools that are used to apply specific torques to fasteners, like nuts or bolts. Torque sensors, on the other hand, come into play when playing with calibration. Calibrating a tool typically involves measurements from two instruments. Instruments like torque sensors are regularly calibrated, and if they exceed the recommended calibration limit, they’re knocked down to their nominal capacity, not to exceed 360,000 lbs.in. How often do tools and instruments require recalibration? According to ISO9000, the standard maximum period of time between recalibration is about once every two years. If the tool is older, recalibration may need to occur more often.
So whether you’re an engineer looking for a new tool or instrument, or are simply looking for information and guidance on strain gaging or when to calibrate or how to care for tools, there are resources available. The best place to start would be to contact your current distributor or manufacturer, and go from there.
