EXTEND Upgrade Package Brings State-of-the-Art Technology to Electromechanical Test Machines

The comprehensive, modular feature set designed specifically for the respective load frame includes new controllers and powerful signal conditioning modules, identical to those used on new Instron machines. Retaining the existing load frame, specimen grips and load cells, Instron engineers will decommission the existing controls and recording instruments, and install and connect all modules forming part of the retrofit package.

In particular in the case of machines having reached legacy status, for which necessary electronic spare parts are often no longer being offered by the suppliers, an upgrade will extend the life of valuable assets, maintain or even improve operational safety, increase accuracy, and raise reliability to reduce expensive downtime for necessary repair.

A recent addition to Instron's upgrade offering is the EXTEND 5900 Upgrade Package for electromechanical test machines model 1180, 4200, 4400, 4500, 5500, 5800 and 6020. The package is suitable for routine testing in quality control and for applications in material and components development, and includes the capability to perform simple cyclic tests and block tests.

The associated 5900 electronics with digital signal processing unit (DSP) provides control functions, processing of sensor signals along with high-speed data acquisition, and enables easy connection of sensors, computer and service interfaces. These easy-to-install upgrades with 5900 controller provide options such as additional strain cards, multi-channel data acquisition and analogue outputs.

A control panel developed specifically for Series 5900 test machines is mounted directly on the test frame and provides a combination of keys and live displays, limit monitoring functions, emergency stop and optical encoder, all of which simplify testing and improve efficiency. Amongst other functions, the panel enables starting and stopping the test procedure and coarse and fine adjustment of the crosshead. Four user-defined soft keys can be assigned functions from the Instron Bluehill 3 materials testing software, which also forms part of the EXTEND Upgrade.

This flexible material testing software package can be adapted to the user's specific requirements and is compatible with existing Merlin™ or Series IX™ testing procedures and test data. It produces real-time graphs, results and statistics for display, enables data to be exported and printed, and outputs a user specific test report at the end of a test.

Together with the competitively priced EXTEND 3300 Upgrade package for applications in quality control involving standardized and universal testing, Upgrade packages are now available for Instron test machine models 4201, 4202, 4204, 4206, 4505, 4507, 6025, 6027 as well as the 4400/5500/5800 Series (for other models on request). The modular structure of these retrofit packages will also facilitate future upgrades, simply by replacing the components concerned.

Instron (www.instron.de) is a globally leading manufacturer of test equipment for the material and structural testing markets. A global company providing single-source convenience, Instron manufactures and services products used to test the mechanical properties and performance of various materials, components and structures in a wide array of environments. Instron systems evaluate materials ranging from the most fragile filament to advanced high-strength alloys.

With the combined experience of CEAST in designing plastic testing systems, Instron enhances materials testing offerings, providing customers with comprehensive solutions for all their research, quality and service-life testing requirements. Additionally, Instron offers a broad range of service capabilities, including assistance with laboratory management, calibration expertise and customer training.

Instron is part of the US based Illinois Tool Works (ITW) group of companies with more than 850 distributed business units in 52 countries worldwide and a staff of approx. 60,000.

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