Rapid technical advance combined with the need to use raw materials carefully has led to miniaturisation of mechanical, electromechanical and electronic components, causing a dramatic rise in demands placed on production accuracy as dimensional, form and positional tolerances become ever smaller.
The requirements placed on testing technology are experiencing a similar increase; the smaller specimens become, the greater the demands on the mechanical accuracy of the entire test arrangement (dimensional stability / accuracy, form and positional errors, bearing play, etc.). The resolution and accuracy of force and displacement measurement systems must keep pace with the increasingly fine tolerances of the characteristics being determined, with test equipment gage R&R certification representing an ever greater challenge.
Intensive development work by Zwick has resulted in PrecisionLine – a testing system more than equal to these increased demands and featuring significant innovations. In order to minimise load frame compliance effects and Abbe displacement measurement errors, the load application axis and the travel measurement reference are aligned with the test axis, while an innovative and patented displacement compensates the error caused by deformation of the load-cell. The displacement measurement system has a resolution of 0.12µm, and force measurement accuracy lies well within the limits of Class ISO 7500-10.5.
Three new machine types
PrecisionLine Manual is a manually operated instrument for testing compression springs and many other engineered components. This is followed by a motorised version – PrecisionLine Automatic. This machine has been developed specially for high-accuracy measurement and where maximum reproducibility is required. PrecisionLine Vario, the third variant, features modular construction, making it a genuine universal testing machine for a wide range of applications.
Maximum flexibility for tests on medical technology
PrecisionLine Vario features modular construction and the PrecisionLine Automatic measurement head, whose position can be adjusted manually along a very stiff four-column load frame. The machine can operate in a horizontal or vertical position and mechanical system compliance compensation is optionally available.
An interchangeable fixture platen enables many different devices and fixtures to be attached. PrecisionLine Vario is ideally suited to use in medical technology, with an open design offering excellent accessibility and allowing even micro-components or very small implants to be inserted and gripped securely.
With the testControl measurement and control system plus testXpert® II test software, PrecisionLine Vario is a high-precision all-round universal testing system offering a high degree of test scalability thanks to testXpert II’s full functional range.