Mecmesin Appoints New Export Sales Co-ordinator

We’ve just appointed a new Export Sales Co-ordinator. 33 year-old Ben Mitson has been brought on board as result of increasing demand for our quality control testing systems.

Ben speaks Spanish fluently and enjoys working at Mecmesin because people here are enthusiastic: “It’s nice to see people who are really passionate about what they do. At Mecmesin, they really care about their customers and their products. Before coming here, I hadn’t realised that everything needs to be quality tested by manufacturers to protect consumers but being here has really opened my eyes to that. It’s nice to be based in Sussex which is a beautiful part of the world but having offices in America, France, Thailand and China and a worldwide network of distributors makes for a truly international atmosphere.”

He went on to say: “In the role of Export Sales Co-ordinator, I am looking forward to communicating with customers and distributors around the world and I would like to develop the Latin American markets. I lived in Barcelona for nearly 11 years, so I am keen to use my language skills in this role. I’m also planning to learn Portuguese which will be essential for communicating with our Brazilian clients and distributors.”

The Managing Director of Mecmesin, John Page, says: “This year has seen a steady growth of exports at Mecmesin and we are very pleased that Ben Mitson has joined the company. Already more than 70% of our revenue comes from exports, so it’s an important role within the company. We are hoping to expand our international markets, especially the emerging markets which are just beginning to realise the true value of taking quality control seriously if they are to compete with other manufacturers globally.”

Mecmesin currently employs more than 60 people in its UK headquarters but is looking to recruit more engineers.

Truly International Interpack

The Interpack exhibition went “extremely well” this year and was “very international in feel” according to the Mecmesin team who manned the stand. The team was struck by the fact that there were more visitors from across the globe than ever before. This year there were buyers from as far afield as Senegal, Ghana, El Salvador and Guatemala. Dave put this down to the fact that buyers from emerging markets were probably beginning to have a greater realisation that quality control was a necessity not a luxury.

Visitors to the stand, many of whom were interested in the torque testing of bottling and capping,  were shown the new Vortex-xt, the Tornado, the MultiTest 2.5-xt, the MultiTest-25-i and the MultiTest 1-d.

According to Declan, at one point a straight-talking, no-nonsense type of Australian approached the stand and demanded an impromptu demonstration of the MultiTest-xt.  This canny Antipodean was the owner of a company that made medical devices and he had brought his sutures half way round the world to find the best testing equipment for his samples.

Undaunted by the thought of a live demo in front of a crowd, Dave and Declan went to work. They attached the thread to the needle and then tested the tensile strength of the sutures. The medical device manufacturer was so delighted by the results that he asked them to do yet more testing. This time he wanted to see if the MultiTest-xt could carry out a series of peel tests. Again, the Mecmesin machinery performed admirably.  After the tests were completed, the manufacturer just smiled and asked for the contact details of the Mecmesin distributor in Australia.

Apparently a lot of people who came to the stand asked where Mecmesin machines were made.  When the team told them that they were made in the UK, they were really impressed and said, “that’s great” or words to that effect.  It seems that Britain still has an enviable reputation for quality throughout the world and that’s always good to know. 

Mecmesin stand at Interpack 2011

  

Packing for Interpack

It’s a busy time of year for Mecmesin with the Interpack Exhibition only days away. It starts on the 12^th of May 2011 and we’re going to be exhibiting in Hall number 5 on stand
FO4-1.    

The transit van’s loaded and all the equipment’s packed safely away – ready to begin the long journey from Slinfold in West Sussex to Dusseldorf in Germany. 

When we get there, we’ll be unveiling our new Torque Tester – the Vortex-xt.  

The Vortex-xt is easy-to-use and has been designed to cut costs by improving production line efficiency. 

It can quickly measure stripping torque and release torque. It’s able to identify bridge breaks and can help to avoid spinners. It can also be easily adapted to test child resistant closure and of course, we can offer bespoke fittings to match individual containers.

What’s more, the Vortex-xt, is simple to operate.  Up to 5 frequently used tests can be stored for quick access by different users. Password protection allows “administrators” to alter test set-up and template design, avoiding any accidental changes to programmable functions. 

We’re also taking our most powerful Packaging Test System yet – the MultiTest 50-i to Interpack with us.

This tension and compression tester has a loading capacity of 50kN and we think this will really interest quality assurance managers out there.

The MultiTest 50-i can accurately measure the top-load strength of larger, stronger packaging samples.

The high capacity, computer-controlled, force test system offers an increased clearance between the columns of 420mm and sample height of up to 1330mm. 

The whole system’s controlled by Mecmesin’s windows-based Emperor Software and users can create test routines to meet their exact specifications and changing needs.

If you’re going to Interpack 2011, please visit our team in Hall number 5, stand FO4-1. You’ll get a warm welcome whether you’re browsing or buying.  

If you’re not going to Interpack but would like more information about any of our torque or force testing products, please e-mail: info@mecmesin.com or phone +44 (0) 1403 799 979.

Mecmesin's run of new force testers

Mecmesin continues to innovate and create new products in the world of force and torque measurement.

Take a look at some of the products just launched or coming soon to help you make the most of your quality control testing.


MultiTest-xt

A production floor force tester controlled via a touch screen interface.
The challenge was to produce a force tester that could be used by production floor staff with minimal training, yet still offer the versatility of enabling more in-depth evaluation and programming capability.


MultiTest 50-i

A big move for Mecmesin's force measurement capabilities. The MultiTest 50-i is a computer-controlled force test system capable of measuring up to 50kN, offering full programmable control to the operator and comprehensive test evaluation tools.


Myometer

Used by health practitioners and sports personnel to measure isometric muscle strength, this small instrument is a useful tool in determining recovery from injury, effects of training or discovery of illness utilising the constant score method of muscular strength evaluation.



We look forward to your comments and suggestions. Use the box below and we'll get in touch as soon as possible!

5 key points of compression testing

Compression testing can be a critically important product quality indicator, so knowing a bit more about what it is could be very useful.












Our feature article, represented within the US Quality magazine, helps unravel the confusion surrounding compression measurement and provides some key points to help anyone get to grips with the topic.



Find out...

What a compression test is

The types of compression test - flexure or bend test, spring test, top-load or crush test

The theory behind compression measurement, including Hooke's Law and Young's Modulus

What to consider before making a compression test

How a typical compression test is performed

Read the full article now

I hope it you enjoy reading it.

I'd be happy to hear any comments or answer any queries you have. Please use the comments box below.

Young at heart…

When I was at school we were nervously revising for the end of year exams. We were trying to spot which questions might come up, and for Physics we were a bit worried that it might concern Young’s Modulus. In case you didn’t know, Young’s Modulus is a ratio often used to characterise materials. It gives an indication of the stiffness of a material. More specifically, it relates to the inherent properties of the material. For the first time it allowed engineers to calculate the strain in a component for an applied stress. Before Young had devised his modulus, engineers had to apply Hooke’s law, or F = kx, where F is the force, x is the deformation and k is a constant dependant upon the material of the body and its shape. Using Hooke’s formula you had to do some tests on any new component to account for properties of the material and the shape of the item. However, Young’s modulus is independent of the shape, so you can use it for any new component made of the same material.

Young’s modulus holds true for a material within the range in which Hook’s law applies – where extension is proportional to load - within the elastic limit. Beyond that, well, things change a bit.

At school in the physics lab we had a “Young’s Modulus” experiment set up. This was a thin wire going up over some pulleys fixed to the ceiling and running down to an attachment where you could load on weights to apply stress. While ‘Teacher’ was occupied in the prep-room, someone in the class had discovered that if you plucked the thin wire like a single-stringed double-bass, it made a most amusing “doing” sound. Even better, if you put your foot on the loading attachment, you could alter the pitch of the “doinging” note by pressing down. An impromptu rendition of The Doors - “Come on baby light my fire” - was transposed into - “Come on baby twang my wire”. As I said, Hooke’s law applies within limits. Too much right foot and the amusing “doing” became “BOING” as the wire broke.



So part of the reason for our nervousness about the Physics exam was the possibility that question number one would be “Who broke the Young’s Modulus apparatus?....... "




Would you like to know more about Young’s’ Modulus, yield points and elastic limits and how to measure them? Then call Mecmesin. I promise we don’t have music ‘on hold’.

Keeping a Constant Score on Muscle Strength?

Break a Leg! No seriously, please do. The reputation of our Myometer product is staked upon people breaking bones!

Well, maybe not just fractures, but it can often be used in these situations, and a lot more besides. In short, the Myometer is a pull gauge, which measures isometric muscle strength, whether it’s your arm or leg, helping health professionals determine your general physical well-being, recuperation after injury or excessive training.

Imagine you go to the hospital having broken your leg. Maybe it was a freak skiing accident as you were winding your way down the slopes of Chamonix, and couldn’t quite get the angle right to make your turn, but were in perfect line for the tree ahead of you!




As the doctor performs an examination, he must obtain enough information in order to form a qualified assessment of the injury and estimate the time needed for recovery. Data from the Myometer provides a low cost, yet precise method of determining physical functional disability for upper and lower limbs. It enables health professionals to evaluate the progression of disease, provide information on the success of treatment intervention or evaluate the result of a sports persons training regime on their health. A long distance runner, for example, puts their muscles under constant high levels of strain. As part of their physio, their therapist/trainer will use a Myometer to quantify the effects of training and compare results on a daily, weekly basis, if necessary to adjust it accordingly.

As you lie in bed contemplating where it all went wrong, your doctor suddenly appears to perform yet another examination. However, this one is surprisingly swift and thankfully requires very little effort on your part. With a lovely warm bedside manner, the doctor attaches a strap from the Myometer gauge to your leg, in this case, just above the knee. With the Myometer gripped securely to a stationary object, such as a table, you try to move your leg outward against the resistance of the strap. This enables him to measure your isometric muscle strength (a static measurement as there is no actual movement). The change in measurement over time provides him with a good indication of your recovery and regained strength.


If this had affected your arm instead of your shoulder, you may have heard your practitioner mumbling something about the Constant Score. And no, that was not something in reference to Ronaldo’s ability to constantly score goals. It refers to a special technique used to assess the general performance of your shoulder when tested in a similar manner as before. The Myometer is able to automatically provide data for the Constant Score to make it even easier to evaluate a patient’s recovery.

With measurements taken at regular intervals, it isn’t long before your doctor discharges you, you’re back on your feet and able to tackle that heavy workload left for you…while wishing you were back on those ski slopes!

If you would like to comment or have a query concerning the Myometer, please leave a comment in the box below. Thank you.