Mecmesin Screwdriver Tests Torque of Cereal

The Netherlands’ top agricultural and horticultural school, the University of Applied Sciences HAS Den Bosch, in conjunction with Wageningen University, another leading Dutch institution, acquired a Mecmesin Static Torque Screwdriver and Advanced Torque Gauge to help in their research into improving the yield and quality of Teff, a gluten-free cereal.

Teff – Latin name: eragrostis tef – originates in Ethiopia but is currently grown in Europe, the United States, and elsewhere. Teff contains no gluten but is rich in protein, calcium, fibre, and iron, so is potentially important as a health food product and as a wheat alternative for sufferers of coeliac disease.

But teff has struggled to bring growers commercial benefits. The quantities of Ethiopian-grown teff sold on world markets are low, and the cereal failed to grow well in the early stages of its introduction to Europe. Researchers at Wageningen University discovered that a major cause of inhibited yield was the lodging (permanent displacement) of plants. Several field trials were conducted to identify the causes of this lodging.

The University of Manchester supplied the Centre for Crop Systems Analysis in the Netherlands with a Mecmesin torque testing screwdriver to perform tests in the field. For over 30 years, Mecmesin, a UK-based maker of torque and force testing devices, has been providing innovative and affordable measuring solutions for a broad range of applications.

In these tests, entire plants were measured and the three largest shoots carefully removed. The centres of gravity of the entire plant and each separate shoot were obtained by balancing the plant/shoot on a thin, smooth metal tube and measuring the distance between balance point and base end. The gravitational moment of plants, shoots, and panicles under 0, 3, 45, and 60 degrees was obtained using a custom-designed lodging meter, made from a highly sensitive Mecmesin digital torque screwdriver that reads up to 1.5Nm of torque in steps of 0.0001Nm.

The Dutch researchers adopted the Mecmesin device on the advice of their colleagues at Manchester University and praise it warmly for its simplicity and usability.

“The Mecmesin digital torque screwdriver was simple and straightforward to operate and it was very helpful that the user guide PDF was on the net.”

Sander H van Delden, Teacher/Researcher at the Department of Plant-Soil Interaction, HAS Den Bosch, Wageningen University

Equipment
• Static Torque Screwdriver – recommended for torque applications requiring fewer than 180 degrees of rotation
• Advanced Torque Gauge – for reading of torque and storage of test data

Mecmesin torque testing screwdriver, enclosed and fitted with lightweight metal tube to measure dislodging torque of teff shoot


For details about the study in which the Mecmesin device was used, please see Delden, S.H. van; Vos, J.; Ennos, A.R.; Stomph, T.J. (2010). Analysing lodging of the panicle bearing cereal teff (Eragrostis tef). New Phytologist 186 (3). - p. 696 - 707.

Garage doors – avoiding limbo and lumbago

Is it just me or are some children naturally perverse?  I said “Don’t try to open the ‘up-and-over’ garage door by lifting one corner – use the handle in the centre”.  But advice from parents is often “In one ear, and out the other”, and in the case of this door it proved to be “In one runner and out the other” – one of the little wheels had jumped out of its track and now the door was well and truly stuck.

Fortunately it was open just enough to allow me to crawl underneath (a certain loss of dignity here), and prise the running wheel back into its channel and get it open just enough to get the car out.  After one glance at the rather formidable looking counter-balance springs, and thinking about how they might suddenly “un-spring”, I decided that in this case, a repair was best left to an expert.

So, I think the phrase “Sense of humour failure” is probable quite apt when the subject of garage doors is mentioned.  However back at work, I see that we at Mecmesin have helped out a French manufacturer of garage doors to improve their Quality Control by testing the raw material and the finished product to make sure that their doors always perform perfectly.  If only my door had been one of theirs I wouldn’t have needed to re-boot my sense of humour when my colleague suggested I take up limbo dancing.

Take a look at how we helped the French company by following this link:

http://www.mecmesin.com/test-solutions/solutions-by-industry/engineering/testing-metal-shutters-in-france

Why test top-load? Because top-load testing cuts down waste and brings savings to packagers

The article “Why Test Top-Load?” explains what top-load testing is and highlights the business case for effective and economical testing. The essence of the case for top-load testing is dual – less material usage and wastage, which means greater savings and compliance with environmental standards.

Many packaging manufacturers might find the prospect of investing in materials testing technology daunting, with complexity and cost as reasons for deferring a decisive move toward acquiring a good system. It seems however that top-load testing can be very straightforward – for typical applications, operators will require no re-skilling. Budget worries are likely similarly unfounded – sophisticated test platforms are in most cases not necessary. Easy-to-use touch screen-operated machines are available, and at a price that will not scare the accounts department. Of course, more sophisticated solutions are available too, and the article introduces the many options and advantages that higher end systems offer to businesses whose test needs are more specific.

If you still feel that investment in a top-load test system is a gamble, perhaps you should consider the alternatives – products whose material volume exceeds minimum requirements make expensive landfill. In packaging, less is definitely more. Less volume is less weight to ship and ultimately less waste to process. For businesses, this translates into more savings and more freedom from worries about environmental regulations.

Read all about it

British Plastics and Rubber magazine devotes a whole page to Mecmesin in their latest issue.  They asked us to contribute to an article in a special supplement on green issues because we are experts in reducing waste. In the article on page 67 of the September issue, we explain why testing plastics not only benefits the environment but the pocket too. We describe how top-load testing, can test packaging design and integrity to see if the amount of material used in containers like PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) can be reduced. The article featured an image of our new touch-screen top load tester - the MultiTest-xt (see below).

http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/a151956f#/a151956f/66

Improve your elasticity testing with our new extended travel stands

We have just launched new longer-length test stands for improved determination of break strength and elongation when testing rubber and film samples.

The extended stands are constructed using a rigid aluminium base-casting and precision ballscrew, making them ideal for elongation testing up to 1200mm of highly elastic material such as rubber and film. To accommodate the extra length and to comply with the EU Topple Test, these long stands are fitted with stability bases made of steel.

The new 1kN and 0.5kN models are available with software and electronics from Mecmesin’s established range of MultiTest-d, MultiTest-xt and MultiTest-i tension and compression test frames.

The extended stands are now in full production with the first machine being supplied to a large manufacturer in Australia to enable improved testing of female hygiene products.

Our MD, John Page, says: "Quality Control Managers in the plastics and rubber industries will now find it much easier to test their samples and the results will be more representative of the materials benig tested which will significiantly improve their production process."

If you would like to know more about our new longer-length test stands, please give us a ring on: 01403 799 979 or e-mail: info@mecmesin.com

MultiTest-xt

Watch Our New Top-Load Testing Video

Our new video offers step-by-step instruction on how to use the MultiTest-xt touch-screen top-load tester.

It shows just how easy it is to carry out top-load tests on bottles with this new testing system from Mecmesin.

Top-load testing’s important because during filling, capping and stacking, containers can be subjected to considerable vertical loading which causes loss of strength and eventual collapse.

The video shows how simple it is to load a bottle and clamp it into place. An icon is then selected on the touch-screen, the test method is chosen and one button launches the test. The touch-screen displays an easy-to-read overall “pass” or “fail” result. The results or raw data can then be exported directly to Microsoft Excel.

There’s a vented compression plate which allows air to escape during compression and bottle height can be measured at the same time.

A batch of ten bottles can be tested in about two minutes.

Follow this link to watch the video:
http://www.mecmesin.com/knowledge-centre/application-videos/multitest-x-and-xt-videos/top-loading-using-multitest-xt

Catch up with Mecmesin at the Composites Show.

We will be demonstrating our latest money-saving testing systems at the Composites Engineering Show which runs from the 9th – 10th of November 2011 at the NEC in Birmingham. 

Our new Vortex-xt and MultiTest-xt can be seen at stand 949. Both testing systems really do improve productivity and achieve lean manufacturing goals.

With the Vortex-xt, static and rotary torque tests are performed at the push of a button and its stand-alone system means that no PC is required, making it ideal for production areas. It’s easy to programme and simple-to-use, so there’s minimal operator training.

It is the perfect solution for engineers in the aerospace, automotive and medical device industries who need to measure clockwise and counter-clockwise torque when developing and manufacturing rotary components. Typical applications include positive “click “ on engagement of aerospace, automotive and medical device controls such as ignition switches, valves and automotive stalks.

The new MultiTest-xt makes force testing simple. It enables tension and compression tests to be carried out quickly and easily at the touch of a button on samples straight from the production line.

Designed for those in busy production environments who want an easy-to-use test system, without the need for a PC or complex software, the MultiTest-xt is a stand-alone system encapsulating all the elements needed to perform quality control assessments in a robust self-contained unit.

Our product range is versatile and our universal test machines combined with dedicated grips and fixtures can be used to solve a variety of specific test applications including; adhesion/peel, coefficient of friction, compression, flexure, tension and torsion.

If you’re passing our stand, please come and have a look at our new testing systems.