Posted to News on 24th Aug 2010, 10:28
Test machine is rated to 350 tonnes in tension or compression
Straightpoint (UK) Ltd has invested 330,000 in a new calibration and universal test machine that was built to the company's specifications. This machine is believed to be the only one of its type in the UK; it weighs 17 tonnes, is 6m high and is able to calibrate up to 350 tonnes of compression or tension - which represents an increase in capacity of at least 300 per cent compared to the company's previous calibration machine. In addition to calibrating and testing its own loadlink load cells using this machine, Straightpoint is offering a calibration and test service. To accommodate the new equipment and to handle the increasing demand for its services, Straightpoint (UK) moved to new headquarters in Havant, Hampshire, on 1 August 2010.
The equipment has taken 18 months to develop, build and test to Straightpoint (UK)'s specifications, and has also taken 16 weeks to install due to the size and structure. The machine has been assessed and calibrated by the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and approved as a Class I test machine. Tensile testing at up to 700mm centres and compression testing at up to 550mm centres enables nearly all types of loadcell to be tested.
David Ayling, the Managing director of Straightpoint (UK) Ltd, says: "We have seen our export market rise dramatically over the last 18 months due to the weak Pound and exchange rate, which has seen Straightpoint's sales rise by 10 per cent. As part of the growth, we have also seen an increase in the demand for testing and calibration of industrial load monitoring equipment, which is why we have invested in this state-of-the-art machinery. With our new service we will be able to test equipment of capacity from 1 to 350 tonnes of tension or compression, helping to ensure the health and safety of those using the equipment as well as the ultimate accuracy of the readings. For example, our load cells are used by many rigging and testing companies worldwide to test cranes, bollard and tug testing, lifting systems, crowd control barriers, crash investigations as well as weigh suspended objects from cranes and hoists, so the accuracy in testing and calibration is of utmost importance to us and our global clients."
Straightpoint (UK) supplies crane scales as well as tension and compression loadcells to organisations in the UK and its 25 global distributors, collectively covering every continent. In addition, the UK company also set up a new office in the USA in 2009, Straightpoint Inc, in California, to serve North and South America. The US office focuses primarily on serving the oil, gas, aerospace and shipping industries, as well as other sectors requiring heavy load monitoring equipment.
