Mechanical testing supports material and product innovation across a variety of industries and applications, from testing the long-term durability of dental implants during chewing to predicting how a car part will bend during an accident. Learn how the latest technology advances mechanical testing to better support cutting-edge product development.

Mechanical testing encompasses a variety of analysis techniques that measure how samples respond to different forces and conditions. Mechanical testing is critical to ensuring the performance and longevity of your materials and products. Two key types of mechanical testing are:

Monotonic testing (AKA tensile tests): Material response to an applied load. How much force in a single load does it take to break it?
Fatigue testing: Material response to repeated loading. How many pulls does it take to break it?

Together, monotonic and fatigue tests provide critical information about materials’ responses to force. Since material specification sheets usually lack detailed data on mechanical properties, bringing these tests in-house can aid in successful material selection and prevent product failures earlier in development. Durability testing therefore accelerates the development of dependable, quality products, but many labs struggle to quickly and reliably obtain mechanical data. New technology is here to change that: introducing the new TA Instruments ElectroForce™ Apex 1 mechanical test instrument.

The new TA Instruments ElectroForce Apex 1 Instrument predicts material and product performance by combining monotonic tests, fatigue studies, and other material characterization methods on one easy-to-use instrument. Apex expands testing capabilities with a longer test stroke of 100mm, allowing for testing of more materials and providing greater insights from one instrument. And the new ElectroForce motor technology enables versatile testing across a wide range of forces, frequencies, and displacements, from < 1Hz to > 100Hz and microns to 100mm.

Predicting product performance also necessitates flexibility to change test conditions and imitate real-life environments. ElectroForce Apex 1’s wide range of accessories include environmental systems, clamps, and sensors that empower users to measure sample behavior under application-specific conditions.

How New Technology Streamlines Mechanical Testing

In addition to broadening the scope of mechanical testing, Apex also makes this data more accessible with facilitated testing for users of every experience level. Automated controls and fewer process steps reduce operator errors and help ensure precision, enabling safer and more confident testing. Guided test-specific workflows help users with streamlined test setup, and next-generation TuneIQ technology automates control modes and reduces the tuning process. As a result, even new users can confidently set up and run mechanical tests on Apex 1 with minimal training. Apex 1 also ensures reliable and accurate data recording with automated data acquisition as well as integrated software and data analysis.

Future-Proof Your Products and Lab

Mechanical testing helps scientists, engineers, and technicians predict material performance and prevent product failure, streamlining development of reliable products. But too many labs skip key steps or only measure their material from one approach, missing out on critical information about how different forces or conditions affect performance and durability. Adding new test techniques may seem daunting, but Apex 1 is designed to seamlessly integrate into existing workflows and speed up reliable product development, not slow you down. Learn more about how Apex 1’s groundbreaking capabilities will help you reach the peak of advanced mechanical testing in this product demonstration video.