Nov 18 2010
Efficient, cost-effective materials testing is essential for today’s plastics and textile industries. Zwick’s ‘roboTest F’ robotic testing system offers a compact solution for automated tensile tests on dimensionally unstable specimens. Operating the system is easy thanks to a special specimen magazine,
Quality assurance is indispensable for the manufacture of plastics products such as foils and films. Zwick’s ‘roboTest F’ robotic testing system is designed to make materials testing during the production process efficient and reliable. The testing system comprises an Allround-Line testing machine with extended test area. Specimens for the tensile test are fed into a magazine with a capacity of up to 200 items. The magazine consists of a base and a revolving chain with parallel clamp-type holders in which the specimens are gripped. The holders vary according to the type and shape of the specimen, allowing foils/films and textiles of different dimensions to be tested using the same system.
Robotic testing system ‘roboTest F’ for tensile tests on foils and films.
In addition to a medium-term reduction in testing costs the advantage of this system lies in error-free testing. “Eliminating operator influence means a high level of test result reproducibility. The entire test sequence is recorded by the software and the test results are transferred to a database automatically and error-free,” explains Zwick Product Manager Robert Kaifler. Moreover, the compact system layout requires little space and is therefore also ideal for retrofitting to an existing Zwick testing machine. Manual tests can be performed as and when required by simply disconnecting the specimen feeding system. Additional options for the system include automatic determination of specimen thickness (e.g. of a film/foil), positive, accurate specimen identification via barcode and sending test results automatically via text message or e-mail.
Zwick has been specializing in robotic testing systems for over 25 years and has installed more than 350 systems worldwide in many different industries.