Do you have a specific task? We will get back to you with a recommendation.
A component that already sits in the load path can become the transducer itself. We bond strain gauges onto it, wire them into a bridge and calibrate the result. Your shaft, your tie bar or your machine frame becomes a measuring instrument, without an additional sensor taking up space.
We normally apply the gauges in our own laboratory and you supply the component. Where the component cannot be moved, we come to you, including harsh industrial environments. The initial concept for turning a component into a measuring instrument is free of charge.
How a strain gauge application works
Define the measuring task
- Look at the component and how it is installed: shaft, machine part, vehicle part
- Decide at which points the forces have to be measured
- Clarify which output signal your control system can process
Design the measuring points
- Predict and visualise the strain from your design drawing using FEM
- Fix the application points, adapt the component mechanically if needed (3D CAD model)
- Select the strain gauges according to material and ambient conditions
Bond and wire
- Bonding with a hot-curing adhesive, for example epoxy resin
- Wiring as a quarter, half or full bridge
- Sealing the measuring point against moisture, dirt and chemical substances
Connect and calibrate
- Connect the measuring amplifier of your choice, telemetric if you prefer
- Calibration in a fixture that we build for your particular application
- On request, application on site at your company
Quarter, half or full bridge
A measuring bridge has four arms. How many of them are active strain gauges and how many are fixed resistors determines the sensitivity and the effort of the measuring point. We wire all three arrangements, for torsion, bending and tensile and compressive force, on aluminium, steel, plastic and ceramics.
What we apply
| Feature | Range |
|---|---|
| Component materials | aluminium, steel, plastic, ceramics |
| Wiring | quarter, half and full bridge |
| Measured quantities | torsion, bending, tensile and compressive force |
| Bridge resistance | 120 Ohm to 50 kOhm |
| Connection technique | 2-, 3-, 4- and 6-wire |
| Adhesive | hot-curing, for example epoxy resin |
| Compensation | temperature and other influences |
| Sealing | against moisture, dirt and chemical substances |
| Calibration | in a fixture built specifically for the application |
| Place of application | in our own laboratory, on site on request |
Components normally come to our laboratory. Please agree the component size with us in advance so that we know what to expect.
Telemetry: measuring where no cable reaches
Not every component can be wired. A rotating shaft, for example: there an inductive link transmits the measuring signal without contact. This allows 1200 readings per second to be transmitted, so that every change in load is captured in dynamic operation.
On site, and on large components
What does not fit into the laboratory, we measure where it stands. Our service technicians apply and measure in harsh industrial environments as well. You save the investment in your own measuring equipment and get figures you can improve the machine with.
Application reports
The quickest way to see what we do is to read a completed case:
- Compressor shaft: from design to telemetric measurement — application and telemetry on a rotating component
- Measuring a cold-store mobile racking system — application in a harsh industrial environment
- Force measurement on presses and punching machines — a component becomes a measuring instrument for process monitoring
All reports are in our application reports.
What we need for a quotation
- The component: drawing or dimensions, material and size
- The measuring task: which force or which moment, at which point
- The output signal your control system can process
- The environment: temperature range, moisture, chemicals, contamination
- The place: component supplied to us, or application at your site
- Quantity and the date you need it
A drawing or a photo of the installation point is often enough for a first assessment. If you lack any of this, send what you have and we will clarify the rest in a conversation. The initial concept costs you nothing.