What is The Current State of Tensile Testing?

Tensile testing has an incredibly broad range of applications across countless industries. Tensile strength testers are used to assess heavy-duty products, such as tires, automotive components, and construction products, as well as delicate precision components and medical products. Rubbers, plastics, and metals can all be evaluated with tensile testing machines, as can nano- and microfibers.

With tremendous advancements in materials science, there is a growing need for fast, effective quality validation testing—including tensile testers—to evaluate new and experimental compounds. There are tremendous opportunities for tensile testers to streamline production, as well as changes that must be overcome.

Adapting to Current Challenges

One of the major challenges facing manufacturers is a shortage of skilled technicians who can conduct tensile testing. This problem is exacerbated by the growing demand for tensile testing professionals: Many manufacturers are working to increase tensile testing activity on the production floor for quality assurance purposes but are struggling to recruit enough technicians to bring their plans to fruition. This speaks to a need for a more efficient tensile tester that leverages automation and cutting-edge software that can execute key functions of testing with only minimal involvement from a human technician.

Recent Technological Advancements in Tensile Testers

According to eCommerce Fastline, the tensile testing market has seen “a significant 15% growth in innovations over the last decade.”

A meaningful advancement in tensile testing technology is real-time monitoring. In the past, test samples were only examined after testing was complete, which limits how much manufacturers can glean from the testing. This can cause significant problems later on: Some experts report that 60% of product failures are caused by defects that go undetected during production or quality assurance. Real-time monitoring allows for up-to-the-second insight into when the material failed and the behavior of the sample inside the tensile tester leading up to the moment of failure. This level of detail equips manufacturers to adapt quickly and make adjustments with confidence.

The Future of Tensile Testing

Artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) have fundamentally changed the quality assurance environment for materials. These new technologies can be leveraged to detect material defects much earlier in the development and production process. Combining these new technologies with tensile testing can reduce deficiencies by 20%.

Another factor expected to affect tensile testing is the growing demand for sustainable business practices in virtually every industry. A tensile tester is a valuable tool for predicting the performance of new materials and compounds and benchmarking them against legacy products. Because of this, tensile testers are expected to play a critical role in the development and adoption of environmentally friendly materials. Many manufacturers are experimenting with recycled materials and new compounds and will rely on tensile testing data to determine whether these new products are as durable as the originals they’re seeking to replace.

The AlphaFlex10: The Next Generation of Tensile Testing Machines from Alpha Technologies

The AlphaFlex10 Tensile Tester is the leading tensile testing machine in the rubber industry. Leveraging 204 combined years of experience from Alpha Technologies and Tinius Olsen, the AlphaFlex10 is designed for simplicity and accuracy, with advanced sensors, control algorithms, and accessories to support precision data acquisition. 

With the same reliability and precision as other Alpha rheology instruments, the AlphaFlex10 integrates seamlessly into your existing Alpha software environment. Alpha’s streamlined workflow allows you to work more efficiently as you pinpoint the data you need to make confident product development decisions. Plus, your new AlphaFlex10 will be maintained and serviced by your existing support person, so you can continue to enjoy a personalized experience from someone who understands what’s important to you.
To learn more about the AlphaFlex10 Tensile Tester and request a quote, talk to one of our tensile testing experts >