Made to measure
Straightpoint managing director David Ayling in front of the new machine
Straightpoint (UK) Ltd can now offer a calibration and testing service up to 350 after commissioning the UK’s largest universal test machine.
A global specialist in the design and manufacture of force measurement, load monitoring and suspended weighing load cells Straightpoint (UK) Ltd, has invested £330k in the state-of-the-art calibration and universal test machine project, with the machinery built to the company’s own specifications.
Based in Havant, Hampshire, the machine is believed to be the only one of its type in the UK. It weighs in at 17 tonnes, is 6 meters high, and can calibrate up to 350 tonnes of compression and 350 tonnes of tension – an increase of at least 300% capacity compared to the company’s previous calibration machine. The new calibration and testing service has been available since the beginning of August.
In addition to investing in the new machinery, Straightpoint (UK) Ltd also moved to new headquarters in Havant, Hampshire on 1st August to accommodate the new equipment and handle growing demand for its services.
The equipment has taken 18 months to develop, build and test to Straightpoint (UK) Ltd’s specifications, and has also taken 16 weeks to install due to the size and structure of the unique equipment. The test 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 allow nearly all types of loadcell to be tested, even if they are not manufactured and designed by Straightpoint (UK) Ltd.
Managing director of Straightpoint David Ayling says “We’ve seen our export market rise dramatically over the last 18 months due to the weak GBP and exchange rate, which has seen Straightpoint’s sales rise by 10%. As part of the growth, we’ve also seen an increase in the demand for testing and calibration of industrial load monitoring equipment, which is why we’ve invested in this state-of-the-art machinery.
“With our new service we’ll 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) Ltd supplies crane scales as well as tension and compression loadcells to organisations in the UK and its 25 global distributors, collectively covering every global continent. In addition, the UK company also set up an additional brand new office in the US last year, Straightpoint Inc in California, specifically serving the Western Hemisphere, comprising of 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.
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