Load monitoring investment at Straightpoint

Straightpoint (UK) Ltd, a leading manufacturer of force measurement, load monitoring and suspended weighing load cells, has invested UK£ 330,000 (US$ 500,000) in a new calibration and universal test machine, built to the company's own specifications.

Based in Hampshire, the machine is believed to be the only one of its type in the UK, said the company. It weighs in at 17 tonnes and stands 6 m tall, 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 largest calibration machine.

Straightpoint has also moved to new headquarters in Hampshire to accommodate the new equipment and handle growing demand for its services. The equipment has taken 18 months to develop, build and test, plus an additional 16 weeks to install. The 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 700 mm centres and compression testing at up to 550 mm allow nearly all types of load cell to be tested, even if they are not manufactured and designed by Straightpoint, said the company.