Preparing samples for tensile testing is highly crucial. If you want accurate results, you better make sure that the samples you have are prepared as properly as possible.
Fortunately for you, there are more ways than one when it comes to preparing sample materials for a test. Each lab will have a handful of sample preparation methods and one of these happens to be the tensile sample preparation lathe system.
So, how do you go about using this preparation method? What do you have to prepare and keep in mind? To pull this method successfully, there are several factors to consider.
The System
Before anything else, you have to get familiar with the tools that you are going to use for any preparation method you will employ. In this aspect, your machine will be devices designed for round tensile sample preparation such as the TensileTurn CNC - Industrial Upgrade Model. This machine was specifically designed to test materials with round, angled, and 3-dimensional surfaces and can perform several tasks such as cutting, drilling, sanding, turning, knurling and facing.
As for the materials that it can process, the TensileTurn CNC - Industrial Upgrade Model can deal with different specimens ranging from standard-sized materials to those that are no larger than a button or pinhead. It can also process materials with different tolerance levels to stress, integrity, and shapes.
So, how is the TensileTurn CNC - Industrial Upgrade Model an appropriate round tensile sample preparation equipment? The answer lies in its components which include the following:
- A 2.2 KW motor
- A 3-Jaw Universal Chuck which can be manually operated
- A tailstock center
- A coolant tank that can store as much as 25 liters
- A stock capacity ranging from a 1-inch diameter to 6 inches with upgrades
Also, each TensileTurn CNC - Industrial Upgrade Model can be outfitted with accessories to better deal with specific material types. If your laboratory consistently deals with specimens with irregular stocks or has to constantly prepare custom specimens, having these accessories might just make your job a little bit easier.
So, how do you go about operating the TensileTurn CNC? The machine comes with a controller that can be manually configured to fit your specific material testing process. The machine's controller has a touch-screen interface which allows for an easy setup and operation. It is powered by Carbon Software which has been designed to make the universal sample preparation processes easy to perform and yield accurate results.
How the machine manages to accurately calibrate itself in every operation is made possible through a built-in central processing unit that has the following features:
- Storage capacity up to 64 gigabytes
- Up to 4 gigabytes of RAM capacity
- USB port compatibility
- Connectivity to Wi-Fi and Ethernet devices
- Macro B enabled programming
- Work offsets with up to 126 options
- Tool offsets with up to 254 options
- Helical interpolation capability
Apart from these features, the Carbon software installed on the TensileTurn CNC - Industrial Upgrade Modelcan also be configured for more specific round tensile sample preparation tasks such as drilling through canned cycles, trajectory planning, scaling, mirroring, and dual cutter processes.
A key element to the accuracy of the system is its access to a database of Common Standards. This means that the TensileTurn CNC - Industrial Upgrade Model can be operated under well-known industry standards like the ISO, DIN, and JIS standards as well as the ASTM E8 set of standards. Of course, you can manually update the program so the machine can operate under the most recent iterations of these standards.
System Operation:
Using the TensileTurn CNC - Industrial Upgrade Model is a rather straightforward affair. The machine has been designed to the point that any operator, regardless of their experience with the machine, can get the most of their tests in every operation.
How each round tensile sample preparation machine process takes place will follow roughly the same steps. First, the operator uses the touch screen to calibrate the machine. They have two options here. First, they can manually set up the dimensions for that particular test or go through the library of common standards to get their preferred dimensions there.
Once the machine has been properly set up, the operator must then be loaded in. Depending on the type of material to be tested, some pre-test preparations like cutting, polishing, and drilling must be performed. However, the TensileTurn CNC - Industrial Upgrade Model has been designed to work with irregular dimensions so extensive cutting and polishing is rarely a necessity here.
Once the specimen has been loaded in, all that the operator must do is start the process. The machine will do the testing itself and its Carbon Software will perform all the necessary measurements and calculations. There is also the option to configure specific combinations of tasks to better handle certain material types and dimensions.
If all goes well, there is a 90 to 100% likelihood that every operation you have on your machine will end up with accurate results, minimal mistakes, and little to zero accidents.
Tensile Sample Preparation
Before the tensile sample preparation lathe method can begin, the machine must first prepare the threaded round specimens. The TensileTurn CNC - Industrial Upgrade Model can do this process on its own without having to rely on an outside specialist. This should remove the waiting time you have to endure just to get the right dimensions for your testing samples.
The option to prepare the threaded specimen is right there on the control panel. All that the operator has to do is to select the standard options for threaded specimens or manually input their preferred dimensions. Once that is done, the machine and its program will do the rest of reconfiguring the sample according to the set dimensions.
What is truly important here is for the operator to plan their measurements. They have to consider the size of the specimen stock and its dimensions once it gets threaded in conjunction with the size of the grips of the tester.
This is rather crucial as a step as the thread size of the specimen must match the thread size of the grips on the tester. To be more specific, it means making sure that the diameter and length of the threaded specimen fit the dimensions of the tester's grips.
The threaded samples themselves can also be prepared either according to the common standards or a set of custom values. Either way, the operator won’t have to spend a lot of time manually configuring their round tensile sample preparation equipment for every testing process.
What Are the Advantages of Using the TensileTurn CNC?
As was previously stated, the primary goal of the TensileTurn CNC – Industrial Upgrade as a round tensile sample preparation machine is to make the testing process faster and less complicated by cutting down on the downtime spent on preparing the samples. Usually, the laboratories would have to send their specimens to the manufacturer who would then prepare them to fit inside the machines.
Although the specimens are prepared in the most accurate manner possible, the obvious downside here is the sheer tediousness of the process. The act of packaging, labeling, and shipping your specimen samples to the nearest branch of the manufacturer and waiting for the same to be processed and shipped back takes a few days to a week to complete. That is a seriously long time to allow for what is simply a preparation process. Of course, you also have to consider stringent quality checks and the chance of delays which can further increase your waiting time.
Thus, with the TensileTurn CNC – Industrial Upgrade Model, you can get to perform this sample preparation process for yourself. This has several implications. First, you are given greater control over how you perform the round tensile sample preparation process. This means that you can prepare your samples according to your exact specifications and with the set of standards that you normally operate under.
Second, it gives you greater oversight of the entire process. Aside from the calibration phase, the TensileTurn CNC - Industrial Upgrade Model allows you to monitor how the samples are being prepared. If the sample is not being prepared to your liking, you can immediately cancel the process and start over.
Third, the machine will make your entire preparation and testing process more efficient. By eliminating the need to ship samples to and from your lab and the supplier, you can speed up the process that allows you to perform more tests within a week.
Lastly, you can eliminate waste in your testing process. The most obvious waste you can remove is the amount of failed specimens produced in improperly calibrated round tensile sample preparation equipment. If you do not like the dimensions of the samples, you can easily have them reprocessed under new settings.
The more important waste you can eliminate, however, is downtime especially if there are mistakes made in the preparation process. As the machine does the process itself, you need not wait for the supplier to process the samples and then ship them back to your facility.
With a tensile sample preparation lathe machine like the TensileTurn CNC, you can thread samples in several easy steps. Accuracy is also ensured as your operators can directly control the process through the operational settings they will put in the machine. Once the dimensional standards have been set, all that is left to do is to watch as the machine prepares the specimen samples automatically.
How Optimized Will Your Work Be with the TensileTurn CNC – Industrial Upgrade Model?
Perhaps the most pressing question you might have now would be if the TensileTurn CNC - Industrial Upgrade Model be not only a good fit for your facility but if it improves the overall quality of your testing process. After all, you don’t want to invest in a machine that is either too unreliable or too complicated to even operate.
Fortunately, the TensileTurn CNC - Industrial Upgrade Model was made for long-term optimization in mind. In other words, its presence in your workspace will always be for your benefit. To achieve that, there are several features embedded within the machine’s design such as:
Efficiency and Ease of Use
Being precise and accurate is a must when it comes to round tensile sample preparation. If you cannot get the dimensions of the sample specimen right, any further processes related to that sample would be faulty at worst and inaccurate at the very least.
Much of this inaccuracy lies with the operator not fully understanding how the machine operates. To address that, the TensileTurn CNC - Industrial Upgrade Model was designed with an interface that is intuitive and easy to master. Features like easy access to common industry standards should prevent the operator from wasting time trying to calibrate the machine on untested values.
Long-Term Support
Eventually, any machine will break down and the TensileTurn CNC - Industrial Upgrade Model is no different. Repeated use of the machine will wear its components which will necessitate repairs and replacements.
Fortunately, the company assures full support of their machines for several years after purchase. This will include the standard parts repairs and replacements to more advanced software updates. Remote updates for the library of Common Standards are also offered whenever there are changes in the standards themselves. This should ensure that your machine is operating at optimal conditions and with the most current of standards at any time you need it.
Efficient Tensile Preparation
Costs will be another major concern when you deal with round tensile sample preparation equipment. Under conventional means, facilities could lose between $100,000.00 and $300,000.00 on sample preparation alone. Aside from the money, there is also several hours of downtime in between phases of each operation due to the need to ship samples between different facilities.
With the TensileTurn CNC - Industrial Upgrade Model, you get to save up on those operational costs to a considerable degree. As the preparation can now be done in-house, there is no longer any need to ship the materials to another facility. Also, this allows for multiple sample preparations at any given time, which allows for more material tests for the entire facility.
Technically speaking, you are bound to spend the same amount of money whenever you turn on the machine. However, you get to produce more and finish more tasks every time that you have to use the device. This way, your facility gets to gradually save up on operational costs in the long term.
Some Concerns
Although the TensileTurn CNC - Industrial Upgrade Model is a fairly dependable tensile sample preparation lathe device, there is still room for error when using this device. The manufacturer would not blame this on the machine’s design (no manufacturer would ever do that, mind you) but there are factors outside of the machine that might adversely impact the way that you can optimize the machine.
When it comes to the TensileTurn CNC, two crucial factors must always be considered.
A. Operator Experience
Even if the device was designed for operators of all experience levels, the machine is still at its best when handled by a person who knows what they are doing. Training your personnel to use the TensileTurn CNC - Industrial Upgrade Model is crucial as they must know how to accurately calibrate the machine for every sample preparation process. The operator should also have a very strong fundamental understanding of operating a lathe system.
During training, the operators must know how to activate the machine, how to use the touch screen interface, and how to go through the library of Common Standards. Also, and perhaps more importantly, they must learn how to perform preventive maintenance on their round tensile sample preparation equipment.
It cannot be avoided that your machine will be subjected to quite a lot of stress whenever it is being used. However, a trained operator will know how to use the machine while minimizing the stress being inflicted on its components. Depending on the training of your operators, the lifespan of your machine will be the difference calculated in months or years.
B. Off-Site Support
While on the subject of preventive maintenance, you might also have to get in touch with the nearest facility of the manufacturer who can provide you with assistance with your machine. The machine might break down mid-operation and the extent of the damage is beyond the skill of you and your operators to handle. With the help of a service team, you can get your TensileTurn CNC - Industrial Upgrade Modelmachine back in operational condition while minimizing downtime.
Also, and of equal importance, is assistance during the sample preparation itself. The TensileTurn CNC - Industrial Upgrade Model was indeed designed to do the round tensile sample preparation process in-house. However, your facility might not have the implements necessary to perform the preparatory phases to get your materials ready for the process. Worse, you might not have the materials that are needed to thread your samples into the machine.
As such, you might still have to ship your materials to an off-site facility to get the samples ready. This will cause some downtime and increases in your production costs.
If you find yourself facing this situation, you need to get hold of the nearest facility of the manufacturer as soon as possible. Their assistance is crucial in making sure that you can get to use the device in the first place.
Warranty and Support
When you seriously think about it, the quality of your round tensile sample preparation equipment will affect your bottom line. This means that the machine that you choose to invest in must provide accurate results, contribute to the overall efficiency of your facility, and be in an operable condition for as long as it is possible.
For this reason, you need to find a machine with a dependable warranty. The TensileTurn CNC, for its part, has a warranty period of 12 months.
For the manufacturer, investing in any machine is always understood in the longest possible terms. That means that nobody in their right mind would pay hundreds of dollars for a machine and expect it to do its job for only a few years. They would want that machine to do its job for at least a decade or so.
The reason for this is rather obvious: a single tensile sample preparation lathe device or anything similar is expensive. Depending on the model, that means purchase prices ranging from a few hundred dollars to thousands. Thus, constantly replacing such machines every few years means repeat expenditures which would be costly in the long term.
Aside from that, you should also consider the fact that constantly readjusting your systems to new machines will be costly and tedious. You have to make sure that your machine is compatible with other devices or can follow the process flow already in place in your workplaces. Of course, you’d have to retrain your operators to new systems and databases for every replacement you will introduce.
All in all, having to constantly replace worn-out testing machines with new ones will be expensive for your business in the long term. To avoid that, the TensileTurn CNC - Industrial Upgrade Model comes with a 12-month warranty, which ensures that your machine will be cared for ranging from preventive maintenance, major repairs, software updates, and parts replacements.
Also, the 12-month warranty can be extended along with its coverage, depending on your situation. You can set up your custom warranty as you purchase your machine and everything will be set in the paper. This way, all you have to do to activate the warranty is to contact the manufacturer, provide them with details, and wait for the service personnel to arrive at your facility.
However, there is a major caveat: for the warranty to last as long as possible, you must never modify, willingly damage, or modify your machine. Any attempt to modify and abuse your machine will automatically terminate your warranty, and you will be left with a defective device.
The Bottomline
Without a doubt, the TensileTurn CNC - Industrial Upgrade Model is a robust machine that can easily integrate itself into any round tensile sample preparation process. With an easy-to-use control interface, connectivity to a wide library of Common Standards, and the ability to thread samples on its own, the TensileTurn CNC - Industrial Upgrade Model is poised to increase the speed at which you can complete your materials tests without sacrificing quality or safety.
At least, that is what is promised on paper. You will never know what the machine is truly capable of until you have one integrated into your facility as soon as possible. To get quotas and further information regarding the testing machines that will meet your facility’s needs, click here.