OmniTest Twin-column materials tester

OmniTest twin-column 10, 25 and 50 kN materials and universal tester by Mecmesin

A versatile and easy to use materials tester, the twin-column OmniTest is available in 10 kN, 25 kN and 50 kN capacities.

Controlled by VectorPro MT, Mecmesin's newly developed materials testing software designed for use in QC and R&D laboratories.

Lower capacity models of 5 kN and 7.5 kN are available in the OmniTest single-column range.

Talk to your Mecmesin representative in your country for solutions, pricing and support
 

Got a question about a product? Your local representative is...

Mecmesin/PPT Group, UK

OmniTest twin-column 10, 25 and 50 kN materials tester - test frame emphasised

OmniTest test frame

A motorised test frame driven by twin ballscrews featuring dual-columns and designed to apply tension and compression from 2 N right up to a capacity of 50 kN (11000 lbf).

Its versatile construction makes it perfectly suited for testing all kinds of materials in a quality control or R&D environment.

Test frame

The twin-column OmniTest features dual-columns containing twin-ballscrews, which are designed to apply tensile, shear and compressive forces from 2 N right up to 50 kN. This ensures the excellent rigidity, strength and positional control so often demanded by materials testing applications. 

Intuitive front-panel controls make them easy to use whilst the quick-fit crosshead design ensures operators can quickly and easily attach new loadcells, that are automatically recognised by the software.

The base plate of the OmniTest is pre-drilled with threaded holes to directly accept a wide range of contact extensometers, tensile grips and compression fixtures. It also accepts the quick-change (QC) adaptors which speed up the interchange of grips whenever you need to perform a variety of different tests.

Example laptop for controlling OmniTest materials tester

Connect your computer

The OmniTest requires a Windows PC to run the VectorPro MT software and control the materials tester.

Example console for controlling OmniTest force tester

Optional console

Alternatively, a Windows-based touchscreen console can be mounted directly on the OmniTest - save time by not moving to and fro a computer.

Sensors

The OmniTest universal testers use Mecmesin's range of high-resolution precision Enhanced Load Sensors (ELS) to record tensile and compressive loads.

ELS

A precision loadcell connects directly to an OmniTest or MultiTest-dV stand and communicates with VectorPro MT software, enabling sophisticated test routines for materials testing applications.

OmniTest twin-column 10, 25 and 50 kN materials tester - sensor emphasised

Enhanced Load Sensors (ELS)

The ELS range of interchangeable tension and compression loadcells is specially adapted to the OmniTest universal testers. They can also be used when upgrading a MultiTest-dV stand to become a MultiTest-dV(u) materials tester.

To ensure that you have the optimum selection to meet your tension and compression testing needs, eighteen different models are available to cover the range from 2 N right up to 50 kN.

Loadcell capacity, range and accuracy

Each loadcell reads from zero to its full nominal capacity and is accurate to ±0.5% of reading from 2 - 100% of range. Class 0.5 according to ISO 7500-1
 

Mecmesin issued sensor and device calibration certificates

Each sensor is delivered as standard with its own calibration certificate traceable to national standards.
 

Servicing and calibration

Mecmesin service - mobile and at home

Mecmesin also provides annual servicing and loadcell re-calibration. Talk to one of our engineers or your local national distributor to find out more.

Ask about servicing

 

ELS (2 - 500 N)

Example of ELS loadcell for OmniTest

The ELS comprises a sturdy dovetailed-mounting box with an internal loadcell, complete with a small fixing thread and occupies minimal space.

ELS-S (100 N - 5 kN)

Example of ELS-S loadcell for OmniTest

The ELS-S comprises the same dovetailed-mounting box with an external S-beam loadcell situated beneath. It provides a more rigid secure connection for large, heavy grips and fixtures than the ELS.

ELS-T (7.5 - 25 kN)

Example of ELS-T loadcell for OmniTest

The ELS-T comprises a mounting box with an external S-beam loadcell situated beneath. It is designed for use with the OmniTest 7.5 and the OmniTest twin-column test frames for the testing of higher loads and provides a rigid secure connection for large, heavy grips and fixtures.

ELS-P (20 - 50 kN)

Example of ELS-P loadcell for OmniTest

The ELS-P comprises a mounting box with an external Pancake loadcell situated belneath. It is designed for use with the OmniTest 50kN twin-column test frame for testing of higher loads and provides greater immunity to extraneous "off-axis" loads.

Emperor™ Software

VectorPro MT materials testing software background image screen and logo
VectorPro MT materials testing software test screen loaded on a laptop

VectorPro® MT software

VectorPro MT is an advanced materials testing software package developed to perform tensile, shear, bend and compression tests on a whole array of materials. Present measurement data graphically and issue customised test reports.

Simply choose an ELS loadcell and a set of grips, and you are ready to enjoy enhanced testing with the power of VectorPro MT.

Key features

Design

Intuitive icon-driven interface and workspace

Advanced 'drag and drop' test routine builder

Personalised user accounts and favourites

Touch screen enabled

Control

Stress/strain machine control

Active or basic load control

System deflection compensation

Manage user permissions and audit trail

Report

Built-in data calculations

Customisable test report templates

Print results to Adobe PDF format

Export data to Excel and other data packages

Metal dumbbell material specimen with a contact extensometer attached

Extensometer ready

Mecmesin's OmniTest twin-column range supports extensometry in your testing methods. When running VectorPro™ MT materials testing software, a connected extensometer enables strain measurement directly from the test specimen. The accuracy of calculation of the physical properties - particularly of highly extensible materials such as elastomers, semi-rigid plastics and films - is greatly increased.

Contact (clip-on) and non-contact (video) extensometers may be used as required by your test standards.

Thermal cabinet environmental chamber fitted to an OmniTest 50 materials tester

Environmental chamber capability

Mecmesin's OmniTest twin column range can accommodate an environmental chamber to test materials in controlled ambient conditions.

This accessory enables specimens to be tested in a temperature-controlled space from -80°C to +280°C. The chamber is ideal for running tests conforming to plastics and rubber standards such as ISO 527, ASTM D638 and ISO 37.

Additional equipment to provide low temperature environment is also available.

Operator using touchscreen controller for a materials test
Touchscreen Controller running VectorPro on twin-column OmniTest

Touchscreen Controller

The Touchscreen Controller has been designed for use with the Twin-column OmniTest range of Materials Testers as an alternative to a desktop or laptop PC.

It provides full PC capability, operating with an embedded version of Windows 10, specifically optimised for and pre-installed with VectorPro™ software making it ready for immediate use with the OmniTest.

The standard 15.6” monitor features the latest PCAP touch technology to leverage the VectorPro platform’s touchenabled architecture and intuitive icon-driven, drag-and-drop GUI. Complete functionality of VectorPro is available, all at the test stand.

Overview

To suit your materials testing requirements the OmniTest range is available as a single-column materials tester (5 kN or 7.5 kN) and as 3 models of a dual-column tester (10 kN, 25 kN and 50 kN).

They have been designed for versatility and ease-of-use thus appealing to users of varying skills and experience. They all fit comfortably on your bench-top, making them ideal for use in QC and R&D laboratories.

All OmniTest models are controlled by VectorPro-MT software running on a PC. They deliver both consistency and reliability by controlling the key test parameters of stress/strain, force/displacement and speed/load rate.

Whether you need to know the Young's Modulus, Offset Yield, Ultimate Tensile Strength or a whole host of other materials characteristics, the OmniTest has it covered for you. 

The twin-column OmniTest testing system comprises five key elements:

Test frame

The twin-column OmniTest materials testers feature dual-columns containing twin-ballscrews, which drive a solid crosshead to which an ELS loadcell is attached. This ensures excellent rigidity and strength whilst their intuitive controls make them easy to use, even for novice operators.

The construction of these twin-column materials testers provides the crosshead travel required for conducting high-elongation tensile tests whilst also delivering the strength capability for high-load break tests on rigid materials.

All models are ideal for general purpose testing of specimens to determine their tension, compression, flexure, shear and fracture characteristics.

Protective bellows guarantee that dust and splintered materials cannot become trapped inside the machine. Upper and lower safety limit switches minimise the risk of accidental damage caused by grips colliding.

For operator safety, a range of protective shields/enclosures is available in situations where specimens may shatter or create projectiles upon failure. 

Designed to apply tensile and compressive forces from 2N right up to a capacity of 50 kN their high-quality construction, manufactured under ISO 9001 quality standards, ensures the ultimate in repeatable materials testing.

When seeking to precisely measure forces across a wide range it is often necessary to use multiple loadcells. The crosshead design of the OmniTest ensures the operator minimises set-up time by quickly and easily sliding on a new loadcell, which is automatically recognised by the software.

For higher load applications the loadcells are fitted with a simple bolt connection.

The base plate of the OmniTest is pre-drilled with threaded holes to directly accept a wide range of grips and fixtures.

It also accepts the quick-change (QC) adaptors which speed up the interchange of grips when you need to perform a variety of different tests on different geometries of material.

Make use of your own PC to run its software and take advantage of its versatility to make it your ideal choice for materials testing up to 50kN.

Loadcells

The ELS range of high-resolution, precision loadcells is specially adapted to the OmniTest.

They are fully interchangeable and plug into the frame, where their calibration characteristics are immediately recognised by the tester without any input from the operator.

Eighteen different sensors, all measuring from zero, are available to cover the range from 2 N up to 50 kN.

This ensures that you have the optimum selection to meet all your tension and compression testing needs. Measurement accuracy is an outstanding ±0.5% of displayed reading.

Each ELS sensor is delivered as standard with its own calibration certificate traceable to national standards.

Software

VectorPro MT materials testing software is at the heart of the OmniTest materials testers.

VectorPro MT delivers outstanding control of the motor, whilst simultaneously collecting data at 500 Hz from the ELS loadcell and displacement encoder of the frame.

The software is intuitive for both operators and managers. Personalised user accounts and a streamlined designed means that the workflow is simple and creating step-by-step test methods according to the precise requirements of your testing procedures is easy.

Access to the most commonly used test methods enables operators to move seamlessly from task to task, and keep training time to a minimum.

By plotting stress/strain data in real-time on a graph the operator can immediately identify exactly how the test material is performing. Preset materials testing calculations are used to analyse the data to determine whether the specimen has met the pass/fail criteria.

Use the power of VectorPro MT to calculate Young's Modulus, Offset Yield, Ultimate Tensile Strength, Nominal Strain and a whole host of other materials characteristics.

At the end of the test the comprehensive reporting module within VectorPro MT enables the operator to issue a test report as a PDF. Reports can be easily tailored to your customer's exact requirements and automatically emailed to them. Test data can also be exported to Excel or to the network for further analysis.

VectorPro MT generates a clear audit trail with electronic-signature functionality - a must for medical and pharmaceutical clients seeking compliance to FDA 21 CFR Part 11.

Extension measurement

When testing the extension or compressive deformation of a specimen it is often acceptable to measure the movement of the loadcell and grips, as defined by the crosshead distance travelled (known as 'Grip Separation').

This is taken directly from encoders situated on the ballscrews of the OmniTest.

VectorPro MT software compensates for movement encountered within the loadcell and grip string (known also as 'Correction for Machine Compliance') but it cannot be as accurate as measuring extension directly upon the specimen.

For materials requiring extension measurement to be taken directly on the specimen, a range of contact extensometers is available for use with the OmniTest.

The range of contact extensometers include short-travel extensometers suitable for rigid materials (e.g. hard plastics and metals) through to long-travel extensometers designed for highly elastic materials (e.g. rubbers or soft plastics).

Simply select the model which best suits your material characteristics.

Product datasheets

Product Brochures

OmniTest materials testing system brochure (PDF) OmniTest materials testing system brochure (PDF)
OmniTest Materials Tester Datasheet OmniTest Materials Tester Datasheet
Mecmesin Long Travel Extensometers (PDF) Mecmesin Long Travel Extensometers (PDF)
Mecmesin Temperature Chamber (Thermal Cabinet) and high-temp grips Mecmesin Temperature Chamber (Thermal Cabinet) and high-temp grips
Touchscreen Controller for Twin-column OmniTest range and VectorPro Touchscreen Controller for Twin-column OmniTest range and VectorPro

Key specs

Tension & Compression

OmniTest frame - rated capacity
Model 10 25 50
kN 10 25 50
kgf 1000 2500 5000
lbf 2200 5500 11000

Dimensions

Crosshead travel

950 mm (37.4")   - 10 & 25kN models
1100 mm (43.3") - 50kN model

Distance between columns

400 mm (15.7") - 10 & 25kN models
420 mm (16.5") - 50kN model

Height

1500 mm (59.1") - 10 & 25kN models
1931 mm (76") -  50kN model

Width

826 mm (32.5") - 10 & 25kN models
864 mm (34") - 50kN model

Depth

542 mm (21.3") - 10 & 25kN models
572 mm (22.5") - 50kN model

Weight

140 kg (309 lbs) - 10 & 25kN models
285 kg (628 lbs) - 50kN model

Speed

Range

10 kN = 0.01-1000 mm/min (0.0004 -39.4"/min)
25 kN = 0.01-1000 mm/min (0.0004 -39.4"/min) ~ 0 to 10kN
          = 0.01- 500 mm/min (0.0004 -19.7"/min) ~ 10 to 25kN
50 kN = 0.01- 400 mm/min (0.0004 - 15.7"/min) ~ 0 to 25kN
          = 0.01- 250 mm/min (0.0004 - 9.8"/min) ~ 25 to 50kN

Accuracy

Better than ±2% of indicated speed or ±20 µ/min, whichever is greater*
* See help.mecmesin.com for additional info.

Resolution

0.001 mm/min (0.00004"/min)

Displacement

Maximum displacement

950 mm (37") - 10 & 25kN models
1100 mm (43") - 50kN model

Accuracy

±0.1% of indicated position or ± 0.01 mm, whichever is greater

Resolution

0.001 mm (±0.00004")

Load

Capacity and range

Each loadcell reads from zero to its full nominal capacity (listed below).

Model ELS
2
ELS
5
ELS
10
ELS
25
ELS
50
ELS
100
ELS
250
ELS
500
N 2 5 10 25 50 100 250 500
lbf 0.44 1.1 2.2 5.5 11 22 55 110
kgf 0.2 0.5 1 2.5 5 10 25 50
Model ELS-S
100
ELS-S
200
ELS-S
500
ELS-S
1000
ELS-S
2500
ELS-S
5000
ELS-S
7500
N 100 200 500 1000 2500 5000 7500
lbf 22 44 110 220 550 1100 1650
kgf 10 20 50 100 250 500 750
Model ELS-T
10
ELS-T
25
ELS-P
20
ELS-P
50
kN 10 25 20 50
lbf 2200 5500 4400 11000
kgf 1000 2500 2000 5000
Accuracy

±0.5% of reading. Class 0.5 according to ISO 7500-1, eg ELS 100 when measuring 10 N is accurate to ±0.05 N or when measuring 50 N it is accurate to ±0.25 N.

Resolution

1:50,000 filtered from 24 bit

Units of measurement

mN, daN, N, kN, gf, kgf, ozf, lbf

Sampling rate

20 kHz

Data-acquisition rate

500 Hz

Common specifications

Voltage

230 V AC 50 Hz or 110 V AC 60 hz

Operating temperature

10 - 40 °C

Humidity range

30% - 80%, non-condensing

Communications

Connectivity

USB port, extensometer input, 2 additional sensor inputs

Output of test data from software to PC/printer/datalogger

Yes - export as PDF, XLSX, CSV, TXT. Image files and direct to email supported.

PC requirements (recommended)

Intel i5 processor, 8 GB RAM, USB 2.0/3.0 ports, SSD hard drive (min 10 GB free diskspace), screen resolution 1920 x 1080 full HD

Recommended OS

Windows 10 Pro 64 bit

Grips and fixtures

Holding your material specimen in place without it slipping is essential to obtaining repeatable results. Mecmesin has designed a range of tension and compression grips to hold a variety of components, including wedge grips, vice grips, peel jigs, bend jigs, compression plates and many more. A Thermal Cabinet and grips for use at high temperature are available for materials testing to those specific test standards, on our twin-column OmniTests.

The varying nature of specimen sizes and shapes often makes it necessary to design and produce a special grip.

Mecmesin's team of design engineers will work with you to develop the best grip for your specimen, utilising our 3D printers to produce lightweight and precision fixtures to meet your needs.

Talk to your Mecmesin representative in your country for solutions, pricing and support
 

Got a question about a product? Your local representative is...

Mecmesin/PPT Group, UK

Case studies