Scott DH With Load Cell And Digital Indicator

Scott Testing Machines, once the industry leader in a wide variety of tensile testing categories and still widely used in many industries, designed their equipment in the pre-digital era.

With the rapid advances in computer hardware and software over the past twenty years a whole new breed of electronic testers has emerged, with digital LCD panels, software and load cells capable of far greater accuracy. Mechanical testers have largely disappeared from the tensile testing landscape.

Time to scrap your old Scott Testing Machine and move on? Not so fast.  Many Scott test machines can easily be converted to a digital weighing system, allowing companies to stretch their quality budgets in many ways while achieving a wide range of benefits.

Improved Accuracy. A digital conversion replaces the old analog dial face and pointer with an LCD Panel with bright, easy to read numbers at operator level and a state of the art electronic load cell.

This eliminates all the guesswork out of lining up the pointer, putting step ladders at the machine so short operators can read the dial properly, zeroing the dial accurately, leading to far more accurate and consistent readings. The elimination of all the moving parts also eliminates all of the troublesome factors that affected the accuracy of readings like friction in the pawls and shaft, binding of the dial pointer spring, etc.

With a digital display, set ups and parameters can also be saved and, if needed, password protected so there is no variation in what gets measured and when. Data can even be exported to a PC for analysis.

Reduced Operating Expenses.  Perhaps the biggest benefit to a Scott conversion is the capital investment required. Most Scott DH, J, L, Q and X series mechanical testers can be converted for $1400-$1800. By comparison, a new entry level electronic tester with similar capacity ranges and basic controls starts around $10,000.

But the benefits don’t stop after the purchase. A digital conversion eliminates all the moving mechanical parts of the weigh head. Bearings no longer need to be changed every year, pawls don’t need replacing, cracked pointers and dial faces no longer need repair, etc. Most of the common repair items performed for these testers are eliminated.

Load Cell Attaches To Clamp Arm

And because materials properties can be more accurately measured, the amount of raw materials used in producing goods can be more precisely adjusted. This can lead to significant production cost improvements by shrinking the “margin of error” needed to manufacture a product that meets customer requirements.

Lastly, the cost of training new and existing employees is also greatly minimized versus the steep learning curve required converting to a new electronic machine. The Scott Testing Machine after conversion is used the exact same way it was before. The only difference is the LCD Display. In fact, there are less steps required of the operator with a converted machine. This can be a huge benefit to companies that use testers on the production floor where employees may have little or no quality training control training, companies that have a large number of employees or where established QC technicians have been using the machine “the same way” for many years.

Safer Operation. Because a  digital conversion eliminates all the moving mechanical parts of the weigh head operators no longer have to change heavy, cumbersome capacity weights, check pawls, make sure the lever arm doesn’t come crashing down on fingers or other parts, etc. This greatly reduces the chances of an employee being injured.

Scott Testing Machines were built to last. Heavy metal frames and gear boxes that have been in service for decades provide a solid foundation for materials properties testing. Adding the latest digital technology to this platform ensures your Scott equipment will continue to be in use for decades to come.

Want more information? Click this link and tell us about your equipment and testing needs.