What is a strain gauge?
A strain gauge is at the heart and soul of every load cell. This pinnacle technology allows engineers to collect and analyse force data, known in the industry as force measurement.How are strain gauges made?
Strain gauges are made through a photo-etch process using a flexible backing and a very thin foil. When the backing and foil stretch or compress, resistance goes up and down, respectively. We know this as a force. Think of stretching like a three-lane highway switching to two lanes, and vice versa for compression, with two lanes going into three. As the load cell’s internal strain gauge experiences force, it sends a signal with a precise measurement of the amount of force it’s experiencing. Many types of strain gauges exist for various environments and force measurement needs. The major difference in strain gauges is the base material used in the manufacturing process. Different materials are used when a load cell needs to perform optimally in various temperatures, humidity levels, and elevations. Matching the correct strain gauge and a load cell to the customer’s needs is critical to accuracy.
“Here at Interface, we pride ourselves on developing the most accurate force measurement tools, and it starts with our proprietary manufacturing of the strain gauge .” Scott Dunne, Production Engineering Manager.
Quality results from force measurement products
When our founder, Richard F. Caris, started Interface in 1968, he purchased over a mile of foil, the base material used in strain gauges. Caris understood the only way to ensure Interface customers received quality results from their force measurement products was to control every aspect of engineering design, product development, and production. The key ingredient to our precision, accuracy, and reliability is that we have vertically integrated the entire manufacturing process from design to production and deeply understand the materials necessary to suit every client’s need for optimal results.
We make all our strain gauges ourselves
Many load cell makers purchase their strain gauges from a third party. This means there’s more variability in their manufacturing process, and you often find variances in their materials clash and diminish the accuracy, or they are not correctly suited for the customer’s project requirements. Interface makes all its strain gauges. We have learned everything there is to know about strain gauge manufacturing. We can guarantee the quality of our load cells in any environment based on this tenured expertise and having manufactured and calibrated hundreds of thousands (ok, millions) of force measurement devices. And here’s a fun fact: Although we’ve manufactured hundreds of thousands of load cells and strain gauges , we haven’t even used half of the original mile of foil we purchased in 1968. A good product managed well can go a long way!
Video: Strain Gauges
Strain gauges - find out more
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