At thirty thousand feet, passenger safety and cargo security depend entirely on the strength of the equipment in the hold. This is why we at Qualitest were highly motivated to partner with the team over at AmSafe Bridport in Buena Park, USA, a trusted leader in manufacturing heavy-duty textile cargo restraints.
To maintain their outstanding safety record, they wanted to ensure their exceptionally strong textile straps and solid metal hardware could comfortably withstand extreme flight forces. Below, we discuss how we helped them modernize their laboratory to run these vital checks with complete confidence.
The Objective: Upgrading a High-Stakes Testing Facility
When their team sent us their initial checklist, we recognized that this was far from a basic laboratory routine.
To keep making their safety gear better and push their testing capabilities further, they wanted to give their laboratory in Buena Park a comprehensive upgrade. Specifically, they needed an incredibly sturdy testing frame to pull, compress, and check their fabrics and metal parts, like those heavy buckles, to find their exact breaking limit.
They had to satisfy two highly demanding industry standards:
- ASTM B769: This standard requires highly specific shear testing of aluminum alloys to verify the structural integrity of integrated metal buckles.
- ASTM A370: This instruction manual details the mechanical checking of steel parts to ensure the metal hardware does not give way under heavy load.
The Solution: A Heavy-Capacity Testing Workhorse
After looking at the detailed specifications they sent over, we shipped them our QM-20-M1F 20kN Universal Testing Machine.
At Qualitest, we have always built this machinery to be an exceptionally versatile, high-capacity system that can handle almost any industrial material you throw at it. With its twenty-kilonewton force capability, we knew it was the spot-on choice to see just how much stress those straps could take before they finally reached their limit.
When our engineering team mapped out this setup, we packed it with some seriously handy features that make running tensile and compression tests highly efficient:
- Highly Consistent Linear Motion: It uses a zero-maintenance servo drive system combined with a solid ball screw, meaning the pulling motion stays remarkably steady without any unpredictable jerking.
- Real-Time Data Tracking: It comes equipped with an incredibly smart M1F controller system that throws up live graphs on your screen, letting you watch exactly what is happening while the materials stretch and snap.
- Simplified Stand-Alone Testing: You do not always need to boot up a whole computer system; it has a convenient stand-alone mode when you just need fast, straightforward numbers right away.
- Interchangeable Fixtures: We include quick-change grips and jaws, meaning their lab technicians can switch from testing thick fabrics to checking solid metal parts in just a few minutes.
Why AmSafe Bridport Partnered With Us
Since we handled everything through remote communication and shipping trucks rather than spending time in their lab, we are reflecting on the process, and we believe there are three primary reasons they went with us:
- Down-to-earth pricing: We believe you should not have to overextend your capital budget to secure high-grade hardware. We focus on being the practical choice that delivers quality without a heavy premium.
- Ditching the wait times: Unlike traditional machinery suppliers with lengthy manufacturing backlogs, we shipped our setup quickly to keep their facility upgrade on track.
- A trusted brand name: Our machinery is built to last and does not cut corners. We take pride in supporting our clients from the very first inquiry through to successful delivery.
Even though we are not there pushing the buttons every day, we are confident that having our QM-20-M1F sitting in their laboratory has supported their daily operations. At Qualitest, we are always proud to see our Universal Testing Machine playing a quiet, reliable part in keeping the skies safe.
If your own team is currently trying to figure out how to satisfy tough standards without blowing through your budget, we are always around for a friendly, no-obligation chat to see if we can help you find a similarly sensible testing setup.
