Test Segment
Our Test segment (Test) provides testing solutions including hardware, software
and services. The testing solutions are used by customers in the development
of products to characterize the product’s mechanical properties. Our solutions
simulate forces and motions that customers expect their products to encounter
in use. Mechanical simulation testing in a lab setting is an accepted method
to accelerate product development compared to reliance on full physical prototypes
in real-world settings, proving ground testing and virtual testing because it
provides more controlled simulation and accurate measurement. The need for mechanical
simulation increases in proportion to the cost of a product, the range and complexity
of the physical environment in which the product will be used, expected warranty
or recall risk and expense, governmental regulation and potential legal liability.
A significant portion of the products in Test are considered by our customers
to be capital expenditures. We believe the timing of purchases may be impacted
by interest rates, general economic conditions, product development cycles and
new product initiatives.
A typical Test system includes a reaction frame to hold the prototype specimen,
a hydraulic pump or electro-mechanical power source, piston actuators to create
the force or motion and a computer controller with specialized software to coordinate
the actuator movement and record and manipulate results. Lower force and less
dynamic testing can usually be accomplished with electro-mechanical power sources,
which are generally less expensive than hydraulic systems. In addition to these
basic components, we sell a variety of accessories and spare parts. We also
provide a number of service offerings, including installation, calibration,
maintenance, training and consulting.
This market consists of automobile, truck, motorcycle, motorsports vehicles,
construction equipment, agricultural equipment, rail, and off-road vehicle manufacturers
and their suppliers. Our products are used to measure and simulate solutions
to assess durability, vehicle dynamics and aerodynamics of vehicles, sub-systems
and components. Our products include:
o Road simulators for durability simulation;
o Tire performance and rolling resistance measurement systems;
o Moving road-plane systems and balances for aerodynamic measurements in wind
tunnels; and
o Service to maintain the equipment and maximize the life of the product.
This market covers diverse industries such as power generation, aerospace, vehicles
and bio-medical. Our products and services support customers in the research
and development of products through the physical characterization of material
properties, such as ceramics, composites and steel. Bio-medical applications
include systems to test durability and performance of implants, prostheses and
other medical and dental materials and devices.
This market serves the structural testing needs and service in the fields of
aerospace, wind energy, oil and gas, and structural engineering, among others.
The aerospace structural testing market consists of manufacturers of commercial,
military, and private aircraft and their suppliers that use our products, systems
and software to perform static and fatigue testing of aircraft and space vehicles.
The wind energy market consists of wind turbine manufacturers and their component
suppliers that use our products to reduce the cost and improve the reliability
of blades, bearings and entire wind turbines. Systems for structural engineering
include high force static and dynamic testing, as well as seismic simulation
tables used around the world to test the design of structures, such as bridges
and buildings, and to help governments establish building codes. Structural
engineering customers include construction companies, government agencies, universities
and the manufacturers of building materials.
Sensors Segment
Our Sensors segment (Sensors) products are used by industrial machinery and
mobile equipment manufacturers to automate the operation of their products for
improved safety and end-user productivity. Examples of customer industries include
manufacturers of plastic injection molding machines, steel mills, fluid power,
oil and gas, medical, wood product processing equipment, mobile equipment and
energy. Our products are also used to measure fluid displacement, such as liquid
levels for customers in the process industries.
Sensors manufactures products utilizing magnetostriction technology. We have
developed a unique implementation of the technology known as Temposonics®.
This technology offers high speed and precise non-contact position sensing and
is ideal for use in harsh operating environments.
This market consists of a wide range of industrial machinery original equipment
manufacturers (OEM’s) and their end use customers with applications in
all areas of manufacturing, including plastics, steel, wood and other forms
of factory automation. Temposonics sensors provide position feedback for motion
control systems, improving productivity by enabling high levels of automation,
as well as driving improved quality of manufactured parts. Temposonics technology
is known for ruggedness in harsh manufacturing environments, which maximizes
machine up-time and lowers overall manufacturing costs of our customers.
This market consists of mobile equipment OEM’s with applications in construction,
agriculture, material handling, mining and other heavy vehicle markets. Our
sensors provide feedback for motion control and implement positioning, enabling
improved productivity while also enhancing safe operation of the machines. The
overall ruggedness and reliability of our technology in high shock and vibration
applications makes it especially suitable to the market.
This market encompasses a wide range of liquid level storage tank applications
in oil and gas, chemical processing, food and beverage and pharmaceutical companies.
Our technology provides precise measurements over long distances (tanks up to
seventy feet long). Our sensors provide value by incorporating the measurement
of the target liquid, a second measurement and temperature, all in a single
package.