Test Equipment and Measurement Instrument Blog

Friction is an important resistance force that slows or stops motion. But it can also create wear and tear, the gradual removal of solid material. This almost always leads to a loss of functionality. 

Laboratory mixing requires exact measurements and precise attention to detail. Mixers are an integral part of a scientific “test kitchen” where all kinds of products are developed and tested as they prepare for production on a larger scale. Laboratory mixers are used in a range of settings in the development of a whole array of goods, including:

• Polymers and plastics
• Pharmaceuticals
• Pulp and paper
• Chemicals
• Cosmetics
• And so much more

What would you do with a compass that didn’t point toward true north? Or a watch that never told the correct time? Or a car speedometer that told you that you were driving faster or slower than you actually were?

No matter how high-caliber your moisture meter (or composition meter) is, an instrument is only as strong as its calibrations. There’s a lot riding on getting a correct reading: Concrete foundations can crumble, stored grain harvests can spoil, and pharmaceuticals can degrade or become toxic.

If you rely on a daily ‘cup of ambition’ to help you tumble out of bed, that means that each morning, you’re ingesting one of the top two most traded commodities in the world, second only to petrol fuels. Global coffee production has really taken off since 2000, when 6.5 million tons of coffee were produced annually. Today, over 9 million tons of coffee are produced yearly to keep up with the demand for the brewed beverage that is only surpassed by water in terms of global consumption.

Paper and wood products are important parts of our everyday lives. We build our homes with wood, and gather around wooden tables.  We publish novels with paper and we even create lifelong memories at gatherings with easy clean-up, thanks to products like paper plates and napkins. 

Those in the concrete or construction industries know that if you start to research which tools and instruments might be needed on a build site, the list of what to bring grows seemingly longer and longer every year.

Moisture can do a number on concrete and any protective coatings it may have. Since the material is so porous, there can be issues when water gets trapped within the concrete. Moisture levels can have a big impact on concrete as it dries and hardens.

A truck that is hauling freshly felled logs, waiting to be dried and cut into lumber, is hauling almost as much water as it is wood and sometimes it's carrying even more water than wood!

Before it has been dried, approximately half the weight of lumber is made up entirely of its moisture content. Since wood expands and contracts with the amount of moisture it contains, it is vital to select and use wood that has been properly dried.

It may not capture the attention of the average motorist, but friction has a huge impact on the automotive industry—and even on the entire U.S. economy. Quality Magazine once reported that between the direct and consequential economic loss associated with friction and wear, this loss amounts to as much as 1 to 2 percent of the country’s entire annual GDP. 

Do you have the tools at your factory to keep a dangerous disaster at bay? To stop fires before they start?

The factories that manufacture the materials and goods we rely on already know all too well about the supply chain issues that have only accelerated since 2020. But what some may not know is that 2024 saw even more disruptions than previous years. By one account, there was a 38% increase in supply chain disruption last year.