Industries Served: Aircraft | Space Exploration | Robotics | Automotive | Medical | Other
Stress-tek specializes in creative strain gage based force sensor design. Strain gages are the most accurate means of force measurement.
Stress-tek engineers work with our customers to develop specialty load cells matched to their requirements. We interface with our customers throughout the design, development and prototype stages.
Our capabilities include mechanical design and analysis, prototyping, part procurement, assembly and testing.
Stress-tek is a designer and manufacturer of state-of-the-art, rugged and reliable strain gage-based load cells and force measurement systems. Our sensors and display systems are used in a wide range of transportation industries such as; timber, refuse, aggregate, mining and general trucking. Other industries serviced are oil and gas, aerospace, medical and robotics.
Stress-tek senior engineering staff has Eighty years of design and manufacturing expertise with vast application knowledge, understanding and demonstrated capability.
Aircraft
Aircraft Drone Landing Gear Force Sensor
Sensor design fits existing military drone aircraft to sense landing forces. This information assists in determining aircraft flight status. Resisting shock and impact loads are a design priority. The sensor element is heat-treated stainless steel to maximize safety factor and resist corrosion in salt water environments.
Aircraft Tow Kit
Complete tow system with load cells and display meter for reading towing forces on aircraft. System connects to the landing gear struts and maneuvers aircraft from non-runway conditions without damaging components while reducing downtime. Load cells are design in varying capacities to support a wide range of aircraft.
Space Exploration
Aerospace Robot Linkage Force Sensor
Sensor design replaces existing linkage to measure applied motor forces. A amall circuit assembly is integrated into the sensor to control outputs allowing immediate decisions to be made on those outputs. Sensor body is high strength aluminum designed to measure only tension in the line of action of the senor while simultaneously rejecting any bending forces.
Diaphragm Force Button
Titanium diaphragm disk strain gaged to measure force applied anywhere on the disk surface. Used to provide feedback loading information as materials and equipment are stowed in spacecraft vehicles. Performance and reliability must withstand liftoff conditions.
Rod End Guidance Force Sensors
Force sensors designed to measure strain on rocket guidance components for military applications. High vibration and high temperature environments make sensor stability a premium. Designed and built for a missile program.
Medical
Medical Scale for Automated Blood Analysis
Load cells designed and packaged with fluid capturing mechanism for integration into blood processing machines. Machines operate autonomously using feedback information from load cells. Stainless steels and corrosion inhibiting materials are used to survive the medical fluids environment.
Tendon Strength Testing Load Cell
Load cell design configuration integrates with existing laboratory equipment for measuring tendon strength. Used in University medical test lab application.
Robotics
Robotic Foot Force Sensor for the Entertainment Industry
Sensor design to interface with robot foot structure. Load cells measure forces during walking motions for computing center of mass changes used for robot guidance. 200 Newton capacity, 6 load cells per foot.
3-DOF Machine Tool Force Sensor
Sensor design integrates into existing machine tool to cut titanium wing spars for the aircraft industry. Sensor responds to forces in three dimensions and controls the machines emergency stop function. If measured forces exceed a threshold indicating problems in the machine operation, the machine will shut down.
Automotive
Farm Implement Tension Sensor and Power Measuring System
Sensor design integrates with existing farm equipment to measure tension force between a farm tractor and an implement towed through the ground. Soil moisture content, density and gradient all effect how power transmits between the tractor and the implement. A radar gun measures the speed of the tractor allowing power to be computed and displayed so comparisons of different tractors and implements can be analyzed independent of soil conditions.
Load Cell to Measure Automotive Breaking Force
Sensor design integrates with an automotive brake pedal where the applied force from a drivers foot can be directly measured. Only direct force applied orthogonally to the brake pedal surface is measured. The sensor rejects all forces applied in other directions. Sensor establishes brake system design criteria and tunes components to meet system specifications.
Other Industries
Commercial Building Wall Tension Monitor
Load cell is designed to monitor tension on steel rods that pass through the center of cross laminated timber wall; a new style of construction allowing the use of “green” materials. The sensors are continually monitored to measure effects of wind and other natural phenomena and their effects on wall tension.
Many Load Cell Designs for the Transportation On-Board Weighing Sector
Since the 1980’s, Stress-tek has created many load cell designs for the On-Board weighing markets spanning timber, aggregate, refuse, mining and general over the road markets under the Vulcan Brand. Detailed information on these products is at Vulcanscales.com. Stress-tek has been the leader in On-Board scale design since the 1980’s and continues to innovate within this market. Stress-tek has over 30,000 systems operating in the trucking industry, and is recognized as a world leader in On-Board weighing technology.
Vulcan Rear Hinge Pin and Load Cells Installed in a Volvo A40D Articulated Mining Vehicle
We offer model specific on-board weighing solutions for high capacity dump and articulated dump trucks carrying greater than 20 tons. The scales include a meter in the cab of the truck and warning options to let the loader know when the maximum capacity has been reached. Additional options include Vulcan’s V700 Remote Display and exterior mounted scoreboards.