Assured Service and Support Plus Future-Proofing for Older Testing Machines

Technological development marches on. Now that electronics and data processing are also an integral part of mechanical engineering, progress today is primarily concerned with ever faster processing of increasingly large amounts of data. Examples of such advances at Zwick are to be found in new measurement and control electronics, new sensors and their associated interfaces. These enable even more precise control of testing machines which, when combined with greater test data density, opens up completely new areas of application.

Over the years Zwick has supplied many tens of thousands of testing machines around the world. The excellent build quality of machines of earlier generations is still apparent; however, the technological requirements of new applications are not always covered by measurement and control electronics supplied before 2000.

For older machines, Zwick guarantees spare part availability for a minimum of 10 years after production of the range has ceased, as well as investing considerable logistical effort in ensuring that spare parts are available for at least a further five years. As the end of 2011 approaches, limitations must now be imposed on support for electronics in the DYP range as supplied up to around 1993, as many spares are no longer available.

The Standard (MOPS) and Allround (DUPS) electronics supplied by Zwick during the 90s are similarly unsuitable for operating the high data-transfer-rate sensors now available. As an example, the new optical extensometers cannot perform to their full potential with these 10-year-old-plus electronics; nor can the latest testXpert II versions be used. Spare part availability is nevertheless guaranteed for these electronics until at least 2016.

In both cases such machines can be modernized with standard components as used in new machines. In addition to modernizing Zwick testing machines, Zwick also updates machines made by other manufacturers. In the past twenty years several thousand machines from over 40 manufacturers have been fitted with new digital control systems. Previously, modernization was particularly cost-effective when applied to larger machines. However,  Zwick offers a very attractive exchange programme for Zwick table-top testing machines up to 10 kN, whilst a special modernization package for machines of all makes in the load range up to 50 kN nominal load was also introduced on the occasion of the 20th testXpo in 2011. All modernized machines are brought up to state-of-the-art and are fully compatible with comparable new machines. The spare part availability guarantee for a minimum of ten years is not restricted to the new components or to Zwick machines, but applies to the entire modernized system.

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