The problem of hardness testing large, unwieldy items accurately

Sometimes, if you’re hoping to do a Brinell hardness test on something that’s heavy and awkward to manoeuvre, it’s easier to take the tester to the component rather than the component to the tester. Sometimes, if you’re testing a part “in situ”, there is no possibility of taking the component to a testing machine at all. Having worked in the Brinell test field for around 60 years we’ve accumulated extensive knowledge about the struggles of in-situ testing and have a range of solutions.

Many of our customers have found that their problems have been solved by our Model 134 Portable Brinell hardness tester or our MHMA transportable Brinell hardness tester. The model 134 is fully hand-portable, whilst the MHMA is able to test items over 900mm in height. Both therefore overcome the problem of transporting awkward, heavy materials to a static tester.

Convenience

Portable machines, like the Model 134 Portable Brinell hardness tester, are lightweight when compared to other hardness testing machines and are easy to manoeuvre.
The full hand portability of the Model 134 allows it to be taken almost anywhere whilst the MHMA is a wheeled machine that replicates the test capacity of many static machines.

Versatility

Industries such as aerospace, automotive, defence, general engineering, mining and oil, can benefit from portable hardness testing and our portable Brinell tester can be used:

On shop floors
On oil rigs
On pipelines
On a construction site
In a yard
In a factory
in a laboratory
In a shed

Accuracy

Both machines allow accurate hardness testing to be carried out not just in remote locations but also on awkwardly shaped samples. The machines exceed the accuracy requirements of both ISO 6506 and ASTM E10 and the design of the test head permits its use in non-vertical orientation.
Portable Brinell hardness testing machines don’t require extensive training; the process can be learned very quickly but our team is always on hand to advise you, should you need any assistance.

Get in touch

Need to know more about portable hardness testing machines like the Foundrax Model 134? Our Foundrax experts are always on hand to help you to choose the right hardness testing machine for your applications. Feel free to contact us on +44 (0)1458 274 888 or email us at sales@foundrax.co.uk.

hardness

Alex Austin

Alex is a member of the ISE/101/05 Indentation Hardness Testing Committee at the British Standards Institution. He has been part of the delegation to the International Standards Organisation advising on the development of the standard ISO 6506 Metallic materials - Brinell hardness test and is the chairman and convenor for the current ISO revision of the standard.

In his role as Foundrax MD, Alex leads a company with an industrial pedigree that can be traced right back to 18th Century Bohemia, where his forebears ran a major foundry supplies business, and in his work at the British Standards Institution he has used his extensive knowledge of Brinell testing in the UK’s steel, oil and gas industries to ensure that the interests of laboratory and shop-floor end users are appropriately represented.

Alex has been Managing Director of Foundrax Engineering Products since 2001. A skilled negotiator and commercial manager, Alex leads a team of engineers and technicians with skills ranging all the way from traditional toolmaking to embedded software systems. Between 2020 and 2024 he oversaw the introduction of a new generation of Brinell hardness testers and he is currently developing further enhancements to the world-leading ‘BRINtronic’ automatic Brinell indentation measurement system.