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Everything you ever wondered about Brinell testing

Foundrax bridge-type Brinell hardness tester, now located in Texas

Automation of the Brinell Test — Part 2: Further Steps and the Case for Investment

Having addressed the measurement challenge, the next logical automation step is to dispense with operator handling of the microscope entirely, by acquiring a tester with

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14/04/2026
The indenter head of a metal hardness testing machine

The birth of the fully automatic Brinell tester

One of the traditional challenges of the Brinell test is operator influence on the measurement of the indentation (the possibility of inaccurately measuring the indentation

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13/04/2026
The surface of a Brinell test block showing the distortions caused by indentations, ie the raised level of the steel surface around each indentation

Automation of the Brinell Test — Part 1: The Measurement Accuracy Challenge

What steps should companies consider to both speed up and tighten their Brinell hardness testing? In this article and the subsequent one I’ll set out

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09/04/2026
A Brinell testing measurement microscope invented by Foundrax

From ‘rough and ready’ to ‘highly reliable’ – the Brinell testing revolution

At Foundrax’s inception over 70 years ago, the Brinell test was regarded in some quarters as somewhat ‘rough-and-ready’ — a good tool for simple testing,

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26/03/2026
A portable Brinell hardness tester manufactured by Foundrax being used to test a lift cable drum

Brinell testing large and unwieldy items safely

Brinell hardness testing of large, unwieldy components: staying safe and getting it right – Foundrax MD Alex Austin discusses: If you’re responsible for hardness testing,

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24/03/2026

Are you reading your Brinell hardness values off a chart?

Are you reading Brinell hardness values from a paper chart? A visit to a customer’s workshop or materials laboratory is always interesting and, if the

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13/03/2026

The ‘Digital Brinell Camera’

In the world of Brinell hardness testing, technology has revolutionised the way results are captured and interpreted. Among these innovations, digital cameras have become synonymous

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09/10/2025
The display of a Foundrax BRINtronic automatic Brinell indentation measurement and hardness calculation system

Automating Brinell hardness testing: options for organisations of all sizes

The demand for speed, precision and efficiency in hardness testing has never been greater. As industries grow more complex, businesses of all sizes are looking

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19/08/2025
An ambulance speeding through a city centre

Minimising injury risk during Brinell tests

In any production line, safety isn’t just a priority – it’s a necessity. For manufacturers who rely on manual hardness testing processes, injury risks can

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08/07/2025
Brinell indentation and measuring graticule on a manual microscope manufactured by Foundrax

Brinell Testing: the quest for precision

The challenge of achieving accurate results in Brinell testing In the world of materials testing, precision is everything. When it comes to Brinell hardness testing

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12/06/2025
Railway wheels, stacked outside the factory where they were produced

Why choose Brinell testing?

Why choose Brinell testing? In the world of hardness testing, where precision and reliability are paramount, the Brinell method stands as a trusted and proven

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14/03/2025
A Rockwell calibration block with the indenter poised above it

What is hardness testing?

Hardness testing isn’t something many of us consider every day, but without it, the modern world would look very different. From the cars we drive

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10/02/2025
BRINtronic NEO, portable Brinell microscope in use at an engineering workshop

Automating Brinell hardness testing – a guide

This is based on an article that first appeared in the United States’ publication Heat Treat Today In many steelworks producing large forgings and billets,

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25/11/2024
A ball-pein hammer lying on a copper sheet with a dent in it, made by the hammer

Hardness testing – a comprehensive overview

This article covers the concept, origins, development and application of hardness testing, and the main testing methods in use today. What is hardness testing? Hardness

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25/07/2024
A Rockwell indenter in position above an indentation it has just produced

The Rockwell Scale

The history and application of the Rockwell Hardness Test and Rockwell Hardness Scale Metal hardness testing is an essential part of numerous engineering and manufacturing

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11/06/2024
A bridge-type Brinell hardness tester, manufactured by Foundrax, undergoing post-installation checks at Forge Fedriga's premises in Italy

Custom design and build of a bridge machine – a case study

We recently finished the installation of another of our large X-BHD machines.  These are bridge, or gantry type, with a head that manoeuvres on x,

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04/04/2024
A scene from one of the competitive ko-karting sessions at Foundrax Engineering Products 2023 works outing

A Day at the Races

Foundrax Engineering staff gathered at Haynes Motor Museum recently for a hotly-contested session of Go-Karting.  The Museum organises the sessions to create the feel of

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25/08/2023

Brinell hardness testing – the principal features, advantages and disadvantages

This first appeared (with minor alterations) in the United States publication Heat Treat Today Note: for a general overview of hardness testing – concept, origins,

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24/08/2023
A photo-montage of a Foundrax production-type hardness testing machine, superimposed on the United States flag

Foundrax in the United States of America

Foundrax has a significant customer base in the United States, centred around Texas. Several American companies have purchased one of our Brinell hardness testers; usually for checking components heading for the oil and gas sector.

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16/01/2023
A Rockwell-type diamond indenter photographed with a macro lens

Optimising Rockwell checks – practical advice for users

The Rockwell hardness test is used right across manufacturing — anywhere metal components are made, heat-treated or inspected — and on a broad range of

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06/09/2022
A Brinell indentation measurement microscope lying on a white surface

The BRINscope Duo

Accurately measuring the diameter of a Brinell indentation is, of course, as important as making the indentation properly in the first place. But this is

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22/06/2022

The BRINtronic NEO

Foundrax’s revolutionary, automatic indentation measurement microscope – the ‘BRINtronic’® – has  been available for many years as an integral part of our Brinell testing machines

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20/06/2022
Hardness tester

The Brinell hardness tester explained

All the essentials of the Brinell hardness tester explained A Brinell hardness tester is a machine that is used for measuring the hardness of metal.

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22/11/2021

Another one of our ‘X-BHD’, bridge-type, Brinell hardness testers left the workshop last week

This machine, one of a long and distinguished line of large Foundrax Brinell testers (they can be found all around the Globe) enables the in-situ

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15/10/2021

Brinell hardness testing tips

To make a true Brinell test using a floor-standing or bench-mounted Brinell hardness tester, according to the requirements of ISO 6506 or ASTM E10-18: Setting

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06/09/2021

How to calculate Brinell hardness

To use our Brinell hardness calculator click here.   For more information, please read on: One of the internationally accepted methods of measuring metal hardness is

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18/08/2021

Metal hardness and the development of hardness testing

Note: This article concentrates on the history of testing. For a comprehensive overview of hardness testing we have produced this article: https://foundrax.co.uk/hardness-testing-a-comprehensive-overview/ Understanding metal hardness

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05/07/2021

Brinell hardness testing explained and compared

Information on Brinell hardness testing; uses, advantages and disadvantages.

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01/06/2021

A guide to buying a Brinell hardness tester

Are you considering the purchase of a Brinell hardness tester? Why choose Foundrax?   There are other hardness tester suppliers, after all… Well, it’s all about

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25/05/2021

Brinell ‘automatic scanners’

Brinell “scanners” Some in the world of metal hardness testing talk about “scanning” Brinell indentations to measure their diameter. Others refer to using “artificial intelligence”

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08/04/2021

Why hardness test blocks are used

Brinell Hardness Test Blocks Every year, thousands of Brinell test blocks leave our workshop; destined for customers in over 40 countries. These blocks, more correctly

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08/04/2021
Large and small tungsten carbide indenter balls, photographed in close up

Size matters: The issue of indenter diameters – more for the non-specialist

Rockwell and Vickers hardness tests have their place in the metrologist’s armoury but, for large cast components, the Brinell hardness test is still very much

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26/03/2021
Hardness Testing – The History

Hardness testing – the history

Foundrax MD Alex Austin explained the background to Brinell testing late in 2019 in an article for Materials Today, an abridged version of which is

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11/03/2021
Calibration blocks After

The Brinell test block production process explained

It sometimes surprises customers that our Brinell test blocks cost a three-figure sum.  Well, it needs to be stated at the outset that using metals

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08/02/2021
ruler

Uncertainty without doubt!

Uncertainty of measurement: what it means for your reference blocks Anyone involved in hardness testing will have seen the phrase ‘uncertainty of measurement’ on the

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05/11/2020

The introduction of automatic indentation measurement: the Foundrax development that revolutionised Brinell hardness testing

Foundrax MD Alex Austin on the ‘slow revolution’ in Brinell testing that the company pioneered Foundrax has been in the hardness testing business for over

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24/08/2020

Hardness testing – some information for non-specialists

Note: for a more comprehensive explanation of the concept, origins and application of hardness testing, see our major article here. The term ‘hardness’ is used

Read More »
25/09/2019

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

Read More »
25/09/2019
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