Articles

Buyer’s Guide To Hardness Testers

When a company is considering buying a hardness tester, we here at METSUCO understand that it's an investment into that company's future. Whether it's for manufacturing, engineering, product development, or one of the many other applications, the hardness tester will be an important piece of the process. Because of this, we have put together a buyer's guide to hardness testers to help you choose which hardness tester is best for you. Application and Hardness Scale In order to buy a hardness tester, you first need to know what applications it will be used for. Depending on the material you are... Continue reading

Affordable NTD Supplies Available During Supply Chain Shortage.

One of the downfalls of the last 18 months has been supply chain shortages. This has affected several sectors of commerce and manufacturing. Yet, in the wake of these major supply chain disruptions, Metallurgical Supply Co. (METSUCO) based near Houston, TX, stands ready with affordable NDT supplies available during supply chain shortages. In an interview with NPR, Brian Deese, director of the National Economic Council, “There's no quick immediate fix. But the answer is to have a dedicated focus on building domestic capability to both invent and innovate”. And the fact that there are multiple supply chain issues happening almost... Continue reading

Sample Preparation – Sectioning and Mounting explained

Sample preparation for tests such as the hardness test are critical when it comes to quality control, production, and engineering. Last month we went over the grinding and polishing of samples. Now we are going to explain the sectioning and mounting process of sample preparation. Sample Preparation – Sectioning and Mounting Explained. Sectioning The sectioning part of the sample preparation is where the sample is cut or “sectioned” off from the main material source. One of the most important aspects of sectioning is to not alter the microstructure or damage fracture features when cutting a specimen. If an abrasive saw... Continue reading

Sample Preparation – Grinding and polishing explained

In order to take proper measurements on a specimen that is being tested, such as a piece of material for a hardness test, proper sample preparation is a key step in order to get accurate data from the test. In sample preparation, you usually have the following steps: sectioning, mounting, coarse grinding, fine grinding, polishing, etching and examination. We are going to explain the grinding and polishing steps in sample preparation. Sample Preparation – Grinding and polishing explained. Grinding Grinding removes saw marks and levels and cleans the specimen surface. The goal at the end of grinding is to... Continue reading

How NDT Methods Are Critical to Automotive Industry

Nondestructive testing or aka, NDT, is critical to the automotive industry. Its applications include quality control and product design and engineering. The nondestructive tests include a variety of non-invasive inspection techniques used to evaluate material properties, components, and look for any damage of the material such as corrosion or cracks. Metallurgical Supply Company has been a supplier of NDT equipment to the automotive industry for over 30 years. In that extensive experience, we have had contact with product designers, engineers, lab techs etc. We have learned how NDT methods are critical to the automotive industry and some of the methods... Continue reading

Common Problems With Microhardness Testing

Microhardness testing is a method of determining a material’s hardness or resistance to penetration when test samples are small, thin, or dealing with composite samples in small regions. Microhardness testing can provide precise and detailed information about surface features of materials that have a fine microstructure. However, there are some common problems that can arise when microhardness testing. We are going to go over common problems with microhardness testing, and their causes. For a lot of engineers, scientists, and testers, three terms often come into their minds when talking about microhardness testing: finicky, subjective, and time-consuming. Now, advances in computer... Continue reading

Non-Destructive Testing Brands

Non-destructive testing (NDT) is used to analyze material properties and/or the structural integrity of a material without causing any damage to the material that is being tested. It is used in a wide variety of industries and fields including oil and gas, aerospace, automotive, structural engineering, university test labs, etc. Metsuco has been supplying these industries with non-destructive testing supplies for over 30 years. With that being said, we wanted to introduce to you a few of the manufacturing companies whose NDT products we carry. Each one of these companies has made a name for themselves in the industry and... Continue reading

Our Hardness Tester Brands

Since 1900, there have been widely accepted methods of hardness testing metal and other materials using hardness testers. The different scales and methods include Vickers, Brinell, Rockwell, Shore, and nondestructive methods of ultrasonic hardness testing. Hardness testers and hardness testing equipment have been one of our staple product offerings here at Metsuco for over 30 years. With that being said, we wanted to introduce to you a few of the manufacturing companies whose hardness testing products we carry. Each one of these companies has made a name for themselves in the industry and we are proud to carry their products.... Continue reading

Comparing the Hardness Scales

In previous posts, we have talked about the differences between the different hardness tests, such as Vickers, Rockwell and Brinell. However, we haven’t talked as much about comparing the scales and what makes them different. Here we want to go more into comparing the hardness scales themselves. First though, a quick word about testing methodology. These different scales are measured by using different hardness testing equipment and methodology, but Vickers, Rockwell and Brinell and even Shores have one thing in common, they are all measuring the hardness by indentation. Whether it’s the carbide ball of a Brinell Test or the... Continue reading

Explaining the Brinell Hardness Test

Hardness in manufacturing and engineering is defined by resistance to indentation, and it is determined by measuring the permanent depth of the indentation; which is known as a hardness test. Brinell Hardness Test was the first used and is a widely accepted hardness test. In this article we are going to dig a little deeper into explaining the Brinell Hardness Test. J.A. Brinell proposed first proposed the hardness test in 1900. Brinell's desire to have a consistent and fast means of determining material hardness grew during his involvement in several Swedish iron companies. The concept he proposed was a steel... Continue reading

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