Michigan Technological University Chooses Tinius Olsen Machines to Make Students Quick Learners in Materials TestingWhen engineer and scientist Mike LaCourt, an instructor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, at Michigan Technological University (MTU), needed materials testing machines that were easy to use and allowed new students to work independently, he turned to Tinius Olsen, the Horsham, PA-based company that has been supplying of materials testing machinery and systems since 1880. The MTU lab that LaCourt works in is outfitted with two Tinius Olsen 60 Super Ls and a 120 Super L, which LaCourt says are basic enough for even the newest of operators to be able to understand. In fact, most students can be up and running on the machines in under 45 minutes. That’s important, says LaCourt, because he cannot waste precious class time teaching students how to operate machinery. For that reason, LaCourt chose machines that had enough function packed into an easy-to-use operating system. “The purpose of the course isn’t to teach them how to operate a system. It’s to teach them what types of tests they can utilize and what those tests will deliver them in the way of critical physical properties and materials performance data. I’m not trying to make a tester out of them – I’m trying to make an engineer out of them.” Nearly eight years ago, LaCourt chose the current machines for the MTU testing lab. Why Tinius Olsen? “The Tinius Olsen machines tend to run a little lower in cost and in my opinion are more versatile and less complex. You can take someone who has little or no experience using materials testing systems and get them started at a much higher rate. The students that I have that use them are sophomores and have either never used these machines before or have very little experience. I don’t have time to teach them how to use a system with complex operating procedures.” The student run basic materials testing on metals, ceramics, and composites using compression tests and tension tests. They are also taught how to run manufacturing processes such as extrusion, deep drawing, and powder metallurgy. The Tinius Olsen machines work well for the lab. As LaCourt puts it, “I bought these particular machines because I wanted to put them to use by a number of students at the same time working somewhat individually. I wanted them to get used to running materials-type tests in order to get an idea of the types of stuff you can get and then later on in their junior and senior years when they start to do things where they need to know data, they have the basics down. If they need something more sophisticated, they already know the basics.” LaCourt is happy with his choice. He says that working with Tinius Olsen has been a positive experience. One of the more unique features of his machines is the ability to make simple modifications onsite. Tinius Olsen designed the machines with upgrades in mind, says LaCourt, and it made it quite simple for his department to handle the modifications. More advanced modifications, such as retrofits, are handled by Tinius Olsen. In fact, MTU has one older machine currently in the process of being retrofitted. Also, the machines allow students to transition well into more advanced processes. “There are two parts to any of these systems – one is to control the test and the other is to acquire data as you’re running the test,” says LaCourt. “The controls I’m getting are much more programmable, so that the students can put in defined processes. When they are running the tests, the data acquisition capabilities are much higher than the previous system we had.” LaCourt says he’d recommend the Tinius Olsen machines to any college or technical institute due to the ease of use and the opportunity they offer for students to work independently much faster. For LaCourt, his lab required a niche product. Luckily, Tinius Olsen easily filled that niche. Michigan Technological University began life as the Michigan Mining School in Houghton, MI in 1885. Today, MTU is a diversified institution offering academic degree programs in a wide range of disciplines. Undergraduate enrollment is at over 6,500 and the graduate school serves nearly 900. Research funding tops $40 million annually Tinius Olsen is a global provider of materials testing solutions (equipment, software, and calibration services) with 125 years of testing experience. For more information, contact: Tinius Olsen, 1065 Easton Road, Horsham, PA 19044 USA, (215) 675-7100, Fax (215) 441-0899, www.TiniusOlsen.com. Or: Michigan Technological University, 1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, Michigan 49931-1295, 1-888-MTU-1885, www.mtu.edu. # # # #
Wayne Hayward, Marketing Manager, Tinius Olsen Mike LaCourt, Michigan Technological University
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