We are experts in manufacturing precision resistor alloy foil used for strain gauges. Foil strain gauges are used as the active element in the production of electronic load cells, for structural stress analysis and other load or force-sensing applications.
Alloys
Hamilton Precision Metals supplies the leading strain gauge manufacturers with a range of materials, including:
We stock Constantan alloy with a variety of thermal coefficients of resistance (TCR) to match aluminum, mild steel or stainless steel load-cell spring elements. Samples are available for heat evaluation and approval.
Sizes
At Hamilton Precision Metals, we engineer precision foil down to 0.0001" (0.0025mm) thickness and up to 4” (101mm) wide. Custom sizes are available on request.
Advantages
Our advanced materials deliver significant advantages for strain gauge manufactures including:
- Ultra-smooth and clean surface for bonding
- Low level of pinholes
- Ultra-tight thickness control
Applications
Strain gauges have been in use for decades in the instrumentation and measurement markets. They provide a reliable and robust means of measuring pressure, force, tension, torsion, etc. A gauge is attached to an object, which when under strain, causes the gauge to produce an output voltage signal from the change in resistance of the etched foil grid. This output signal is detected and measured by appropriate instrumentation.
Unmanned Vending Machines
Recently, we have supplied specialty metal foils for strain gauges to operate as gravity sensors in
unmanned vending machines. The ultra-thin precision foils separate the products stacked within the independent grids of vending machines to help to automatically calculate weights in order to process payments.