Instron marks 75th anniversary with a new timeline of history

Instron has been a world leader in materials testing since its foundation in 1946.

Though many things have changed over the years, our devotion to testing excellence has always remained the same. Here's a look back on some of the highlights from the past 75 years.

How it Started...

A Country in Need
Everyone has seen pictures of the the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions landing at Normandy, but did you know that those paratroopers were using some of the first nylon parachutes ever created?

With silk being unavailable due to the war, scientists in the early 1940's were desperate to identify substitute materials that could be used for the construction of parachutes. Two of these men were Harold Hindman and George Burr.

A New Machine
Working out of his lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Harold Hindman realized that no testing machine available was capable of adequately evaluating new textiles such as nylon and rayon. His colleague George Burr, however, was working with a new device called a 'strain gauge' that was being used to evaluate building materials used in earthquake zones.

Harold and George put their heads together and created a new testing instrument that used a strain gauge as a load cell transducer. This innovation allowed the new machine to test at a much higher frequency than anything else available at the time, perfect for evaluating textiles.

Instron is Born
Harold and George's new machine quickly proved its worth by accurately measuring the dynamic mechanical properties of nylon parachute cord and helping to identify it as a viable replacement for silk in the manufacturing of parachutes. In addition to helping the war effort, their prototype testing machine was so successful that they decided to form their own company, Instron Engineering Corporation, in 1946.

Early Days
To help get started in the early years, Instron entered into a partnership with Matherson Machine Works of Quincy, MA, which provided them with office space and employees. The first lot of Instron testing systems were produced in a mattress warehouse owned by Matherson. Since everyone was working round the clock, the mattresses came in very handy during nap time!

Dealing with Data
Instron's first venture into automated readout and data acquisition for testing paper was in 1957, long before personal computers arrived on the scene. Automated printout of data was accomplished by an solenoid-operated mechanical NCR calculator designed by Instron engineers. During this time period Instron also built an automated pencil lead testing machine before any industrial robots existed.

Instron Crosses the Pond
In 1960 Instron expanded to the United Kingdom, founding Instron Limited in High Wycombe, UK. Instron Ltd. was established to cope with the growing demand for manufacturing, marketing, sales, and servicing requirements in Europe.

Boom Time for New Age Materials
During the 60's materials technology was advancing at a rapid rate. The world's most cutting edge companies relied on Instron to help them break new ground.  

Things Start to Heat Up
In 1964 Instron debuted the first optical and long travel extensometers, as well as our first environmental chamber. In 1965 we introduced the first load strain control system for electromechanical machines.

Let's Get Digital
Other Instron achievements in the 1960's include the first digital test recording device (an incremental punched tape system) and the data analyzer in our Model 1161, which was the first use of a microprocessor in a materials testing system.

Read the full Instron history here...

The Future of Testing
In 2020 Instron launched the latest generation of mechanical testing systems, the 6800 Series. Our 6800 Series offers up to 5 kHz data acquisition and 0.5% accuracy down to 1/1000th of load cell capacity. It also comes equipped with our Operator Protect system architecture to make testing simpler, smarter, and safer than ever before.  

Helping the World Move Forward
Instron is always around to help when things get tough. This 2021 patent uses an Instron system to perform a shear test on carbon nanofiber tubes. These tubes are part of an air filter designed to fight SARS COV-19.

75 Years of Innovation
Over the years, Instron systems have been cited in more than 18,000 patents and have helped shape progress in the aerospace, automotive, biomedical, electronics, and raw materials industries.

The World Standard
75 years after Harold and George first put a strain gauge inside a load cell, Instron has become the world standard for materials testing systems. Over the years we have installed more than 50,000 systems worldwide, and 95% of the world's largest manufacturing companies use our systems to meet their testing needs.

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