Why this test matters
Many products and components need to carry a load without crushing, deforming permanently, or losing their function under pressure. When a material's compressive strength falls short of what a design assumes, the result can be structural failure, dimensional instability, or a safety issue, sometimes long after the part is already in service. The compression test confirms exactly how much load your material or component can take before it fails, and how it deforms along the way, so you can validate a design before it's built rather than after it breaks. It applies to metals, plastics, composites, and 3D-printed parts, and works equally well on raw material, individual components, or full products.
How the test works
A cylindrical or prismatic sample with parallel surfaces is placed between two plates on the testing machine, which then move slowly toward each other, applying an increasing compressive force. We test on machines rated at 200 kN or 1200 kN, choosing the right one for the size and strength of your material or component, and prepare the sample ourselves if you don't provide one already cut to size. The force increases at a set rate until the sample breaks or deforms, which typically takes a few minutes but can run up to two hours for stronger materials. Throughout the test, we record force and deformation continuously, producing a full stress-strain diagram.
What you learn from this test
From the stress-strain diagram, you get compressive strength, compressive modulus, and elongation, showing exactly how much load your material or component can carry and how it behaves as that load increases. This lets you validate a design against its expected loads, compare materials or suppliers, or confirm that a component meets the standard or specification it needs to. Because the data comes from an actual sample rather than a theoretical calculation, it gives you a confident, evidence-based answer on durability and safety before a design goes into production.
