Instron

Instron (an ITW company) is a manufacturer of test equipment designed to evaluate the mechanical properties of materials and components, such as universal testing machines.

In 1946, Harold Hindman and George Burr, who worked together at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), teamed up to determine the properties of new materials to be used in parachutes. Together, they designed a material testing machine based on strain gauge load cells and servo-control systems. This led to the formation of Instron Engineering Corporation.

CEAST (Now operating within Instron) was founded in 1953 by Dr. Mario Grosso and focussed initially on refurbishing instruments shipped from America through the Marshall plan[1]. Later, the company used its experience to develop polymer testing instruments. Today the company is based in Pianezza, Turin, and specializes in impact, rheology and HDT/Vicat testing of polymers, typically thermoplastics. In 2008 CEAST was acquired by Instron but continues to operate semi-autonomously.

In 2015, customers recognized Instron as the Best Mechanical Testers