Portfolio Company Snapshot: Tensitron Rolls Out New Tension Meters

Oct 5, 2018 | News

Instruments provide quantifiable quality control for variety of materials & applications

Tensitron is a Colorado-based portfolio company of Main Line Equity Partners that has manufactured digital, mechanical, and electronic tension measuring instrumentation since 1935. Its products are used in many different industries and companies for a variety of quality control purposes, such as aircraft, textiles, and more. Tensitron, formerly known as Saxl Instrument Company, was established by Dr. Erwin J. Saxl, a well-known physicist. He designed instrumentation for the developing mechanized textile industries that could precisely measure tension, thereby providing a way to ensure product quality and consistency. Dr. Saxl was the inventor of, and held numerous patents on, the first tension meters.

Tensitron: Latest Products

Tensitron has introduced new tension meters. The first is for Bands (BTX-1) used to measure the tension of narrow, flat materials, moving or stationary—typically for nylon straps, seat belts, narrow poly web, flat drive belts, small V belts, wide tape, and more. The other is for Fabric and Web (WX-1) used to measure the tension of wide, flexible, flat materials with thickness up to 1/8 inch. This is used to gauge quality control for paper, film, plastic sheets, fabric, web, loom beams, metal foils, or winding electrical condensers.

The new tension meters include a firmware upgrade, which improves the resolution of most digital tension meters to 0.2 lbs. This allows customers to read tension at a lower range. The firmware upgrade enabled Tensitron to create other new instrumentation.

Continuous Measurement instrumentation is an expanding market for Tensitron. Its products include permanently mounted sensors, automatic tension control, and remote data access.

Tensitron is also offering Force and Torque Gauges from SHIMPO Instruments.

Main Line Equity Partners invested in Tensitron March 2016.