Mecmesin announced today the launch of its ground-breaking VTG digital torque tester, combining a highly responsive, capacitive 5” colour touchscreen with sophisticated torque measurement features driven by the power of Mecmesin’s Vector OS.

The VTG Tornado is packed full of innovative features, accessible via an intuitive touchscreen interface that sets it apart from other torque testers. It is easy to navigate, just swipe or press-and-hold to access menus, toolbars, and settings.

Vector OS is the technology platform at the heart of the VTG Tornado enabling operators to customise the touchscreen interface, configure the tester to their requirements and analyse test results quickly in the field.

Benefits of dual zone display

Representing a major step forward in portable torque testing, the VTG Tornado boasts an array of advanced capabilities. It includes a dual zone display with the upper zone clearly showing the peak readings in N.cm, lbf.in and other common units of measurement.

The lower zone provides a live graphical plot of the torque applied so that critical events can be easily identified. For example, when testing plastic closures the key parameters, such as the release torque, bridge-breaking of a TE band and strip torque, are all clearly shown. Alternatively, the lower zone can be allocated to a statistical overview, which calculates the Max, Min, Average and Standard Deviation from the peak readings captured and stored in the VTG's memory.

A configurable first-peak function, coupled with the standard maximum reading, ensures that both the initial slip torque and the secondary break torque are captured. This is particularly valuable when measuring the performance of plastic and metal tamper-evident closures (e.g., ROPP), where a maximum reading alone is insufficient to determine both characteristics.

Individual results can be transmitted immediately via RS232 to a PC or printer for analysis. Additionally, an internal memory of over 500 peak results is also available for mass storage when batch testing. An external SD memory card captures all the individual data-points for each test in .csv format so that they can be exported to Excel and other software packages.

Built-in safeguards

The VTG Tornado also features a configurable alarm setting to alert an operator with red & green lights during testing when the torque reading falls within or outside the tolerance limit.

To avoid the risk of operators inadvertently changing units of measurement or the operating mode, there is a password-protected lock function. This is particularly useful when the instrument is being used over several shifts by operators of differing skill levels.

Equally at home in the laboratory or at the point of production, the compact and portable VTG Tornado features a tough, water-resistant casing (rated to IP54), fabricated in non-painted polypropylene, making it suitable for use in pharmaceutical environments.

Four models are available with capacities ranging from 1.5N.m for delicate assessments, to the 3N.m, 6N.m and 10N.m versions for increasingly robust applications.

A calibration certificate traceable to national standards is included at no extra charge - ensuring full compliance during external audits.

Ideal for use in a range of industries

Designed to meet the demands of testing from applications as diverse as the low-level torques associated with small rotary knobs and controls through to actuation torques of medical devices and release torques of packaging caps and closures, the VTG Tornado is the ultimate digital torque tester.

“Mecmesin has been manufacturing digital torque testers for over 30 years and the new VTG Tornado represents the perfect blend of performance and functionality combined with the very latest touch screen technology.”, said John Page, PPT Group Managing Director,” The VTG Tornado has clearly reset the bar in the industry and represents the best-in-class torque instrumentation on the market today.”