27
Section 6
Force and Speed
Life Cycle Testing
The LCTS was designed for life cycle testing. It will exercise the test sample through to
final wear out. It normally takes millions of test cycles to reach the wear out point. For
this reason, it is important to reduce the time of each test cycle. The total test program
will then be completed in a minimum amount of time.
Reduce Mechanical Stroke Time
The first, and most effective, method of increasing the cycle rate is to decrease the
mechanical stroke times. Limit the air cylinder stroke distance by moving the probe tip
as close as possible to the tested item. Use the highest air pressure which your device
can withstand. Higher pressure force the air cylinder to move faster. If your LCTS is
equipped with the option air flow restrictors, set these for the minimum restriction that can
be tolerated. If appropriate replace the elastomer tip with a more ridged replacement.
Reduce Contact Test Time
Minimize the time spent testing the contact. If the contact doesn’t need to be tested on
the return stork, turn off this testing in the configuration set up. Set the Minimum and
Maximum stroke times as small as practical for the device to be tested. If the device has
a tested contact, use Minimum stroke times to effectively reduce to cycle time as
discussed in section 3. Avoid bounce testing if not required.
