The same closed-loop digital control system with Pentium computing power and Windows-based software used on the Gleeble 3500 is now available for retrofitting on Gleeble 1500 systems. Upgrading your Gleeble 1500 system can provide your laboratory with the productivity gains achieved through easy-to-use Windows control software, total computer control of test functions, high speed data acquisition, and Windows-based data analysis and plotting software for report-ready data presentations.

 

The Series 3 Digital Control Update provides all the signals necessary to control thermal and mechanical test variables simultaneously through the digital closed-loop thermal and mechanical servo systems. The Gleeble 1500 with the addition of the Series 3 Update can be operated totally by computer, totally by manual control, or by any combination of computer and manual control needed to provide maximum versatility in materials testing.

 

The environment for this Series 3 Update of the Gleeble 1500 consists of a Windows-based workstation and powerful embedded processor in a new control console. The Windows workstation offers a flexible industry-standard multi-tasking Graphical User Interface for creating simulation programs and analyzing the resulting data, as well as creating reports and presentations.

 

In designing the operator interface for the Gleeble 3500, DSI engineers recognized that highly flexible control is essential for machine performance. Thus every aspect of the Series 3 Digital Control System can be controlled via computer and set up in advance in the program. To make the system even more flexible and allow easy, convenient manual control of the system at any time, the Series 3 Update includes a freestanding control console with 10 Virtual Panel Meters (VPMs). Each of these VPMs includes a control knob and data readout and can be software or manually configured to control whatever part of the system the operator requires. As a result, the operator has total flexibility in manual control of the system, yet sacrifices none of the power and convenience of computer control when that is a better option. Prewritten test programs can be run with no modifications or, if desired, the VPMs can be used to manually override the computer program while the test is in progress.

 

The Series 3 Update has a full set of software tools available for both controlling the Gleeble and analyzing the results. The operator can create tests on the workstation through a number of programming options, including QuikSim Software, a spreadsheet-like, fill-in-the-blanks software that describes each action in a test sequence in order and duration. QuikSim allows arbitrary programming of waveforms for both thermal and mechanical systems.

 

Once a test or simulation has been completed, the results are automatically loaded into Origin software, a powerful and flexible data analysis package included with every Series 3 Update. Origin provides many built-in mathematical functions for analyzing data as well as the LabTalk language which can be used to automate the repetitive analyses tasks typical of a comprehensive simulation or testing program. Origin can be set up to load data from each test and immediately display any number of plots, allowing a quick and easyreview of each test. Origin produces colorful, publication-quality graphs and charts.