Instron 3400 Series Manual

3400 Series Dual Column Table Model
Operator’s Guide
M10-17318-EN Revision C

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Original Instructions
Copyright © 2019 Illinois Tool Works Inc. All rights reserved. All of the specifications shown in
this document are subject to change without notice.
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Preliminary Pages
Product Support: www.instron.com
General Safety Precautions
Materials testing systems are potentially hazardous.
Materials testing involves inherent hazards from high forces, rapid motions, and
stored energy. You must be aware of all moving and operating components in
the testing system that are potentially hazardous, particularly force actuators or
a moving crosshead.
Carefully read all relevant manuals and observe all Warnings and Cautions. The
term Warning is used where a hazard may lead to injury or death. The term
Caution is used where a hazard may lead to damage to equipment or to loss of
data.
Instron products, to the best of its knowledge, comply with various national and
international safety standards, in as much as they apply to materials and
structural testing. We certify that our products comply with all relevant EU
directives (CE mark).
Because of the wide range of applications with which our instruments are used,
and over which we have no control, additional protection devices and operating
procedures may be necessary due to specific accident prevention regulations,
safety regulations, further EEA directives or locally valid regulations. The extent
of our delivery regarding protective devices is defined in your initial sales
quotation. We are thus free of liability in this respect.
At your request, we will gladly provide advice and quotations for additional
safety devices such as protective shielding, warning signs or methods of
restricting access to the equipment.
The following pages detail various general warnings that you must heed at all
times while using materials testing equipment. You will find more specific
Warnings and Cautions in the text whenever a potential hazard exists.
Your best safety precautions are to gain a thorough understanding of the
equipment by reading your instruction manuals and to always use good
judgement.
It is our strong recommendation that you should carry out your own product
safety risk assessment.

Preliminary Pages
4M10-17318-EN
Warnings
Hazard - Press the Emergency Stop button whenever you consider that an
unsafe condition exists.
The Emergency Stop button removes hydraulic power or electrical drive from the
testing system and brings the hazardous elements of the system to a stop as
quickly as possible. It does not isolate the system from electrical power, other
means are provided to disconnect the electrical supply. Whenever you consider
that safety may be compromised, stop the test using the Emergency Stop
button. Investigate and resolve the situation that caused the use of the
Emergency Stop button before you reset it.
Flying Debris Hazard - Make sure that test specimens are installed correctly
in grips or fixtures in order to eliminate stresses that can cause breakage of
grip jaws or fixture components.
Incorrect installation of test specimens creates stresses in grip jaws or fixture
components that can result in breakage of these components. The high
energies involved can cause the broken parts to be projected forcefully some
distance from the test area. Install specimens in the center of the grip jaws in
line with the load path. Insert specimens into the jaws by at least the amount
recommended in your grip documentation. This amount can vary between 66%
to 100% insertion depth; refer to supplied instructions for your specific grips.
Use any centering and alignment devices provided.
Hazard - Protect electrical cables from damage and inadvertent
disconnection.
The loss of controlling and feedback signals that can result from a disconnected
or damaged cable causes an open loop condition that may drive the actuator or
crosshead rapidly to its extremes of motion. Protect all electrical cables,
particularly transducer cables, from damage. Never route cables across the
floor without protection, nor suspend cables overhead under excessive strain.
Use padding to avoid chafing where cables are routed around corners or
through wall openings.

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Preliminary Pages
Product Support: www.instron.com
High/Low Temperature Hazard - Wear protective clothing when handling
equipment at extremes of temperature.
Materials testing is often carried out at non-ambient temperatures using ovens,
furnaces or cryogenic chambers. Extreme temperature means an operating
temperature exceeding 60 °C (140 °F) or below 0 °C (32 °F). You must use
protective clothing, such as gloves, when handling equipment at these
temperatures. Display a warning notice concerning low or high temperature
operation whenever temperature control equipment is in use. You should note
that the hazard from extreme temperature can extend beyond the immediate
area of the test.
Crush Hazard - Take care when installing or removing a specimen,
assembly, structure, or load string component.
Installation or removal of a specimen, assembly, structure, or load string
component involves working inside the hazard area between the grips or
fixtures. When working in this area, ensure that other personnel cannot operate
any of the system controls. Keep clear of the jaws of a grip or fixture at all times.
Keep clear of the hazard area between the grips or fixtures during actuator or
crosshead movement. Ensure that all actuator or crosshead movements
necessary for installation or removal are slow and, where possible, at a low
force setting.
Hazard - Do not place a testing system off-line from computer control
without first ensuring that no actuator or crosshead movement will occur
upon transfer to manual control.
The actuator or crosshead will immediately respond to manual control settings
when the system is placed off-line from computer control. Before transferring to
manual control, make sure that the control settings are such that unexpected
actuator or crosshead movement cannot occur.
Robotic Motion Hazard - Keep clear of the operating envelope of a robotic
device unless the device is de-activated.
The robot in an automated testing system presents a hazard because its
movements are hard to predict. The robot can go instantly from a waiting state
to high speed operation in several axes of motion. During system operation,
keep away from the operating envelope of the robot. De-activate the robot
before entering the envelope for any purpose, such as reloading the specimen
magazine.
Warnings