Australians put their balls to the test

Sports equipment manufacturer, Kookaburra, have recently purchased a new Mecmesin force testing system for various quality control tests in the production of their international test match quality cricket balls, currently in use in the Ashes test series in Australia.

Established in 1890, Kookaburra have built their name upon innovation and a meticulous attention to quality. Critical to their ability to continuously lead the way in technological innovation is the power to easily and reliably quantify the quality both of their finished products, and of the natural materials from which their world class equipment is crafted.

For many years Kookaburra used a Mecmesin MDD Manual Test Stand with an AFG Force Gauge, but found their requirements outgrew the testing scope of this system, as their cricket ball production process became ever more complex to keep abreast of both technological advancements and the ever-increasing quality of play.

In response, local Mecmesin agent, SI Instruments, supplied Kookaburra with a MultiTest 2.5-i computer-controlled test frame. The system was initially used to assess the compressive strength of the finished ball. Ensuring the balls respond consistently to an applied load in the lab guarantees consistent performance on the pitch.

The true scope of the versatile MutliTest 2.5-i quickly became apparent, and it was put to use on a variety of quality testing applications on raw materials. These include tensile tests of leather, cork, wool and thread samples, as well as separate compression testing of the ball’s cork core to ensure conformance to Kookaburra’s exacting in-house test standards.

Peter Thompson, Director of Kookaburra Sport said,

“We found the Mecmesin MultiTest 2.5-i very easy to use. The unit has been of great help to us in setting specifications and standards. As our suppliers are now fully aware of our capabilities we always receive the best natural products.”

Find out more about this Sports Test Solution from Mecmesin.