The TMS wire shear probe and plate uses a cutting wire to shear through a sample at a low force in order to give an overview of its cross-sectional properties.

With the cutting wire attachment fixed to the travelling beam of the TMS-Pro or TMS-Console texture analyzer, the cutting base plate included allows the wire to pass completely through the sample.

The wire shear blade consists of a 0.3mm diameter wire fitted between two rigid supports providing a 80mm x 60mm useable test area. The wire is held taught between two locking nuts and can therefore be easily replaced in situ by the technologist should it be damaged.

This fixture can be applied to the measurement of shearing and cutting forces in a wide range of soft solid foods;

    * Butter firmness test - conforms to ISO standard 16305:2005, providing accurate values of true firmness
    * Cheese testing - imitates wire cutting and provides hardness indicator
    * Vegetable assessment – accommodates irregular geometries, enabling cross-sectional measurement of broccoli florets pre- and post blanching
    * Fruit texture measurement – accommodates non-homogeneous consistencies such as strawberries
    * Pasta, nougat and other similar products

Contents and Summary

    * Top plate asssembly
    * Lower base plate
    * 6mm top thread and locking nuts fits:

          -Standard load cells via 10/32 to M6 thread adapter

          -Heavy-duty load cells via relevant M6 thread adapter supplied with load cell

      Must be used in conjunction with:

          -TMS extension piece set (432-100)

          -TMS standard fixture table (432-243)

    * This fixture is only recommended for texture measurement applications below 100N.

Applications

    * Butter firmness (standard ISO test method)
    * Toughness of croissants
    * Cross-section to measure softness of bananas
    * Hardness to bite of hotdog for product comparisons
    * Slice marzipan to assess softening properties