UStretch
Legacy Product
The UStretch is a uniaxial soft tissue and biomaterials testing system that continues to be used in peer-reviewed biomechanics and biomaterials literature. While it has been succeeded by the UniVert, many units remain active in research labs, and CellScale can support researchers who need continuity with published UStretch methods.
For new projects or expanded capability, the upgrade path to UniVert is the recommended current platform for comparable uniaxial workflows. This page is here for researchers who find the UStretch in the literature and want practical notes for continued use, service decisions, and translating protocols from legacy mechanical testing systems to the current lineup.
UStretch Overview
The UStretch was developed as a uniaxial tensile testing system for compliant biological tissues and soft biomaterials where specimen handling, alignment, and hydration control are central to repeatable results. In typical workflows, a specimen is mounted using clamps or BioRakes, equilibrated in fluid, and tested under displacement control or force control.
UStretch is most often associated with tensile protocols that include preconditioning, cyclic loading, and step-and-hold sequences used to quantify viscoelastic response. In published work, UStretch is also used for application-specific workflows such as peel testing, where controlled separation is used to compare adhesion strength or interface mechanics across groups.
Legacy Mechanical Testing Systems
UStretch is part of a broader family of legacy mechanical testing systems that remain in circulation because they were used in many foundational studies. Researchers typically arrive on this page with practical needs tied to a named method or instrument reference:
- Confirm what the UStretch legacy product is and how it was used in publications
- Determine options for support for legacy instruments in an active lab setup
- Identify an upgrade path to UniVert for new research programs or replacement planning
Support for the UStretch
For labs running UStretch today, support for legacy instruments typically centers on specimen mounting repeatability, alignment, and ensuring that force and displacement data remain interpretable for publication and long-term comparisons.
- Common support topics include
Legacy UStretch support depends on the specific configuration. Share your system details and the issue you are seeing for next-step guidance.
Research Applications Supported by the UStretch
The UStretch legacy product appears in publications spanning soft tissue biomechanics, biomaterials development, and mechanobiology. The research applications below reflect common patterns in UStretch literature and can help when mapping legacy protocols to current platforms.
Intervertebral Disc Biomechanics
Mechanotransduction Studies
Hydrogel Mechanical Testing
Polymers and Elastomers Testing
Membranes & Thin Films Mechanics
Testing Methods Associated with the UStretch Legacy Product
Across the literature, the UStretch is tied to a set of tensile-forward methods that are well matched to soft tissues and compliant biomaterials:
Using displacement control or force control
Viscoelastic and Time-Dependent Testing
Using step-and-hold sequences
Using displacement steps with sustained holds
Using force holds to quantify time-dependent elongation
Hydrated & Temperature-Controlled Testing
With temperature control for physiologic-like conditions
For interfacial strength and adhesion comparisons
Upgrade Path to UniVert for UStretch Users
If you need to reproduce published methods, plan a replacement, or start a new program, an upgrade path to UniVert is typically the most direct route into the current product lineup for uniaxial workflows.
- A practical upgrade plan starts with your methods requirements:
With this information, the UniVert can be configured to preserve the experimental intent of the UStretch.
FAQs About the UStretch
Is the UStretch legacy product discontinued?
Yes. The UStretch legacy product is no longer offered as a current production system and has been superseded by the UniVert uniaxial mechanical tester.
What replaced the UStretch legacy product?
For comparable uniaxial tensile workflows, the current CellScale platform is the UniVert, which has all the capabilities of the UStretch, plus a lot more.
Can I reproduce UStretch methods on UniVert?
Yes. Tensile, cyclic, creep, relaxation, and many peel-style protocols can be translated when specimen mounting, gage length definition, hydration state, and strain measurement assumptions are carried over.
What sample types were commonly tested with the UStretch legacy product?
The UStretch is frequently cited for soft tissues, thin tissue sections, compliant scaffolds, hydrogels, and soft polymer constructs where mounting and hydration control are critical.
Does UStretch support hydrated mechanical testing and temperature control?
Many UStretch workflows are performed in a fluid bath to maintain hydration, with temperature control used when experiments require stable physiologic-like conditions.
Can the UStretch legacy product be used for stress relaxation and creep tests?
Yes. Step-and-hold protocols are common in UStretch literature, typically using displacement holds for relaxation and force holds for creep, depending on the protocol.
Do you provide support for legacy instruments like UStretch?
We provide support for legacy instruments including UStretch in many active labs. Service feasibility depends on configuration and system condition.
Get UStretch Support or Plan a UniVert Replacement
If you are maintaining an active UStretch system, need help matching a published method, or want a clear upgrade path to UniVert, contact CellScale and share your specimen type and protocol goals. We can recommend the most direct route to maintain continuity in your mechanical data and reporting while transitioning to the current product lineup.
