UniVert Classroom
Mechanical Testing Lab Kit for Teaching Labs
The UniVert Classroom Kit is a mechanical testing lab kit built for hands-on instruction in mechanical testing fundamentals. It is designed for undergraduate courses that want students to run real experiments, generate repeatable datasets, and connect force and displacement measurements to stress-strain interpretation. If you teach an undergraduate biomaterials lab or a biomechanics teaching lab, this mechanical testing lab kit provides a structured pathway through three core methods: tension, compression, and 3-point bending.
What’s Included in the UniVert Mechanical Testing Lab Kit
The kit is centered on a classroom mechanical testing instrument (the UniVert) that students can operate with minimal supervision once the workflow is introduced. It includes curriculum, fixtures, and specimen materials so you can run a tensile testing lab kit module and then expand into a compression testing lab and a three-point bending lab across a term.
This mechanical testing lab kit is packaged to reduce instructor prep time while keeping student work rigorous and data-driven.
- The UniVert Classroom Kit includes
If you are evaluating a tensile testing lab kit for a course, the key advantage is that the curriculum and fixtures are already aligned to produce clean stress-strain curves that students can analyze and discuss in a lab report.
Undergraduate biomaterials lab outcomes
In an undergraduate biomaterials lab, students often need to connect structure and composition to mechanical function. This mechanical testing lab kit supports that goal by guiding students through specimen preparation, alignment, testing, and analysis. In the tensile testing lab kit module, students quantify stiffness and strength, compare conditions across replicates, and interpret nonlinear response that is common in soft biomaterials. Instructors can also use the optional extensions to explore anisotropy, geometry effects, and local strain measurement using simple optical tracking.
Biomechanics teaching lab outcomes
In a biomechanics teaching lab, the emphasis is often on function under physiologic loading modes. This mechanical testing lab kit supports student biomechanics testing projects by pairing tensile concepts with compressive behaviour and bending mechanics.
A compression testing lab module helps students understand contact loading and how geometry affects failure. A three-point bending lab module introduces combined tension and compression in a single specimen and creates a direct link to bone mechanics and lever-arm loading. Together, these methods help students recognize that measured behaviour depends on loading mode, boundary conditions, and specimen shape.
If you want method background content to pair with your lab handouts, you can also link students to the testing methods pages:
Lab 1:
Tensile Testing Lab Kit Module
The first lab module is a tension lab kit designed to teach the full workflow from specimen preparation to stress-strain analysis. In tensile testing for teaching labs, the main learning outcome is not only how to run a test, but how to interpret the curve and extract meaningful parameters.
- Typical learning outcomes in the tensile testing lab kit module include
The tensile testing lab kit module also introduces good testing habits that carry into later labs, including consistent specimen geometry, careful measurement of cross-sectional area, and alignment to reduce bending artifacts in tension.
Optional extensions can be used to deepen the lab without changing the hardware. For example, instructors can add an anisotropy comparison by testing specimens cut in different directions or add a local strain module by placing tracking marks and analyzing displacement between features in synchronized images.
Related method page:
Tensile Testing
Lab 2:
Compression Testing Lab Module
The compression testing lab module builds on Lab 1 but highlights how loading mode and specimen geometry influence measured response. A compression testing lab is especially useful when teaching failure modes, geometric stability, and boundary condition effects.
- In the compression testing lab, students can
This compression testing lab module is a strong fit for undergraduate biomaterials and biomechanics labs because compressive loading is common in tissue contact, cushioning, and structural support. It also supports student biomechanics testing projects where teams compare geometries or material conditions across replicates.
Related method page:
Compression Testing
Lab 3:
Three Point Bending Lab Module
The three-point bending lab module introduces flexural behaviour and provides a clear way to teach combined tension and compression within one specimen. A three-point bending lab is also a practical bridge between soft biomaterials thinking and structural biomechanics, because many skeletal elements experience bending during movement.
- In the three-point bending lab, students learn to
This three-point bending lab module is frequently used in biomechanics teaching lab contexts, including bone mechanics demonstrations, and it can be adapted using bone surrogates or alternative beam materials if a course prefers consistent specimen preparation. The analysis introduces assumptions and simplifications that are useful for students, such as beam theory approximations and idealized cross-sectional geometry.
Related method page:
Flexural & Bending Testing
The Instrument Behind the Kit
The UniVert platform is the benchtop classroom mechanical testing instrument used in the UniVert Classroom Kit. For instructors, it provides a reliable mechanical testing system with a small footprint and a workflow that students can learn quickly. For students, it behaves like professional mechanical testing equipment while remaining approachable for teaching labs.
UniVert S Specifications
Below is a typical UniVert S specification set used for education deployments.
(If you have an existing UniVert configuration, we can recommend the best classroom setup)
| Specification | UniVert S |
|---|---|
| Force capacity | 200 N |
| Available load cells | 10 to 200 N (depending on configuration) |
| Force accuracy | 0.2% of load cell capacity |
| Maximum grip separation | 300 mm |
| Maximum velocity | 20 mm/s |
| Maximum cycle frequency | 2 Hz |
| Maximum data rate | 100 Hz |
| Dimensions | 22 × 22 × 54 cm |
| Weight | 8 kg |
Instructor Use Cases
“I have used CellScale both in the classroom and research setting. It was a great tool for teaching undergraduates the principles of mechanical testing with a hands-on, experiential approach. In my laboratory, it enabled us to determine the mechanical properties of a soft biomaterial developed in our lab that could not be measured by other means. It met all our needs and was easy to use.”
Kathryn Grandfield, PhD
Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at McMaster University, Canada. Expertise in biomaterials, osseointegration, electron microscopy, mineralized tissues, electron tomography, and atom probe tomography.
“This year we started using the CellScale UniVert system for our undergraduate biomaterials labs. We were able to contribute to the development of the curriculum and the CellScale staff was helpful and knowledgeable about every aspect of the system. What an incredible experience for both the students, the lab instructors and myself! We contributed to develop laboratory protocols to teach students about biological tissue testing and saw first-hand how all our suggestions were implemented and often improved upon by CellScale staff. The results are new and improved curriculum for our laboratories and many future bioengineering students.
We now have a set of 3 UniVert systems and we are planning on using them for several courses in the future. I would recommend the system for undergraduate teaching labs and independent projects.”
Elena Di Martino, PhD
Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at University of Calgary, Canada. Expertise in biomechanics of aneurysms, image-based analysis of soft tissues, computational simulation of cardiovascular mechanics, novel grafts for skin repair, and mechanical tests and constitutive models of soft biological tissues.
Downloads and Curriculum Requests
The UniVert Classroom Kit includes curriculum and resources that make it simple to run our tension, compression, and three-point bending labs within the same course.
FAQs
What courses is this mechanical testing lab kit used in most often?
This mechanical testing lab kit is most often used in an undergraduate biomaterials labs, biomechanics teaching labs, and mechanics of materials teaching labs that want students to learn experimental methods through hands-on testing and structured analysis.
What makes this a tensile testing lab kit rather than only an instrument?
A tensile testing lab kit includes the curriculum and lab-ready workflow, not just hardware. The UniVert Classroom Kit provides the test procedure, analysis steps, and reporting expectations so students can generate comparable stress-strain curves and extract parameters consistently.
Can we run all 3 labs in the same term?
Yes. Many instructors use the tensile testing lab kit module early in the term and then add the compression testing lab and three-point bending lab later. This sequence reinforces how loading mode and geometry influence stiffness, yield behaviour, and failure.
How much supervision is needed when students use the classroom mechanical testing instrument?
After an initial demonstration and a specimen preparation check, students typically run tests in small groups. Instructors and TAs often focus on alignment verification, measurement of specimen dimensions, and guiding the stress-strain interpretation rather than operating the system for students.
Is the kit appropriate for student biomechanics testing projects?
Yes. The optional extensions, geometry comparisons, and method-to-method contrasts are well-suited to student biomechanics testing projects where teams compare conditions, calculate uncertainty, and justify conclusions from experimental evidence.
Can we adapt the labs for different materials or specimen geometries?
Yes. The curriculum structure supports optional variations, including alternate specimen geometries and different material types. Many instructors adapt the same mechanical testing lab kit framework to match their program focus, whether it is an undergraduate biomaterials lab centred on soft materials or a biomechanics teaching lab that emphasizes structural response.
Request a Quote for the UniVert Classroom Kit
If you are planning a new undergraduate biomaterials lab module, updating a biomechanics teaching lab, or building a multi-method sequence that starts with tensile testing for teaching labs, we can help you configure the UniVert Classroom Kit for your cohort size and course format.
