Biomaterials Testing
Instruments
& Mechanical Testing Equipment
CellScale builds biomaterials testing instruments for labs working with soft, hydrated, and often time-dependent materials. Our mechanical testing equipment includes systems for mechanical characterization and controlled loading in culture, ranging from benchtop mechanical testers to platform-specific mechanical testing systems designed around real specimen handling and measurement needs.
Explore CellScale Biomaterials Testing Instruments
Mechanical Testers
Find a benchtop mechanical tester or laboratory mechanical testing system for tension, compression, indentation, biaxial, micro-mechanical, and time-dependent testing.
Bioreactors
Select a mechanical testing system for tissue and cell stimulation in culture, including cyclic strain, compression, and hydrostatic pressure workflows.
Accessories
Extend your mechanical testing equipment with ultra-low force measurement, 3D mapping and positioning tools, high-resolution imaging, and interchangeable force sensors.
Choose your Biomaterials Testing Instruments by Research Pathway
Not sure where to start? Many teams determine the right biomaterials testing instrument for their research based on either biological context or protocol type.
Browse by Research Application
These two views are a quick way to match biomaterials testing instruments to specimen geometry, force range, and the protocol you plan to run.
Mechanical Testing Systems for Soft Materials and Compliant Specimens
If your work involves soft tissues, hydrogels, or natural and engineered constructs, start with the mechanical testing systems below. Each of these mechanical testing machines are built for research workflows where sample handling, hydration, and measurement sensitivity matter. The goal is simple: choose a benchtop mechanical tester that fits your specimen scale, testing method, and force range.
UniVert
Benchtop mechanical tester for versatile uniaxial workflows
The UniVert is a flexible mechanical testing machine for tension, compression, viscoelastic, peel, fatigue, and more protocols across a wide range of forces. It can be setup as the primary piece of mechanical testing equipment for a lab that needs one frame that can adapt to many fixtures and specimen types. The UniVert is a versatile laboratory mechanical testing system that can be configured for routine material screening as well as specialized research setups.
MicroTester
Mechanical testing machine for micro-scale specimens
The MicroTester is a high-sensitivity mechanical testing machine for small, delicate specimens where subtle differences are meaningful. It is commonly used as a benchtop mechanical tester for micro-tissues, thin sections, micro-fibers, and compliant micro-constructs. When your protocol depends on alignment and controlled contact definition at the micro-scale, the MicroTester is a focused laboratory mechanical testing system designed for micro-mechanical work.
BioTester
Mechanical testing system for biaxial material characterization
The BioTester is designed for planar biaxial protocols used to study anisotropy and time-dependent response in soft tissues and biomaterials. Many labs use the BioTester as a dedicated laboratory mechanical testing system when multi-axis loading and quantitative strain measurement are central to the study design. As part of your mechanical testing equipment suite, the BioTester supports workflows where realistic loading states matter.
Mechanical Testing Equipment for Tissue and Cell Stimulation in Culture
Our MechanoCulture series is a set of mechanical testing systems focused on stimulation in culture, where repeatable loading programs are applied over long durations. These bioreactors complement measurement-first mechanical testing equipment by enabling mechanobiology studies in sterile culture settings. If you are looking for a biomaterials testing instrument for cell and tissue culture biomechanics, see the bioreactors below.
MechanoCulture J1: Tension Stimulation
MechanoCulture T6: Tension Simulation
MechanoCulture TR: Hydrostatic Pressure Stimulation
MechanoCulture TX: Compression Stimulation
Mechanical Testing Accessories
Accessories help tune your mechanical testing equipment to the specimen and the protocol. If you already have one of the core biomaterials testing instruments, accessories can improve low-force sensitivity, add mapping and positioning capability, improve imaging capabilities, or help match force capacity to the experiment.
Eclipse Ultra-Low Force Sensor
The Eclipse is an ultra-low force option used with the UniVert when specimens are extremely compliant and overload protection matters. It is frequently added to the UniVert mechanical testing system when you need to resolve small tensile or compression forces reliably.
XY Stage for Mapping and Positioning
The UniVert XY Stage enables precise multi-point positioning for high throughput mechanical testing. For heterogeneous samples, it can turn the single-point Univert benchtop mechanical tester into a more efficient mapping tool with repeatable grid movement.
Interchangeable Load Cells for Force Matching
Interchangeable load cells on the UniVert and BioTester allow you to choose force capacity and sensitivity appropriate to your protocol. This improves measurement quality and helps protect delicate specimens when using a laboratory mechanical testing system across various sample types.
Custom Solutions for Your Research
Some projects require a custom mechanical testing system or a specialized fixture that does not exist “off the shelf”. If your specimen geometry, throughput target, imaging integration, or protocol constraints are unique, CellScale can develop custom configurations built on our proven biomaterials testing instruments and validated lab workflows.
Publications and Resources
If you want examples of how researchers use CellScale biomaterials testing instruments, these links can help you choose faster and justify decisions internally.
These resources are especially useful when comparing mechanical testing systems across labs or when selecting a mechanical testing machine for a new protocol.
