Roller Grips - Self Tightening

Self Tightening Eccentric Roller Grips are used for sample materials with high elongation such as elastomers and plastics. These types of grips are also commonly referred to as eccentric roller grips or cam grips. Other softer type materials like wood also use these self tightening tensile grips. There are two main types. The first only has one spring-actuated roller cam that presses against a flat metal surface. The other variation is not as popular and uses two rollers and is designed so that the strain and tightening force on the sample is symmetrical and balanced.

Roller Grip Family Overview (1 kN – 20 kN Range)

The Roller Grip series is engineered to provide dependable tensile holding for flexible, layered, and surface-sensitive materials that are difficult to secure using conventional wedge or flat-faced grips. By using a rotating drum mechanism, these grips allow the specimen to seat progressively as tensile load increases, distributing contact pressure more evenly and reducing the risk of premature failure at the grip interface.

Available in a range of capacities — including 1 kN, 5 kN, 10 kN, and 20 kN models — the roller grip family supports everything from delicate laboratory testing to more demanding production applications. The 1 kN version is well suited for films, light textiles, thin polymers, and research specimens, while the 5 kN and 10 kN grips provide added holding strength for elastomers, laminates, and semi-rigid materials. The 20 kN configuration is intended for thicker plastics, reinforced materials, and heavier-duty industrial samples. Across all sizes, the roller mechanism promotes stable load introduction, improved repeatability, and gauge-length failure, helping laboratories obtain more representative tensile strength data.

These grips are commonly used for testing plastics, rubber, coated fabrics, laminates, films, and flexible industrial materials, and are designed for compatibility with most electromechanical universal testing machines.