Instron, a leading provider of testing equipment designed to evaluate the mechanical properties of materials and components, is celebrating its 70th anniversary on March 15.

Instron was established in 1946 by Harold Hindman and George Burr, who were working together at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to investigate suitable substitutes for silk that could be used in the manufacture of parachutes. After discovering there was no testing machine available accurate enough to meet their requirements, Hindman and Burr designed a materials testing instrument. The prototype was so successful that Instron Corp. was formed.

Instron earned recognition as one of the first companies to use video strain measurement and as the first in its industry to offer automatic transducers and reverse stress loading. In October 2005, Instron was acquired by ITW as the first company in their Test and Measurement platform.