Test length. A vertical frame is limited by its column height, and a 6 metre sling or a rope sample simply will not fit. A horizontal bed can be built to the length the specimen needs.

Handling is the second reason. Long, heavy specimens are loaded onto a bed rather than lifted into an upper grip, which changes the safety picture for a two-person laboratory.

For shorter specimens a vertical machine remains the better choice, and our universal testing machines cover that side.