Roller Grips - Self Tightening
Products > Tensile Grips > Roller
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.
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Roller Grip
Dual Roller
Extra Wide Surface Drum
22lb. - Mini Roller Grip - 100N
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The Mini Roller Grips are designed for testing very small, delicate specimens and can accommodate samples up to 1 inch (25 mm) wide and 4 mm thick, making them ideal for low-force tensile applications where specimen damage must be avoided. Typical samples include thin plastic films such as PET, PE, PP, or PVC, narrow adhesive tapes and laminates, soft rubber or elastomer strips, textile ribbons and coated fabrics, thin composite plies, paper and specialty films, and even light-gauge metal foils like aluminum or copper when tested at low loads. The rolling jaw mechanism distributes clamping pressure evenly across the specimen, reducing stress concentrations at the grip interface and helping prevent premature tearing or slippage that can occur with conventional wedge or vise grips.
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The Mini Roller Grips are very small and can only accommodate a sample that is 1 inch wide and 4 mm thick.
225lb. - Roller Grip - 1kN
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The 1kN roller grips are the most common. The self-tightening grip that is pictured uses a hook which allows for easy attachment to a Universal Testing Machine. The hook also acts a sa crude solution for self-aligning functionality. The roller drum can also be rubber coated.
1000lb. - Roller Grip - 5kN
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This 5 kN roller grip is designed for controlled tensile testing of flexible and semi-rigid materials, with features optimized for improved specimen engagement and load stability. The slightly larger grip body incorporates a serrated roller drum, which helps bite into softer materials such as plastics, elastomers, and coated specimens to prevent slippage without excessive clamping damage. A spring-actuated cam mechanism on the side of the grip continuously maintains pressure on the sample throughout the test, ensuring consistent load transfer as elongation occurs. Standard configurations accommodate specimens up to 2 inches in width, while extra-wide roller grip versions—such as the configuration shown—are also available for wider materials or specialized applications.
2Klb. - Large Roller Grips - 10kN
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This self-tightening roller grip is the 2,000 lb (10 kN) version, designed for tensile testing of flexible and delicate specimens where controlled, friction-based gripping is required. The rotating roller design allows the grip to automatically increase holding force as load is applied, providing smooth, notch-free load transfer and reducing the risk of grip-induced failures. These grips can accommodate samples from 0–8 mm in thickness and up to 60 mm in width, making them suitable for a wide range of textile, webbing, tape, and rope materials. For applications where test forces exceed 10 kN, wedge grips are generally recommended to provide the higher clamping forces required for rigid or high-strength specimens.
4Klb.+ - Large Roller Grips 20 kN
The 20 kN Roller Grips are engineered for higher-capacity tensile testing of flexible, elongated, and compliant specimens where controlled, friction-based gripping is critical. Designed to handle greater loads without inducing stress concentrations, these grips are ideal for testing ropes, cords, webbing, belts, straps, tapes, textiles, coated fabrics, elastomeric materials, and select plastic components that may be damaged by aggressive jaw faces. The rotating roller design allows the specimen to wrap smoothly around the drums, creating a gradual, self-tightening load transfer that minimizes slippage and grip-induced failures while maintaining repeatable results. Rated up to 20 kN, these roller grips integrate easily with universal testing machines using standard couplings, with alternative interfaces and configurations available to match specific test standards and specimen geometries.
Dual Roller Grips
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The symmetric dual-action roller grip is a specialized gripping solution designed for applications where balanced, uniform load introduction is critical to accurate tensile testing. Unlike standard single-roller designs, this configuration uses two opposing roller drums, ensuring the force applied to the specimen is symmetrical on both sides. This balanced loading condition minimizes bending moments, reduces uneven stress distribution, and promotes more uniform and repeatable tensile test results, particularly for flexible or sensitive materials. Dual-action roller grips are available in 1 kN and 5 kN capacities, with additional specialized versions available upon request to accommodate unique specimen geometries, materials, testing standards or even temperature chamber applications.