Entry-level DIC System for Education, Making Materials Come Alive in the lab

DefleX®-2D is an entry-level, 2D digital image correlation (DIC) system, designed to help students visualise and understand how materials and structures behave under load. The camera and software kit tracks how surfaces stretch, bend and move – turning invisible stresses into clear, visual colour maps of strain and displacement in real time. 

Ideal for material science, structures and mechanical engineering courses and labs, this compact, fully integrated teaching tool makes complex concepts easy to see and explore. DefleX®-2D provides a powerful yet simple way to visualise and analyse strains and deformations meaning students can directly compare experimental data with theoretical predictions or computer simulations, supporting a deeper blended learning experience.

From theory to reality - Seeing in microscopic detail

Combining theory, hands-on experimentation, visual learning, and technology evolution, DefleX®-3D is our teaching system helping students learn about 3D digital image correlation (DIC) that measures and visualises full-field surface deformations, strains and displacements. 

Designed for teaching, it enables students to explore material behaviour, experimental mechanics, and design validation with real-world data. Simple to calibrate and quick to set up, using two digital cameras and image analysis software, DefleX®-3D captures surface changes in real-time or playback, enabling footage manipulation and data analysis whenever, wherever.

A powerful introduction to Digital Image Correlation (DIC) for teaching and demonstration

The DefleX® Starter Kit (DSK1) is a complete teaching tool and demonstration system designed to introduce the fundamentals of digital image correlation (DIC). Using our DefleX®-2D or DefleX®-3D software, the user quickly learns how to set up, calibrate, and operate a DIC system, an advanced non-contact measurement technique widely used across research and industry. 

The DefleX® Starter Kit (DSK1) features four main testing areas: torsion, a tensile vice, cantilever bending, and a panel deflection apparatus that demonstrate a variety of use cases for DIC and showcase the capabilities of the DefleX® software as a measurement and visualisation tool.

Experiment for the study of the characteristics of a two-pinned arch under various load conditions. Mounts on the Structures platform and connects to the Structures automatic data acquisition unit and software (VDAS® Onboard).

Experiment for the study of the characteristics of a fixed arch under various load conditions. Mounts on the Structures platform and connects to the Structures automatic data acquisition unit and software (VDAS® Onboard).

Experiment for the study of determinate and indeterminate truss structures. Mounts on the Structures platform and connects to the Structures automatic data acquisition unit and software (VDAS® Onboard).

Experiment for the study of the characteristics of a simple suspension bridge. Mounts on the Structures platform and connects to the Structures automatic data acquisition unit and software (VDAS® Onboard).

Experiment for the study of strains, stresses, forces and deflections in various pin jointed frameworks, and the study of Bow’s notation. Mounts on the Structures platform and connects to Structures automatic data acquisition unit and software (VDAS® Onboard).

Experiment for the study of the characteristics of a three-pinned arch under various load conditions. Mounts on the Structures platform and connects to the Structures automatic data acquisition unit and software (VDAS® Onboard).

Either an annual or multi-year technical enhancement package up to five years.

A comprehensive set of tools and ink to easily apply an effective speckle pattern to a range of surfaces for use with the DefleX® DIC systems. 

An additional load cell for the STS8 Pin-Jointed Frameworks apparatus to allow multiple loads to be simultaneously applied to the test framework and measured.