What Fischer Engineering does

Fischer Engineering Company LLC (FECo), founded in 1976 in Dayton, Ohio, by Ohio State University graduate Glenn Fischer, PE, CWI, designs and manufactures mechanical testing equipment for welder and procedure qualification under major welding codes. The core product line consists of bend testers (BT1C roller-guided fixed radius, BT1D roller-guided adjustable, BT3 wraparound for dissimilar metals), tensile testers spanning 5,000 lb to 100,000 lb capacity (TT5, TT40, TT100), a 25-ton fillet weld tester (FWT1), and a Bend Specimen Cutting System (BSC). Proprietary consumables include the registered Super Coupon® welding coupon, which consolidates all-thickness and diameter qualification into a single test under ASME Section IX. The company also offers hourly welding engineering consulting plus in-house destructive and nondestructive testing services including visual inspection, guided and wraparound bend testing, tensile testing, macro-etches, radiographic testing, Charpy impact testing, and hardness testing. Founder-developed patents cover the bend testing equipment architecture and the patented knurled mandrel surface used in the BT1 Series.

The customer base spans fabricators, industrial manufacturers, testing laboratories, and educational institutions whose welders and procedures must comply with ASME Section IX, AWS D1.1 through D1.6, AWS D14.1 through D14.6, AWS D17.1 and B2.1, API 1104, GCVWC 12479550, and applicable military standards. Revenue is generated through three streams: one-time equipment sales at prices from approximately $2,520 to $40,500, volume-tiered welding coupon sales (per-unit pricing from roughly $3 to $60 with quantity discounts), and project-based engineering consulting and testing services. Distribution combines a transactional e-commerce storefront serving SMB and individual buyers with phone/email quote-based direct sales for larger capital equipment and custom engineering engagements; products ship F.O.B. Dayton, Ohio with terms of n/30 against approved credit, and the company claims customers throughout the United States and in many countries internationally. In 2020 ownership transferred to Ben Finney, PE, CWI, who had served as a welding engineer at the company for more than a decade.

Name

Fischer Engineering

Legal name

Fischer Engineering Company LLC

Website

https://fischerengr.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Fischer Engineering Company LLC (FECo), founded in 1976 in Dayton, Ohio, manufactures welding qualification testing equipment—bend, tensile, and fillet weld testers—plus proprietary welding coupons, and provides welding engineering consulting and destructive testing services to fabricators, manufacturers, laboratories, and schools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Welding Testing Equipment

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (541380)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Welding, Joining & Soldering Equipment (Arc, Resistance, Friction, Brazing) (IMAHADAH)

Keywords

• Welding testing equipment
• Weld bend testers
• Weld tensile testers
• Welding coupons
• Welder qualification testing

Headquarters

HQ city

Dayton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Testing Equipment Sales: Sale of weld bend testers, tensile testers, fillet weld testers, and bend specimen cutting systems. Products are sold as one-time purchases with various configurations (pneumatic, electric, hand-operated versions). Prices range from $4,665 (TT5) to $40,500 (TT100-B with bench). Accessories and options available at additional cost.
2. Welding Coupons Sales: Sale of welding coupons including Super Coupons, pipe coupons (carbon steel and stainless steel), and plate coupons. Volume discounts available with pricing tiers based on quantity (1-19, 20-49, 50-99, 100-299, 300-599, 600-999 units).
3. Testing Services: Welding testing services including visual inspection, guided bend testing, wraparound bend testing, tensile testing, macro-etches, radiographic testing, Charpy impact testing, and hardness testing. Also includes engineering consulting, qualification guidelines, and WPS/PQR/WQTR/WPQ preparation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Fischer Engineering designs, manufactures, and sells welding qualification testing equipment (bend testers, tensile testers, fillet weld testers, and bend specimen cutting systems) and welding coupons including the proprietary Super Coupon® for welder qualification per ASME Section IX, AWS, and API codes. The company also provides welding engineering consulting and laboratory testing services including WPS/PQR/WQTR/WPQ document preparation, guided bend, wraparound bend, tensile, macro-etch, radiographic, Charpy impact, hardness, and visual inspection testing.

Product overview

Fischer Engineering is a manufacturer of welding testing equipment and provider of welding engineering services since 1976. The product portfolio centers on weld qualification testing equipment: Bend Testers (BT1D, BT1C, BT3) for guided and wraparound bend testing, Tensile Testers (TT100, TT40, TT5) for various load capacities, Fillet Weld Testers (FWT1), and the Bend Specimen Cutting System (BSC) for specimen preparation. Complementary products include the proprietary Super Coupon and other welding coupons for welder qualification. The company also provides welding engineering services including consulting, document preparation, and destructive testing services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Super Coupon®: Patented welding coupon that simplifies welder qualification for ASME Section IX, allowing qualification for all thicknesses and diameters down to 1" OD with a single coupon test.

Products and services

• Welding Coupons Test materials for welder qualification including pipe coupons (carbon steel and stainless steel), plate coupons, and the proprietary Super Coupon. Used for welding procedure and welder performance qualification testing per ASME Section IX, AWS D1.1, and other codes. Volume discount tiers apply.
• Super Coupon® Proprietary patented welding coupon that allows welder qualification for all thicknesses and diameters down to 1 inch OD with a single coupon size. Qualifies for P-Numbers 1-15F, 34, 41-49 as limited by F-No. per ASME Section IX. Replaces testing on both 2" and 6" coupons; claimed to reduce welder qualification testing cost by up to 67%.
• Bend Testers (BT1C, BT1D, BT3) Mechanical testing equipment for guided bend testing of welded specimens. Includes Model BT1D (roller-guided, adjustable radius), Model BT1C (roller-guided, fixed radius, portable), and Model BT3 (wraparound bending for dissimilar metals and difficult materials). BT1 Series mandrels include a patented knurled surface to reduce specimen slippage during bending. Available in pneumatic, electric, and hand-operated configurations.
• Tensile Testers (TT5, TT40, TT100)

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 67% cost reduction in welder qualification testing using Super Coupon
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• ADMET: Manufacturer of materials testing equipment including tensile testing machines, extensometers, and fixtures used in weld and metal qualification testing. Comparable mid-sized specialty competitor to Fischer with overlapping customer segments in metals testing labs.
• Hegewald & Peschke: German manufacturer of materials testing machines including tensile, bend and compression testers for metals and welded specimens. Comparable specialty equipment manufacturer competing with Fischer in the European metals-testing segment.
• Instron: Global manufacturer of tensile and materials testing equipment, including systems used for welded-specimen testing per ASTM and ISO standards. Direct competitor to Fischer's TT5/TT40/TT100 tensile tester line, with significantly broader scale and international distribution.
• MISTRAS Group: Provider of non-destructive testing (NDT) services, inspection technologies and welding qualification services to industrial operators. Comparable to Fischer's in-house destructive testing and WPS/PQR preparation services for the energy, infrastructure and fabrication markets.
• Applied Test Systems: Pennsylvania-based manufacturer of materials testing machines, including tensile, compression, and bend testers used in metal and weld qualification. Closely comparable specialty equipment manufacturer with similar customer profile to Fischer.
• Tinius Olsen: Long-standing US-based manufacturer of materials testing machines including tensile, compression, and bend testing equipment used in metals laboratories. Highly comparable product portfolio and customer base to Fischer's weld testing instruments.
• Qualitest: Canadian-headquartered supplier of materials testing equipment including hardness testers, tensile testers, and related instruments. Competes with Fischer in the same North American metals testing equipment market across similar price points.

Broad incumbents

• MTS Systems: Large, established manufacturer of mechanical testing and simulation systems serving aerospace, automotive and materials laboratories. Overlaps with Fischer in metals tensile testing but operates at far greater scale and broader scope.
• ZwickRoell: German-based global manufacturer of materials testing systems including tensile, fatigue, and hardness testing machines for metals and welds. Competes with Fischer at the high end of the tensile testing equipment market with broader international reach.
• Shimadzu: Diversified Japanese manufacturer of analytical and testing instruments including universal testing machines used for welded specimen tensile testing. Adjacent competitor with a much wider product portfolio spanning chromatography, spectroscopy and materials testing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fischer Engineering