D
eafeningnoise followedby
absolutesilence, freezing cold
after searingheat, beingfiredat
withahighpressurewater jet
and thenplunged intoanacidbath.
Whether it’saprototypeor aproduct
ready togo intoproduction, Festoputs
components through their paces in in-
house test centresand test laboratories
toensurea longer service life, improved
operational efficiencyandgreater
reliability.Onlyfirst class components
provide thesecurityneeded for reliable
industrial production. Thescopeof the
tests carriedout ranges from corrosion,
highpressure, temperatureand leakage
tests through checkingof electromagnetic
compatibility right up tonondestructive
testingof componentsor assemblies in
computer tomographs (x-rays) andnoise
testing in theacoustics laboratory. In this
articlewe lookat threedifferent
departments toseehow the
comprehensiveproduct tests carriedout
byFestohelp to improvesafetyworldwide.
Realistic testing
The testingandanalysisexpertsworking
for department headsThomasHeubach,
ThomasRittler andKatharinaSteinlein
makeno concessionswhen it comes to
theproduct specimens forwhich theyare
responsible. Theyand their teamsarenot
satisfieduntil newproductshave
successfullyundergonea realistic test
procedure. This isnoeasy taskgiven the
hugenumber of products tobe tested.
Around1,500product specimensare
typicallysubjected to rigorous testing in
various laboratoriesat anyone time. A
product specimenspendsonaveragesix
months in testingbeforeanaccurate
assessment of itsperformance canbe
reached.
Local andglobal
The informationgathered from countless
product testsovermanydecadeshas
consequences that are felt far beyond the
Festo companyboundaries. “Ourmany
yearsof experiencemean thatwehelp
shapenational and international
standards,”explainsThomasHeubach.
“Weset benchmarks for reliability tests
worldwide.”Theemployeesof the
individual testingdepartmentsare
responsible for qualifyingproductsand
determining their technical data. The
Technologyand Infrastructure
Mechatronicsdepartment runbyThomas
Heubachprovides themwithall the test
equipment that theyneed.Whether it’s
thedevelopmentofmeasuringand testing
equipment, automated test systems,
programmingof specificdatabasesor
managing test equipment, his team is
verydiverseandhasexpertise inmany
technological areas. The teamsalso
provide labspaceplanning for the
developmentunitsandsupport for setting
upTechnical EngineeringCentres (TECs).
Security takes time
ForThomasHeubach, it isextremely
important that the resultsof the tests
carriedout areuseful to the customer.
(A)Hybridabsorberhall:
Tests for
radiated immunity testingandelectro
magneticemissionmeasurements.
(B)With computer tomographs,
objectsof up to300mm (height)
by300mm (diameter) canbeX-rayed.
(pictured:KatharinaSteinlein,Headof
AnalysisDiagnosticsandMaterials).
(C)Scanningelectronmicroscope:
Used to investigate thecausesof
component failure.
(D) Continuousoperation:
Cylinders
are testeduntil theyhaveproven that
theysuccessfullymeet thenecessary
minimumservice life.
(B)
(D)
(C)
Issue26
trends inautomation
Compass
12
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