With the services of our testing laboratory, we support our customers in testing the fitness for use, safety and reliability of their products. We not only prepare the corresponding reports but also provide clearly comprehensible interpretations of results, thus combining testing and consultancy services. As independent experts, we develop specifications and offer acceptance testing for tender processes.
Our services enable the sustainable optimization of resources and processes, and thus noticeable improvements in cost effectiveness.
Please note that we attend to claim analyses and assist in the handling of complaints and claims within the framework of our Industrial Forensics Center.
Our core services:
Textile quality Cleaning and care Functional surfaces Polymer analysis Scanning electron microscopy
Textile quality
Our textile and washing laboratory features state-of-the-art lab washing machines, industrial washing machines and standard household washing machines as well as the corresponding drying and finishing machines and a wide range of specialist equipment in our modern testing facility. At the heart of our textile services is the fitness-for-use approach, i.e. the analysis of a product’s fitness for use from the consumer’s perspective.
With our services, we create customized, intelligent testing programs for our customers, helping them to find their way through the jungle of textile standards.
Our technical equipment and testing procedures:
- Martindale abrasion tester
- Burning chamber as per DIN 50050
- Linitest laboratory dying instrument
- Spray test
- Instruments for absorption measurement (e.g. as per DIN EN ISO 9073-12)
- Contact angle measuring instrument (static and dynamic)
- Light cabinet
- Accelerated weathering test and external natural weathering test stands
- Climate and conditioning chambers
- Color and gloss measuring instruments
- Incident light, transmitted light and fluorescence microscopy with digital image processing
- Spectral photometer
- Measuring instruments for color fastness as per ISO 105
- Soxhlet extractor
- Rheometer and viscosimeter
- Padder (width of 350 mm)
- Stenter (width of 400 mm), coating unit
- Tensile strength tester
- Household washing machines and dryers
- Standardized washing machines as per ISO 6330
- Freely programmable industrial washing machines
- Industrial dryers
- Cabinet finisher
- Autoclave/sterilizer
- Watertightness and/or water column measurement
Cleaning and care
We develop and implement test concepts for washing, cleaning and care agents, and test these products for their properties, safe use and environmental compatibility. We perform consumer and performance tests, thus verifying advertising messages.
Our technical equipment and testing procedures:
- Soiling procedure with test soils and monitors developed in-house
- Optical image processing and video recordings
- Testing surface center for the manual testing of cleaning tools
- Test stands for soil-resistant and self-cleaning effects
- Exterior test stands for evaluating the cleaning and care behavior of chemical products and surfaces
- Test stands for abrasion resistance and material durability
- Linear wiping test instruments
- Washing laboratory with household washing machines and dryers, standardized washing machines, finishers, industrial washing machines and dryers, and many other devices
Functional surfaces
We support our customers’ research and development departments in the conception of new materials. We test the properties and performance of coatings, seals, impregnations and innovative functional surfaces to this end. We are able to realistically simulate the effects of material ageing and to observe the impact of cleaning and care agents as well as the soiling behavior of surfaces in the process. In this way, we are able to show our customers what their products will look like after several years of intensive use.
The surfaces we have already tested include: awnings, façade paints, shower trays, remote controls, dictaphones, and many other everyday items and materials.
Our technical equipment and testing procedures:
- Light cabinet/digital macro photography of damage patterns
- Accelerated weathering test (external) and natural weathering test stands
- Climate and conditioning chambers
- Color and gloss measuring instruments
- Instrument for measuring coating thicknesses
- Microscopy (incident light, transmitted light, and fluorescence) with digital image processing
- Soiling procedure with test soils and monitors developed in-house
- Test stands for soil-resistant and self-cleaning effects
- Exterior test stands for evaluating cleaning and care behavior
- Test stands for abrasion resistance, scratch resistance and material durability
- Test stands for the simulation of impacts of cleaning and care processes on the material’s service life
- Measuring instrument for determining the coefficient of sliding friction
- Contact angle measuring instrument (static and dynamic)
- Hygiene tests using the ATP test
Polymer analysis
We use our comprehensive capabilities in polymer analysis to develop (master sample) specifications and routine inspection measures as well as to process claims.
We specialize in essential analytical methods, e.g. thermal analysis (DSC), FTIR spectroscopy (specifically, ATR technology for surfaces), microscopic detection techniques and determination of the contact angle and surface energy. We moreover possess a large arsenal of tools/network for trace and content analyses in materials and liquids (GC-MS, HPLC, ICP-OES, RFA, REM-EDX, etc.).
We enable our customers in-depth insights into hidden material structures, thus ensuring preventative safety – from raw material purchasing through to procedural controls.
Scanning electron microscopy
The scanning electron microscope Flex-SEM 1000 by Hitachi allows us to use new analytical methods like the Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDX), which will be employed to clarify complex damage cases and to aid in R&D projects.
The accreditation is valid for the certificate in the system ( DE | EN ) listed accreditation scope.