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igus test laboratory: Research on 5,500m²
Proven, predictable, tested
At igus, we want to develop innovative materials and products that are practical and offer our customers added value. To achieve this, we want to constantly improve ourselves and our solutions, in line with our motto: Tech up, Cost down !
Our products offer you a long service life, which extends the service life of your machines and applications, eliminates maintenance work and reduces costs. For our engineers, the quality and safety of components, i.e. their load-bearing capacity and service life, are important criteria in development. Every igus product is thoroughly tested before it goes on sale. We have been operating our own test laboratory for this purpose since 1985. It is not only the largest in the industry for tribopolymers in terms of surface area, but also the one with the highest number of product tests and test procedures - and therefore the basis of our guarantee of up to four years.
This page offers you the following details regarding our test laboratory
What is tested?
Our entire test area for application and materials covers more than 5,500m². Each business unit has its own test laboratory here, and we test some product areas together:
- 2,000m² outdoor area for energy chains and chainflex cables with very long travels
- 1,500m² test area for chainflex cables in our own energy chains
- 300m² test area for iglidur plain bearings, drylin linear bearings and Low Cost Automation – the latter partly under real conditions in quality assurance
- 200m² test area for igus:bike and bicycle components
- NEW: 1,500m² test area in the new factory hall
To be able to develop new cleanroom-compatible products faster, we operate our own cleanroom laboratory with an ISO Class 1 cleanroom system in cooperation with the Fraunhofer IPA. An outdoor testing area , a laboratory for noise tests and the -40°C climatic chamber dreaded by igus employees completes our test area. To achieve maximum realistic conditions, we also test customer applications and conduct standard industry tests.
We also test your use case
You don't want to do experiments and would like to subject your application to a material test before using it? Or you have an unusual application for which you need a suitable component? No problem! We will test your application in our test laboratory and use our know-how to find the best igus solution for you. Whether it involves a plain bearing, energy chain, cable, linear technology, bar stock or Low Cost Automation.
How many tests are carried out in the igus laboratory?
Every year, an impressive number of tests and material checks are carried out on our 742 test stations:
- Over 15,000 tests in total, including around 4,000 on e-chains and chainflex and around 11,000 on dry-tech (rotating, swivelling, linear, tumbling, heated, underwater, etc.).
- 10 billion e-chain cycles
- 3,500 tested cables
- 1,000 customised analyses
- Up to 800 tests running in parallel
What happens to the test data?
The use of the data from the test procedures does not stop after development. Since 2001, we have been developing innovative online tools and, since 2016, sensor-based smart plastics based on the database of our test laboratory results. With these tools, the cost-effectiveness and safety of our products can be determined easily, quickly and around the clock online. This gives our customers a high level of transparency and enables them to find the most cost-effective, functional solution to their problem. More than 40 tools are available to you free of charge, including the service life calculator, configurators for product comparison, product finders, product configurators and CAD configurators, as well as our predictive maintenance with i.Cee.
Virtual discovery tour through the laboratory
Would you like to take a look around our laboratory? No problem - you can visit all areas easily from your home or your office via a virtual tour. Just click on the button below, select the desired lab area on the home page and follow the arrows to the next stop of your visit. Click on the numbers for more information about the tested product.
