{"id":17798,"date":"2023-08-22T10:17:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-22T08:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/?p=17798"},"modified":"2024-06-28T15:47:51","modified_gmt":"2024-06-28T13:47:51","slug":"insight-into-our-testing-centertested-for-tough-use-in-the-field","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mag.ebmpapst.com\/en\/insights\/insight-into-our-testing-centertested-for-tough-use-in-the-field_17798\/","title":{"rendered":"Insight into our testing center<\/i>\u201cTested for Tough Use in the Field\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

ebm-papst has always put its fans through their paces \u2013 but this has been taken to a whole new level since spring 2023. They are purpose\u00adfully taken to and beyond their limits using real envi\u00adron\u00admental influ\u00adences in the testing center built in Hollen\u00adbach in just one year. New prod\u00aducts, sizes or compo\u00adnents pass through the test stations in a total of 6 test fields over an area of approx\u00adi\u00admately 2,500 square meters. In this series, we\u2019ll give you insights into each of these testing areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erich Kemmer, who has worked at ebm-papst for more than 30 years, heads the testing center: \u201cOur aim is to iden\u00adtify the effects of envi\u00adron\u00admental influ\u00adences on the fans and deter\u00admine whether and how they affect service life. By doing so, we can iden\u00adtify crit\u00adical points much faster than in the field,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We test fans with real envi\u00adron\u00admental influ\u00adences and thus for tough use in the field.<\/p>\nErich Kemmer, Group Leader Vali\u00adda\u00adtion<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The employees of the testing center there\u00adfore do not work with ideal labo\u00adra\u00adtory condi\u00adtions, but with the real envi\u00adron\u00admental influ\u00adences the fan will face later when in use. These include different phys\u00adical or chem\u00adical influ\u00adences such as temper\u00ada\u00adture, humidity, salt water, or vibra\u00adtion \u2013 of natural or man-made origin. For example, water acts natu\u00adrally on a fan due to rain\u00adfall and in a man-made manner due to the use of the fan in a washing system \u2013 both can affect the service life of the product at the customer\u2019s premises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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After a construc\u00adtion period of 15 months, the testing center in Hollen\u00adbach <\/mark>went into oper\u00ada\u00adtion in the spring of 2023.<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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In an area of approx\u00adi\u00admately 2,500 square meters,<\/mark> several hundred fans<\/mark> per year are pushed to their limits \u2013 and beyond \u2013 by 8 highly qual\u00adi\u00adfied employees.<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Recog\u00adnizing inter\u00adac\u00adtions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Kemmer and his team deter\u00admine the inter\u00adac\u00adtions between fans, their compo\u00adnents, and their envi\u00adron\u00adment through in-depth inves\u00adti\u00adga\u00adtions before, during, and after the indi\u00advidual test fields. Could rapid temper\u00ada\u00adture changes possibly lead to cracks in the plastic? Can mois\u00adture then pene\u00adtrate through these cracks? The team relies on stan\u00addard\u00adized stan\u00addard tests as well as on combined load tests devel\u00adoped over the years, which are carried out in large climate cham\u00adbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They test the prod\u00aducts in the test fields for shock and vibra\u00adtion, climate, impeller strength, spin and cycle test, IP protec\u00adtion class water, salt spray, and in the three accel\u00ader\u00adated service life tests H0, H1, and H2. It takes at least half a year for a fan to run through all stations. \u201cWe always test during and at the end of product devel\u00adop\u00adment. After all, the fan is not only expected to rotate and deliver the expected air perfor\u00admance, but also be used without any prob\u00adlems in a wide range of areas around the world,\u201d says Kemmer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr. Kemmer, what happens if a fan does not pass a test?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n