Renishaw, a global leader in precision engineering and manufacturing, has recently made a multi-million-pound investment in a new dedicated facility at its headquarters in Gloucestershire to significantly enhance its ability to test its products under the environmental and electrical conditions encountered during transportation.
The new testing facility houses a variety of ‘state of the art’ equipment, including a large electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) chamber, devices to test electrical safety, and equipment for environmental simulation such as accelerated life testing. The latter includes electrodynamic shakers that identify the resonant frequency of Renishaw products and then subjects them to many years of use in just a few hours.
Ian Jennings, Group product safety manager at Renishaw, said: “We push our products to their limits, aiming to test them to the highest standards in the industry. This means our products aren’t just made better than market alternatives, our aim is to demonstrate that they perform better and last longer.”
As a global supplier of system-critical precision metrology and manufacturing products, a crucial aspect of Renishaw's relationship with its worldwide customer base is ensuring that products reach their destinations in perfect working order, regardless of the environmental conditions encountered during transit.
To achieve this, the new testing facility also houses equipment that is designed to simulate a wide range of conditions faced during transportation. This includes temperature ovens, climatic chambers, a negative pressure vessel, and a positive pressure vessel. By running a comprehensive series of tests, Renishaw can identify any potential issues with packaging and make any necessary improvements before a product is shipped.
Luke Worthington, senior environmental test engineer at Renishaw, explained one aspect of testing packaging: “We use the temperature ovens to try and replicate the worst-case scenario of an air freight journey. If the product package goes up to altitude in an unpressurised hold then we expect it to get extremely cold. If that plane lands in a very warm country, we could expect the package to sit on the tarmac for several hours in very hot and humid conditions.”
He concluded: “By implementing comprehensive testing at Renishaw, we ensure that product quality and reliability are upheld to the highest standards. Our continuous efforts to enhance our testing facilities and methodologies keep us at the forefront of innovation in environmental testing. Every product we manufacture is built to last and rigorously tested, contributing to Renishaw's reputation as a leader in precision engineering and manufacturing.”