CATAS Engineering department provides test equipment for components, chairs, tables, beds and cabinets or the entire turn-key lab project
One of the lesser known activities of Catas – the most important European laboratory for tests in the wood-furniture sector – is undoubtedly the rich catalog of machines and equipment that companies can buy to test their products “continuously”. It is essential that a new chair or mattress be put to the test by Catas in its laboratories, but in many situations it can be of great help to have test and measurement tools with which to verify at any time the validity or requirements of one’s production, of a prototype, of an idea.
Catas Engineering, the division of the Italian laboratory to which this activity is delegated, stands alongside the companies to create real “test laboratories” in the production sites with which to perform, for example, “pre-tests” on everything. What the design office can imagine, in a short time and with absolutely true results.
“More and more companies decide not to limit themselves to “official” checks and want to have tools that actually become an integral part of the production system“, comments Franco Bulian, director of Catas. “Very often you start with a machine, and then expand this department according to new needs. A chair manufacturer targeting the European market could decide to invest in the equipment necessary for the fatigue test on the seat and back according to EN 1728, but if he decided to export also to the United States, the reference standards would be different and he could choose to install a machine that also performs static load tests according to the ANSI / BIFMA X5.1 standard “.
Creating a test laboratory requires only a space in an environment possibly not subject to sudden changes in temperature and humidity, electricity, compressed air and a dedicated technician. Catas Engineering takes care of the rest, installing machines identical to those present in its accredited laboratories in Lissone (Monza Brianza) and San Giovanni al Natisone (Udine). “We are talking about a choice that allows companies to tackle delicate issues with greater competence and preparation – adds Bulian – thanks to safe technologies, which we have been supplying to companies and laboratories all over the world for many years and that our technicians will be able to update according to the evolution of regulations, providing for the maintenance and training of the personnel who use them, also periodically checking the calibration status”.
Without neglecting the impact that such an activity would have on customers, who would be faced with a concrete demonstration of how much a manufacturer takes into account “measurable” quality. Among the available equipment, the tools to carry out the tests of static load and seat-back fatigue, seat front fatigue, static load and armrest fatigue, wheel fatigue, seat / backrest / armrest impact. The equipment, also available with multiple test stations, are equipped with an electrical control panels and a device for programming the cycles. The equipment trial is carried out preliminarily at the Catas laboratories or directly at the purchasing company.
