Built to Last: An Insight into our Product Testing
Here at KwickScreen, our products are built to last! Standards in healthcare are important so it's essential that each product receives extensive testing to ensure it is durable and stable.
Test 1: Test Rig
The Test Rig is the most recent addition to the testing process. It pulls the screens out and pulls them back in for thousands of cycles until they break. Once they break, our engineering team works together to determine the issue, rectify it and then push the screens even further. Once we are happy with the number of cycles, we use this as our lifetime standard. This helps us to put a more reliable lifetime on our products.
Test 2: Impact Test
Impact testing is key to ensuring the units can withstand the harshest healthcare conditions. The test is a furniture standard test whereby a ~24kg bag of steel shot is lifted to a certain height and then released into the extended screen. If the screen fell when we tested it, we would go back to the drawing board to determine why. We are pleased to say that all of our products have passed this test! This is of significant importance for a KwickScreen’s suitability in healthcare environments as it is essential that the screens don’t topple if a patient falls into it.
Test 3: Stability Test
The stability test uses a linear actuator to push a circular cutting of PVC into both the handles and bodies of our products to ensure it can be pushed to the furniture standard without toppling over. This provides confidence in the stability of the screen when it is extended. All of our products have passed this test meaning our products are stable and safe for patient and healthcare staff.
Our built to last philosophy is a key component of our mission to make healthcare more sustainable. Our aim is to supersede hospital curtains and overcome the issues that arise with their use. For us, providing long-lasting products is a key component of this. A long-life KwickScreen negates the issue of disposable curtain waste, which can reach 6,106 tonnes annually if they are replaced on a weekly basis. When a KwickScreen does reach the end of its life, we encourage the retrieving and recycling of the components to create a circular economy.
Take a look at our video to learn more, and see these tests in action: