The load test is key
According to the EU standard, a wall-hung WC or bidet has to be able to bear a weight of 400 kilograms – or the weight of a full-grown polar bear. This is verified at our Building Technology and Acoustics Laboratory, where products are tested to their absolute limit.
Wall-hung urinals and washbasins have to be able to support a weight of 150 kilograms, while support handles have to be able to support 100 kilograms. Needless to say, the load-bearing installation systems also have to meet these standards in addition to the ceramic appliances and support handles. How do we determine their load-bearing capacity? We start off by analysing the statics on the computer using simulation programs – but this alone is not enough.
Zero tolerance with tolerance values
In the end, the only thing that counts is the real test at our Building Technology and Acoustics Laboratory, where our experts carry out between 80 and 120 statics tests each year and also test new installation systems and ceramic appliances. Using 3D measuring arms, force frameworks and pressure cylinders, we analyse how products respond to different loads. Only if the test results remain within the tight tolerance values does a new development go into series production. We have to be absolutely ruthless in this respect. You never know, maybe someone will want to plonk themselves down on the toilet with a little bit more vigour one day.