With a purpose in his step, an Afag employee makes his way through the company's building in Huttwil, walks down two flights of stairs, opens a door with an access code and disappears into a separate room in the basement. But what is he doing there, isolated from the rest of the world?
Checking, testing and analysing! Multiple structures with handling components and transport systems can be found in the so-called "test bunker". There are constant clicking sounds, the red components are swooshing back and forth and it almost seems as though they are competing with each other. "Customers will have a hard time trying to wear down handling modules that have survived the bunker and were accepted into our product range", the engineer said with a wink.
Afag components and systems are tested extensively prior to reaching the market. In the case of the ES product line, for example, that means 50 million load changes. That amounts to more than 10,000 hours during which the electric slide had to operate at full capacity and without fail. Another axis, whose service life test is usually completed when it reaches 20,000 km, simply will not stop running. It has currently been going for more than 80,000 km! The clocked linear transport module has also been in a continuous test since December 2014. Since then, it has been operating around the clock and it has already covered a distance of 16,000 km without any problems.
Any small deviation from the basic conditions of the test is analysed and corrected if needed, which allows customers to be able to count on the promised precision and speed later on. This intense testing phase is one of the factors that contribute to the high quality and longevity of Afag handling technology.
You can start to get excited about the new products that will soon emerge from the bunker! We certainly are!
