Blog
THE TEST LAB RESET PROCESS
February 12th, 2025
Every new year calls for a reset! Or, for our lab technicians, each new TEST requires one. With so many products coming through the Test Lab doors, it's important to have a thorough reset process to ensure that each material is treated with care. We take precise steps to ensure that your product receives an ideal testing environment, regardless of what product was tested before. Once a test is complete, we've got a pretty straightforward process to get the space ready for the next one. Here’s the process we follow for setting up:
Recapturing Materials
After the tests with a certain material are complete, we carefully collect the sample materials we used, seal them back into their containers, and mark the samples as "Tested". These samples are then placed in storage for future reference, Factory Acceptance Tests (F.A.T.), or testing purposes. If the material isn't able to be stored, then they're disposed of properly.
Cleaning the Machinery
Depending on the material tested and the length and complexity of the testing, the cleaning process can vary, but it always includes these steps:
- Disassembling the machinery to clean all tooling and contact components.
- Wiping down the base machinery to remove any residual test material.
Cleaning the Lab
Once the equipment is clean, we move on to the workspace. We always work from top to bottom on this step, with sweeping, vacuuming, and mopping the floor being the most important. This removes any material that may have fallen during the testing process. Once we've done a pass of cleaning the machinery and the Lab, we always double check the area to make sure it's safe and ready for the next application.
Preparing the Lab
After everything is clean, we reassemble the machinery and inspect it to ensure its ready for the next test. Usually, a Test Lab machine inspection includes things like:
- Verifying that the hopper coupling is firmly mounted to the support.
- Checking alignment between the coupling and the drive shaft to ensure that the tooling is aligned properly.
- Evaluating the tooling that was used or will be used for imperfections/damage that could skew test results.
Starting fresh each time helps us deliver accurate results for every customer.
MEDIA GALLERY HIGHLIGHT: Watch the process of breaking down and setting up our signature auger fillers for the next test.
A lab reset can vary in duration depending on the messiness of the materials being tested, the amount of tooling required to find the ideal configuration, and whether the materials are hazardous. Some cleanups are simple, taking only a few minutes, with others taking up to a full day of thorough cleaning. Our method is all about precision and cleanliness, giving every product an ideal testing environment. It's one of the many ways we make sure our solutions meet your exact needs. Thank you for trusting us with your filling and packaging challenges!