Jake Davis, Product Engineer at DeDietrich Process Systems, sits down to discuss the importance of testing new equipment. Watch the video or read the transcription below.
Why is testing important?
Testing is important for many reasons, but one of the big ones is you get the opportunity to get to know the equipment, to get a better understanding of the equipment you're going to buy, that you're going to install, and you're gonna have to take care of on a daily basis.
Testing also helps you to save money in the long run. It gives you those opportunities to address any issues that can be encountered during testing versus on-site or during production.
It also is an opportunity to determine any sort of potential safety concerns or ergonomic issues that the equipment presents and you get a chance to address those so that the equipment works and performs just like you want needed it to.
When should testing happen?
In reality, testing normally occurs as a reaction to a problem going on. A piece of equipment is causing issue after issue to the point where it has to be replaced. Ideally, you would want to test before purchasing any sort of new equipment or developing any process. That way, you can address these problems prior to having to deal with them in the field.
What should you test for?
Material characteristics are all over the space spectrum but some of the main ones that most manufacturers are looking for or are going to want to know so that they can best design their equipment are bulk density, particle size, angle of repose, and angle of slide. All of these play a big factor in transfer rates, volume calculations for hoppers, and various other things.
Some of the other things that you can uncover in testing are combustibility or explosivity properties, like the MIE or the LOC of a product, various things that can cause materials to explode. Those are different types of tests, but these are all characteristics of a product you can uncover during the testing process.
What should you expect from testing?
Normally, what you’ll get out of testing is a report that's generated. Some of the devices that you use for testing will generate an automated report and you'll also often receive comments from the manufacturer as to anything specific they noticed or issues they identified during the testing process. In addition to reports, you will also get videos or photos in most cases. In the circumstance where you are actually able to come to see the test in person, you’ll be welcome to take photos and videos for yourself.
