The following are just some of the most important testing tools to be found on Pikolin's laboratories:
THE SLEEPER
The technical staff includes specialists in both Sleep and Ergonomics. However, we do not have a person who tests the mattresses by sleeping on them. This work is done by this machine, which has a 140 kg. roller, and moves from one side of the mattress to the other 30,000 times, simulating the usage a mattress would have over a 10 year period.
This test aims to evaluate the wear, loss of thickness of the mattress, any changes in its firmness, and any breakages.
We at Pikolin take great pride in the fact that 99% of the mattresses tested keep their characteristics even after this rigorous test.
OPEN AND CLOSE
As homes become smaller, lift up divans are becoming more widely used.
In Pikolin, part of testing a lift up base involves using a machine which opens and closes the lid 30,000 times. Since most people will open the bed once a day, this is equivalent to 82 years of usage.
This test is not specified in the UNE-ISO standards, and by developing this machinery, Pikolin has, in effect, set its own higher standard. It is by demanding the highest standards of its products that Pikolin can guarantee their quality.
THE PILLOW TESTER
Sometimes, consumers don't pay much attention to pillows, since they think of them as the "junior partners" in sleeping arrangements. In fact, pillows are a key part of the equation, since they are responsible for keeping your neck and spinal column in the right position.
The UNE-ISO standards for sleep products clearly reflect this lack of attention, since there is no standardised test for pillows.
Once again, it has been left to Pikolin's product development and engineering department to design a testing technology, this time to test the durability of pillows, which are a key component of a restful night's sleep. To simulate the use of the product during its useful life, a 30 kg. weight is placed on the centre of the pillow 10,000 times. After the test has been completed, the pillow is checked for any possible loss in thickness or support, and to see whether the material - latex, fibre or visco-elastic foam - has been deformed.
SITTING ON THE EDGE OF THE MATTRESS
This is something people do regularly, and we at Pikolin must analyse the possible consequences of this. As a result, all the mattress designs we launch must first pass a test, which consists of dropping a metal block 50 cm. in diameter, and weighing 120 kg, onto the edge of the mattress 10,000 times.
In this case, the UNE-ISO standard lays down that the test must be done with a 100 kg. weight and only 5,000 times. Pikolin goes the extra mile by establishing minimum standards which are far higher than the general standards of the market.
THE FIRE CHAMBER
Pikolin is also the only manufacturer which has, in its own laboratory, the fire resistance test facilities necessary for running all types of tests, including those required by the UNE, BSI and UNI standards.
In general, it is only those laboratories which run tests for third parties that have this technology available. Just one more fact which shows how important quality is for Pikolin