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MESSRING constructs its first-ever forward-looking laboratory for dummy calibration
Munich / Germany, July 20, 2015 – For the first time in the company’s history,
MESSRING based in Krailling planned and equipped a dummy calibration laboratory complete with cutting-edge technology for its customer GSK Protech
in Nanjing, China. The lab was commissioned on schedule at the end of 2014.
For the Chinese supplier GSK Protech, it’s absolutely essential to test its own
products such as airbags and electronic parts on test rigs, which is why a decision was made at the end of 2012 to construct a complete crashtest facility
with laboratory for automated calibration of transducers at the new site in eastern China. Most importantly, the calibration laboratory needed to set new
benchmarks in the certification of dummy transducers. A great deal of attention went into occupational safety and operating comfort, which isn’t necessarily the
case with conventional, highly pragmatic test facilities. The new laboratory will even conform to the most
stringent European occupational safety and health guidelines. GSK Protech has successfully launched the full
range of cutting-edge InDummy systems, MESSRING’s M=BUS series, which promotes a much higher level of
productivity in daily operations than classic solutions. All measurement instruments, test rigs including crash
facility, and calibration systems are managed using the centralized, company-wide software package CrashSoft,
which not only plays a key role in ensuring data security and quality, but is also unique throughout China.
GSK Protech will not only use the system for its own products, but will also make it available to other vehicle
manufacturers and suppliers. Acting as a system integrator for the entire project and integrating all the other
manufacturers and their components and test stands into the test facility proved to be a major challenge for the
MESSRING technicians and engineers. In 2012, directly after the project was awarded,MESSRING began
planning the modern calibration laboratory and crashtest facility. There are a variety of body types in the crash
test dummy segment, representing different age and gender groups in tests. These dummies are equipped with a
whole host of sensitive transducers and data loggers to ensure correct analysis. In Nanjing, this is MESSRING’s
renowned M=BUS series. Individual dummies can usually hold up to 32 data loggers with a total of 192 data
channels inside their bodies. Dummies have to be calibrated in the new laboratory before each (productive) test.
In the case of dummy certification, the acquired data must fall within the defined range of tolerance, and
certification and crash testing is subject to stringent regulations. For instance, the dummy must be monitored in
terms of temperature and moisture level for up to five hours before the crash test and may not exceed or fall
below the defined thresholds. Each of the dummies is therefore now equipped with a MESSRING temperature
and moisture logger for the first time. The loggers are connected via radio to report any deviations.
A variety of MESSRING test rigs commissioned to calibrate individual dummies with precision are in use at GSK
Protech. These systems direct a defined weight at each dummy’s impact area. The components installed include
a knee, foot, and thorax pendulum, a rib crop test rig and a pelvis and torso flexion test rig in order to test the
characteristics of certain areas of the body, such as the spinal column, neck, and head. The entire laboratory
was built and tested in Germany before it was shipped to China to ensure that it lives up to the stringent quality standards that customers have come to expect from MESSRING.
The data acquisition system delivered to GSK Protech comprises data acquisition devices for analog and digital
transducers, as well as additional components for activating and monitoring pyrotechnic components and messages on the vehicle’s CAN bus.
GSK Protech currently has 14 different dummy types in use in Nanjing, including the BioRIDII, a variety of SIDII and
ES2re models, and the Hybrid III range. The customer has opted for MESSRING’s professional, self-developed
CrashSoft test software, which controls test rigs, manages all test information, analyzes data, and is
indispensable when it comes to ensuring test reproducibility. When dealing with a variety of different test runs
and dummy types, it’s also essential to use efficient software that fulfills all test requirements and regulations.
More than 700 transducers were integrated into the overall system and dummies, including 112 loggers and 627
data channels in the InDummy systems alone. This test facility is therefore one of the most modern and largest of its kind in China.
Including the preparation rooms and laboratory, the crash-test facility measures 7,900 m2. The MicroTrack
system installed by MESSRING measures 136 meters in length and facilitates top speeds of up to 90 km/h in
crash tests. The tried-and-tested electric motor, which accelerates test vehicles along the track system, two film
pits for video and photo documentation, a Flying Floor for side-impact tests, and a variety of special barriers are
some of the other system technologies installed. Our Chinese customer is thus able to fulfill any test protocols
associated with the most important global legal and otherwise recognized test standards and regulations, which
is important for companies in particular that want to sell their products in the American or European market. The
M=BUS Pro OnBoard data acquisition system installed at GSK Protech features a total of 248 data channels (200 for the crashtest unit and 48 for the sled tests).
“I’m very proud of the fact that we successfully and constructively completed this exciting project with its
extensive range of transducers, automation, software application, and system technology. With 900 data
channels, the customer can now carry out crash tests of any kind with unrivaled quality standards. The
calibration laboratory has allowed us to set new benchmarks for integrated laboratory technology and test
procedures throughout Asia,” explains Matthias Winkler, Manager of Software & Hardware at MESSRING and Project Manager for the customer GSK Protech.
MESSRING has built more than ten large crashtest facilities in China over the years, and has been represented
with its own subsidiary in Chongqing since 2014. In particular, the high quality of the products, the reproducibility
of the acquired data it facilitates, and the “Made in Germany” label serve to further establish the company’s
exceptional reputation. “We’re extremely satisfied with the collaboration and the forward-looking system, which
we’ve already been using for a few months. Constructing a cutting-edge calibration laboratory alongside the test
facility was definitely the right choice. We want to assume a leadership role in this segment in Asia and thus
expand our market share in the automotive industry as a high-quality supplier,” explains Joshua Wu, company spokesman at GSK Protech.
Press photo (Copyright MESSRING):
Protech Crashtest facility in Nanjiing
https://www.flickr.com/photos/waechterwaechter/19850510775/in/dateposted-public/
Neck Pendulum Test System at Protech in Nanjiing
https://www.flickr.com/photos/waechterwaechter/19855436631/in/dateposted-public/
About MESSRING
MESSRING in Krailling, close to Munich is the world’s leading manufacturer of crash test systems and
components. The mid-size company designs and builds turnkey test systems for customers in all relevant
markets and on nearly all continents. To date, MESSRING has implemented more than 100 large crash test
systems for automotive OEMs, automotive suppliers, governmental authorities and insurance companies – more
than any other company. In the process, the global market leader continues to astonish the industry time and
again with innovative advances and revolutionary new solutions, whether in system design, the actual measurement equipment, or in documentation and recording of individual tests.
For more information, go to www.messring.de
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