Trojan Hardware raise the standards with help of a ‘virtual’ instrument from PWS

Trojan Hardware and Design Ltd are designers, manufacturers and suppliers of leading-edge hardware solutions for the fenestration industry. Supplying directly to window, door and conservatory manufacturers throughout the UK, Trojan Hardware continually develop intelligently designed hardware products to ensure they remain at the forefront of the window industry. BS 7950 is an enhanced security standard which certifies that a particular window assembly - including the sash, frame, locking system and other hardware fitted - can withstand a series of measured manual and mechanical tests simulating common methods of forced entry. The standard applies to variations of casement and tilt/turn windows for homes. PWS were aproached back in 2004 by Trojan Group Cad Design Manager, Keith Dolman to help design a test rig which would enable each frame to be tested by applying a known mechanical force in two directions. A suitable rig was designed by a local engineering company which incorporated two loadcells and a calibrated digital display supplied by PWS. Test results were logged manually by the operator. In December 2009, we were again contacted by Trojan to help find a solution to automatically record test results for complete traceability to BS 7950. Once again, PWS were able to offer a solution in the form of a USB powered strain gauge amplifier/data acquisition module. Data is transfered from the loadcell direct to a PC in real time. Test data is viewed from an on screen virtual instrument. The data is stored in spreadsheet format so can be analysed and manipulated into graphical form as required. Keith Dolman from Trojan Hardware said - "There is a lot riding on the outcome of these tests for both ourselves and our customers. Therefore it is vital that we are able to perform accurate and consistent testing and that we are able to record the results in a way that is unambiguous. We are grateful to PWS for helping us to achieve credible performance results for our products."

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