Faucet Test Device.

Standard faucet testing vs. the lime-scale problem

European standards such as EN 200 (single and mixer taps) and EN 817 (mechanical mixing valves) define endurance and functional tests for sanitary tapware — typically large numbers of open/close cycles (in the order of 200,000) with hot and cold water at defined pressures. These standards verify mechanical service life, leak-tightness and operating torque, but they do not test behaviour in hard (lime-rich) water, which varies from city to city.

Our client, Kale Seramik, informed us that faucets sourced from different suppliers showed varying lifespans when used in water with different lime ratios across various cities.
Upon identifying the issue, our company proposed a system designed to test different types of faucets with water containing various lime ratios.
The system, utilizing a servo motor, performs the desired number and speed of cycles on the faucet, measuring the opening and closing forces of each cycle with a load cell, identifying when and how the faucet begins to fail in lime-rich water, and providing a report.
Such a test is not included in faucet standards. This solution was developed by our company and manufactured for internal quality control and testing.
Our company undertook the design, manufacturing, and automation aspects of the project.

A purpose-built lime-water endurance test

Because the relevant tap standards (EN 200 / EN 817) contain no lime-water requirement, this was developed as a custom internal quality-control test rather than a standard method. The servo-driven rig reproduces the EN-style open/close cycling but supplies water at a chosen lime ratio, while a load cell records the opening and closing force on every cycle — so the point at which a tap begins to degrade in hard water can be identified and reported. ULMEKA carried out the design, manufacturing and automation of the system.