In the life of a product, there is the part you all know, starting on the shelves of your favourite vendor, or in their online shop, going then in your gear bag and finally used for your work. But there is another life before that, just as thrilling: the design, the development of the product. It starts with an idea, a sketch, then with prototypes then pre-production, until the final product that you can use. Today we would like to tell you more about a crucial stage in a product’s development: material testing.
Let’s take the MÉTÉOR 2 for example, they went through two series of very extreme tests to validate their desing and material. The idea was to check that the two polymers used for the shell would be inseparable and that the metallic core would not damage it when hitting a surface.
First event: « high jump »
The throw bag is fixed to a drone, flown 150 m above ground and dropped alternatively on « soft ground » (earth and grass) and on « hard ground » (rocks). This is repeated until the bag is considered too damaged to be used again. The bag hits the ground at about 54 m/s (i.e. 195 km/h), several times. It is a much higher speed than that reached during normal working conditions. The MÉTÉOR 2 we tested went through 10 drops (5 on soft ground, 5 on hard ground) before they were deemed too damaged. Of course, the outer shell shows impacts, especially after the drops on rocky ground, but the bag could be used until that 10th drop. In comparison, the textile bags bursted and lost their lead balls long before, sometimes after the 1st drop.
Second event: the « shot put »
A 1 m-STIFFLINE is knotted on a MÉTÉOR 2 in order to hold it and hit it on the tarmac ground (half-circle trajectory). The throw bag is subjected to very hard shocks (about 27 m/s, i.e. 97 km/h), at a frequencey of 2 shocks per second. It is considered too damaged when the metal core shows (or the lead balls). The MÉTÉOR 2 were deemed too damaged after… 200 hits! Of course, impacts show gradually: cracks at the bottom after around 100 hits, tears on the shell after 150 hits. Still, the bags were still perfectly functional, while the most fragile of textile bags spilled out their lead balls after 16 hits.
Conclusion
Those tests are much more extreme than a normal use for by a professional, since they are thought to push the product to its limits. We knew that the design was good, because the MÉTÉOR of old was already very robust, but we chose to test methodically so that we could have figures and a repeatable process. We are proud to offer a high-performance product that will last very, very long.
Mind that the MÉTÉOR 2 is a very accurate and dynamic throw bag, it can come back fast. Always wear your PPE and never use a throw bag in a work site with risks.
