By Ella Smith
If you have ever wondered if companies? product endurance test claims are for real, check out www.miele-durability-test.com, a webcam of Miele?s research and development lab designed to prove that Miele dishwashers are able to run for 7,500 consecutive programme cycles or 12,500 operating hours, equating to 20 years of operation in less than 400 days.
All testing involves a test load that simulates everyday conditions. In the case of dishwashers, to reflect the rough and tumble of the real world, detergent, rinse aid and salt are used. As well, development and production testing on individual components occurs upfront. Like the product life cycle, the benchmark for individual parts is 20 years*. Components in the water intake circuit as well as circulation and drain pumps are all tested to 7,500 programme cycles.
Further tests focus on the durability of the door and baskets. The door, for instance, is opened and shut 100,000 times by a specially designed piece of testing equipment. The baskets, often heavily loaded under household conditions with crockery, pots and pans, are pulled out and pushed back in again 100,000 times in succession challenging both the stability of basket design and also the durability of the runners.
*Based on a family of four, using seven programme cycles per week
