K & N Filters - Broad spectrum of destructive testing

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17th December 2009

Source: Tinius Olsen, Ltd

K & N Filters - Broad spectrum of destructive testing

K&N Engineering, Inc., has been proving and improving the quality of its products using Tinius Olsen materials testing machines since 2006. According to Jonathan Fiello, who heads the in-house lab, K&N employs its bench-top T-series 50k universal testing machine to test virtually every material, component, and aspect of its filters.

“We use our Tinius Olsen machine for just about any tensile test we can apply. We have two 5,000 lb load cells, as well as some smaller units, and as long as we have the right grips, we can QC each part and overall assembly and document performance.”

K&N tests everything from the bond strength of its adhesives, to the wire layers of its filters, to mold release characteristics, to tear strength of urethane and rubber specimens, to warranty claims. The latter was one of the first applications of the Tinius Olsen UTM when Fiello was asked to document the point of product failure of one of the company’s filters to show that it could not possibly have been a contributing factor in an auto accident liability case. The clear results enabled K&N to win in court.

“Our business is all about increasing performance,” notes Fiello “And the wide and detailed range of data we get through materials and parts testing on our Tinius Olsen machines enables us to develop and offer ongoing filter product improvements. Plus, although this is a bench-top model, it is a big machine and rugged enough to handle all that we ask it to do.”

(Fuel Injection Performance Kit) applications, and its line of innovative Performance Gold oil filters.

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