Hickory Hardware's Caster Testing Lab Moves to Nashville
Lab continues to uphold 117-year tradition of superior casters
(Nashville, Tennessee, USA: December 6, 2006) Hickory Hardware(TM)(www.hickoryhardware.com), America's leading designer, manufacturer and marketer of decorative, functional and industrial hardware, announces that its state-of-the-art caster testing lab has relocated to the new Hickory Hardware facility in Nashville, Tennessee. The Hickory Hardware testing lab has a 117-year history of industry-leading caster design and research since its founding in 1889 as part of the original Faultless Caster Company.
The caster testing lab allows Hickory Hardware to continue perfecting casters and wheels with the most up-to-date manufacturing methods and technology. Analyzing wheels and caster assemblies for physical properties such as endurance, load capacities, heat tolerances, and wear characteristics on various surfaces, the lab conducts tests developed by the Institute of Caster and Wheel Manufacturers.
Engineers at the Hickory Hardware lab utilize the latest technologies, including AutoCAD® and Pro/E® for 3-D modeling of parts and assemblies; finite element analysis (FEA) of models; and a stereo lithographic apparatus (SLA) for prototyping. Once a caster has completed the design phase, the state-of-the-art testing lab is used for both static and dynamic analyses of casters and components.
"The extensive tests we perform in the lab help us to pinpoint possible weak areas in designs," says Brad Huddleston, product testing coordinator, Hickory Hardware. "This in turn, helps us eliminate the potential for failure in design or manufacturing before the product even gets to the customer."
The lab's other equipment includes drop testers, drum testers, video measuring equipment, and adhesion testers. The complete testing facility can test up to a 20,000-lb. load capacity.
For sales or marketing information, please call Brian Robb, marketing manager, toll-free at (800) 322-7359, or e-mail brian.robb@hickoryhardware.com.
For media information, contact Lauren A. Frohne, public relations, Koroberi, Inc. (www.koroberi.com), by phone at (919) 960-9794 ext. 25 or by e-mail at lauren@koroberi.com.
About Hickory Hardware
Hickory Hardware(TM) brings together some of the finest hardware companies in the world - Belwith International, Faultless Caster, Keeler Brass Company, Madico, and Wright Products. The company designs, manufactures and markets decorative, functional and industrial hardware to the retail, wholesale distribution, and OEM furniture and cabinetmaker markets under the brand names Hickory Hardware, Belwith, Faultless Caster, Keeler Brass, Madico, Period Brass, and Wright Products. For more information, visit www.hickoryhardware.com.
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