We take pride in being UKAS accredited and independent, enabling us to support a wide variety of clients. From multinational corporations to small start-ups and academic institutions, we work with a diverse range of partners. Our capabilities include testing to established standards as well as conducting bespoke assessments to design and improve new and existing materials and products. With years of experience, a broad scope of expertise, and large laboratory capacity, we are equipped to handle a range of testing challenges.
Throughout 2024, we’ve tested hundreds of products, ensuring they meet critical standards and requirements. To highlight the breadth of our work, we’re sharing “10 quirky products we put to the test” this year—memorable projects chosen by our lab team!
- Dog kennels – working with the Greyhound trust to determine the cause of failure of epoxy coatings applied to kennel walls and floors. Witnessed remedial action to ensure sound application.
- Military helmets – testing on the visors to see if they could withstand high energy impacts
- Golf tees – undertook material analysis and biodegradability studies on golf tees produced using a unique ultrasonic enhanced injection moulding machine and using bio-based polymers.
- Hair dye – testing the biodegradability of hair dye products that have been flushed into the sewerage system
- Spirits – A company that developed biodegradable disposable drinking cups. We immersed samples of the polymer in different alcoholic beverages and tested for changes in mechanical properties.
- Fish bait – testing new bait product for flammability/flash point
- Inhalers – inhalers were subjected to 360 continuous weathering to simulate 4.5 months constant UV exposure
- Urine transport tubes – tubes were filled with a leak detection fluid and cycled between -40°C and 55°C, held under partial vacuum, to simulate the worst-case transport and storage conditions.
- Toilet cleaning products – testing the microbial activity after exposure to the toilet cleaner and subsequently the biodegradability of the solution in the sewerage system.
- Plant pots – analysed the ability of plant pots made using biodegradable material to decompose in a controlled manner. This allows the pots to be inserted directly into the ground, saving time for industrial planting operations.
We take pride in ensuring these products fulfil their intended purpose, meeting standards of functionality, safety, and effectiveness. While the obscurity of some samples often surprises us at Impact Solutions, it serves as a continual reminder of the importance of thorough testing before any product reaches the market.
From all of us at Impact Solutions, we really hope you have a great festive holiday and enjoy the wind down for the year, and we want to thank you for choosing our services and look forward to welcoming all our customers’ existing and new, back in 2025.
