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Innovation@Conestoga

Gravity lock lifecycle testing

April 04, 2023
A gravity lock

Colleen McCann, PMP (PM), Ivana Pleic, P.Eng. (PI), Natian Lam (PI), SMART Centre

Franzen North America developed a gravity locking mechanism to prevent animals from entering wastebins. While the current device lifespan is 10 years, or 2500 cycles, Franzen wanted to increase the lifespan of their locks as a way to reduce the company’s waste stream diversion. Funded by SONAMI, Franzen partnered with the SMART Centre to simulate the 10-year lifespan of their gravity lock to identify wear and tear to see when failure is most likely to occur. Once identified, locks were examined and rebuilt and put through further testing, allowing the SMART Centre team and Franzen to conduct further wear analysis and examine the lifecycle of their product beyond their original design.  

Funding for this project was provided by the Southern Ontario Network for Advanced Manufacturing Innovation (SONAMI).

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