Liebherr France Opens Excavator Test Bench

Colmar, France – Liebherr France SAS, a construction equipment manufacturer, has invested nearly EUR 2.5 million in a new crawler excavator testing facility designed to accelerate product development and identify structural weaknesses at an early stage.

Located close to the company’s engineering teams, the facility enables engineers to quickly evaluate components and implement design improvements before machines undergo field validation.

The test bench can simulate accelerated ageing, with an acceleration coefficient of 17, meaning one hour of testing represents approximately 17 hours of real construction-site operation.

Excavators are subjected to repeated vibrations, impacts, bending and torsional loads based on operating data collected from customer applications. Components are subsequently tested under actual field conditions for further validation.

The enclosed facility includes a test track, trench, concrete wall and six-metre-high noise barriers designed to meet local noise protection requirements.

Machines used on the test bench are also equipped with autonomous operating capabilities, allowing repetitive tests to be conducted without personnel inside the testing area. Operations are remotely controlled and monitored using cameras, sensors, laser systems and GPS technology.

The project involved approximately nine months of planning followed by seven months of construction. Liebherr manufactured most of the mechanical steel structures internally at its Colmar production facility.

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