[Report] Visiting Hanssem Life Environment Technology Research Institute
Hansem Life Environment Technology Research Institute researcher Bo-seong Lee conducting a hardness test on materials. [Photo by Jonghwa Kim]
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jong-hwa]# 1st floor large chamber testing room. Three researchers placed newly made large bookshelves and tables inside the testing room and closed the sturdy iron door. This testing room maintains an indoor temperature above 25℃ and will emit various harmful substances for the next 7 days. After 7 days, the air inside the testing room will be collected to measure the levels of formaldehyde and various harmful substances contained within.
3rd floor mechanics laboratory. A researcher is testing the hardness of a recently developed eco-friendly material. As a machine with a sharp awl attached to it draws a line across the material, a faint thin line appears on the surface. The surface durability KS standard (KS F 3126 Decorative Wood Flooring) is 3N (Newton, where 1N is the weight of a 1kg mass), but Hanseng’s standard requires it to be higher, at 5N or more.
KOLAS Internationally Accredited Testing Laboratory Recognized for the First Time in the Furniture Industry
On the 11th, at Hanssem Living Environment Technology Research Institute located in the Sihwa Industrial Complex, Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, neatly arranged finished furniture and various chopped materials were piled up everywhere. Upon entering the testing room, various testing devices and data sheets, including the harmful substance analyzer 'Gas Chromatograph-Mass Spectrometer' worth over 100 million KRW per unit, blinked red and blue lights as if waiting for their turn.
It is no exaggeration to say that the pride of Korea’s No.1 furniture company Hanssem comes from this Living Environment Technology Research Institute. This cradle of Hanssem’s technology was recognized as an internationally accredited testing laboratory by KOLAS, the Korea Laboratory Accreditation Scheme under the National Institute of Technology and Standards, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, in July.
Hanssem is the first in the furniture industry to be recognized as a chemical testing institution. The analysis results and test reports measured by the research institute have the same validity as test reports issued by 116 accreditation bodies in 104 countries that are members of the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC).
The institute, with a total of 46 members, tests 19 fields related to indoor and other environmental factors. It conducts three major stages of testing: the environmental analysis lab analyzes harmful substances emitted from raw materials and finished products and measures indoor air quality; the physical testing lab verifies the physical properties and durability of material surfaces; and the mechanics lab verifies the structural strength and safety of finished products.
In stages 1 and 2, the amount of harmful substances emitted from wood and interior materials used in furniture manufacturing is measured, and only raw materials that pass these stages are used to produce finished products. Stage 3 is the verification stage for finished products. Finished products are placed in large or small chambers, and the collected air quality is measured to grade the eco-friendly materials. Ultimately, all materials and finished products (sample surveys) supplied to Hanssem must pass through this research institute.
Researchers placing finished furniture into a large chamber testing room (above) and the furniture that will emit harmful substances for seven days inside the testing room (below). [Photo by Hanssem]
Only Materials That Pass Testing Are Used to Manufacture Finished Products, Followed by Additional Testing; Also Responsible for Developing New Technologies
Eco-friendly material grades are classified from E2 to E1, E0, and SE0 based on formaldehyde emission levels. Domestic furniture only needs to meet the Ministry of Environment’s E1 standard, but Hanssem complies with the higher 'E0' grade. Even at the E1 grade, the amount of formaldehyde emitted is not insignificant, and continuous exposure can cause atopy and respiratory disorders, especially in infants and the elderly.
Researcher Lee Bo-sung, who joined last year and works as the youngest member in the mechanics lab, said, "I feel a sense of fulfillment and pride seeing materials I have directly tested and verified become furniture used in real life," adding, "If the tests on various materials are not accurate, it could harm customers, so I always focus on obtaining precise figures during testing."
In addition to testing materials and finished products for harmful substances, the institute also develops new technologies. They independently develop materials, components, and manufacturing methods currently applied in furniture production, and manufacturing methods that reduce harmful substance emissions and surface treatments like nano foil are exported to Japan for over 10 billion KRW annually.
The greatest advantage that differentiates Hanssem Living Environment Technology Research Institute from other corporate research institutes is speed. The development of materials and methods, sample production, separate specification development and verification, and product application are all operated as a single system. Managing and conducting all these processes within the institute enables the fastest development and supply of competitive products.
Director Kim Hong-kwang said, "We charge overseas companies royalties for developed new materials and industrial property rights, but we do not exercise patent rights against domestic companies," adding, "Hanssem, celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, hopes that the various materials and methods it has developed become standards and further expand the scale of the furniture industry."
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