GIMHAE — Inje University has been accredited as an internationally recognized testing laboratory for mechanical testing of rubber and plastic materials. Because test reports issued by the university are accepted in 104 countries, including the United States, European nations and Japan, local companies making rubber and plastic components can now complete testing required for overseas certification within South Korea.
The university said on the 16th that it received the accreditation from the Korea Laboratory Accreditation Scheme (KOLAS) under the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards, part of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The accredited areas are "rubber and rubber products" and "plastics and plastic products" in mechanical testing.
KOLAS accreditation is granted after an assessment of compliance with ISO/IEC 17025, an international quality management standard that evaluates the precision of testing equipment, the technical capability of testing personnel, environmental controls and data reliability.
KOLAS is an accreditation body that has signed the Mutual Recognition Arrangement of the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC). As a result, internationally recognized test reports issued by Inje University are mutually recognized by 105 laboratory accreditation bodies in 104 countries. Local firms can use test reports obtained in South Korea to demonstrate the technical reliability of their products in overseas markets.
The university's Future Mobility Materials Testing Laboratory, which conducts the tests, has an evaluation system for the mechanical properties of core component materials used in the automotive, shipbuilding, aerospace and defense industries, including rubber, elastomers and engineering plastics. Using equipment such as a universal testing machine (UTM), it measures mechanical characteristics including tensile strength and elongation at room temperature, compression set and uniaxial fatigue. The laboratory also applies a system for calculating measurement uncertainty.
Yoo Won-gyu, head of Inje University's Anchor Project Group, said the accreditation was "the result of building precision testing procedures and a rigorous quality management system that meet global standards from the earliest stage of the laboratory's operation." The group will "support the entire process for rubber and plastic component companies, from research and development to reliability verification, mass-production quality control and obtaining overseas certification, and contribute to upgrading local industry and strengthening export competitiveness," Yoo said.
The Anchor Project Group plans to expand testing and analysis services linking industry, academia and research institutes, along with government research and development projects and voucher programs, to help small and mid-sized manufacturers in the region resolve technical difficulties and secure quality competitiveness.
Son Eun-il, vice president for external affairs at Inje University, said the accreditation was "an achievement that raises the university's research and testing capabilities to an international level and supports local companies in securing global competitiveness." Son added that the university would "strengthen industry-academia cooperation based on its specialized personnel and research infrastructure to make a substantive contribution to the development of local industry."