No test rig. But a component that needs answers.
You have a prototype on your desk. A common rail, a hydrogen valve, a hydraulic fitting, a 3D printed heat exchanger. It needs to be validated and tested under pressure – not in theory, but under real conditions.
Test your component. Not your investment plan.
Not every test justifies a test rig. Sometimes you just need a result you can trust. That’s where Poppe + Potthoffs’ Test-as-a-Service comes in.
You send the component. We test it on our pressure test machines in Nordhausen. You get data, pressure curves, and a report that reflects exactly how your part behaves under real load conditions — up to 15,000 bar depending on the application. Our systems enable control of flow, pressure, ambient temperature, and media cooling and heating. For cold plates up to 12 bar, all the way to common-rail and fuel-injection systems requiring 10,000 bar and more.
Because the setup is already there. At PPM, we have pressure intensifiers, safety chambers, media systems, and control software. Resulting in no ramp-up time on your side.
Who this is for
You’re developing a new injector line and need to understand how it behaves under cyclic pressure before freezing the design. You’re working on hydrogen components — tank valves, regulators, fittings — and need leak tightness verified at high pressure without building your own gas test environment. You are working on a new ADAS Controller and need to test the cold plate under media flow, pressure cycling, and thermal cycling.
Your team has a prototype pump head or pressure vessel ready, but lacks the internal capacity to run a controlled-burst test to failure. You’re validating a design change and need fast, comparable data before investing in a dedicated test rig or scaling into production testing.
And sometimes it’s simpler than that. You just need to know: will it hold?
Need a certified result? We organize the TÜV to observe and document the test procedure.
Meet Janes Borchard
Lead Engineer | Test Services and Technical Solutions
Your contact for everything Test-as-a-Service
How it works
You start with the component and the question. Pressure range. Test medium. Number of cycles. Acceptance criteria. We define the test setup together. Not a generic standard — your pressure curve, your load case, your boundary conditions. You send the parts to Nordhausen. We take care of fixturing, safe installation, and integration into the test system.
The test runs on calibrated equipment with controlled pressure generation. Pressure intensifiers ensure stable and repeatable conditions. The full pressure history is recorded in real time, cycle by cycle or ramp by ramp.
Burst detection, leak rates, pressure decay — everything is captured and documented automatically. Upon completion, you receive a structured test report containing raw data, curves, and an evaluation. If needed, we review the results together and define the next step.
What can we test
Pressure cycling. Burst. Leak. Autofrettage. Hydroforming. Static pressure. Combined sequences.
| Type of Test | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| Pressure cycling | Simulates real operating conditions with defined pressure ranges and frequencies. Used for fatigue testing over thousands or millions of cycles to identify weak points early. |
| Burst testing | Pressure is increased in a controlled way until the component fails. The exact burst point is detected and recorded with high-resolution sensors. |
| Leak testing | Verifies tightness under realistic conditions. For hydrogen applications, forming gas (N₂/H₂) and sniffing methods detect even very small leaks at high pressure. |
| Hydrostatic testing | Applies defined pressure ramps and hold phases. Pressure stability and decay are monitored to evaluate structural integrity and sealing behavior. |
| Autofrettage | Controlled overpressure process to strengthen components such as common rails or pump heads by inducing residual compressive stress. |
| Hydroforming | Uses internal pressure to form or expand components into their final geometry. Also used to validate forming limits, material behavior, and dimensional stability under pressure. |
| Combined tests | Verifies tightness under realistic conditions. For hydrogen applications, sniffing and forming gas (N₂/H₂) methods detect even very small leaks at high pressure. |
Fixture and component integration
The test result is only as good as the setup around the component. Every part needs to be mounted, sealed, and connected in a way that reflects its real installation, without introducing stress or leakage. That’s where the fixture comes in.
If you already have a fixture, we integrate it into the test setup and adapt the interface if required. Pressure connections, sealing concepts, and mechanical clamping are all checked before the test starts.
If not, we design and machine the fixture specifically for your component. Based on geometry, pressure level, and test type.
Because a burst test at 3,000 bar or a hydrogen leak test above 1,000 bar leaves no room for improvised connections.
The goal is simple: the test stresses your component and not the surrounding interface.
Contact Us
Our experienced technical sales team will help you implement your project and find a solution tailored to your specifications and requirements. We are represented internationally and can support you and your company worldwide. Our team has completed hundreds of projects many of which involved supporting test facilities with identical equipment. P+P Maschinenbau is your internationally trusted partner.
Expertise, excellent knowledge of the market and affinity for our products guarantee our success.