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Stay on Corporate siteKONE Corporation, press release, March 29, 2017
KONE, one of the global leaders in the elevator and escalator industry, has unveiled its renewed high-rise elevator testing facility in Tytyri, Finland, after extensive renovations. Unique in the world, the test lab reaches a depth of 350 meters, and is an integral part of a working limestone mine. It hosts the world's deepest elevator test shaft, meaning KONE can develop and test the ultimate in high-rise innovations and technologies. An example is the revolutionary carbon fiber hoisting technology, KONE UltraRope®.
At the site, KONE can carry out tests under extreme conditions,
which are much harsher than in regular buildings. The depth of the
shafts means KONE can test elevator speeds of up to 70 km/hour, or
around 19 meters per second at conventional acceleration rates.
With KONE's unique free-fall tests, speeds of up to 90 km/hour, or
26 meters per second, can be reached.
In total, the transformed site at Tytyri comprises of 11 elevator
shafts with a combined length of 1.6 kilometers. Seven shafts are
dedicated for super-tall and mega-tall testing, with the remaining
four shafts available for mid- and low-rise testing. This unique
variety means KONE can test for numerous configurations. In
addition to sophisticated analysis of ride comfort and
aerodynamics, KONE can advance other cutting-edge innovations, such
as robot-aided solutions for precision installation, resulting in
faster installation times and better ride comfort.
"At Tytyri we can push the limits of elevator physics like at no
other place in the world. With the extreme tests such as the
free-fall test, we can drop an elevator frame weighing 10,000
kilograms into a 200 meter shaft and test safety gear performance,
bringing the elevator to a controlled stop," says Tomio Pihkala,
Chief Technology Officer, KONE Corporation.
"At KONE, we have introduced technological breakthroughs which have
changed the face of the industry. As plans for tall and mega-tall
buildings reach new heights, we will be able to use new materials
to simulate the demands of tomorrow's buildings, today. With the
deepest and tallest facility of its kind in the world, we are
excited to bring together design, engineering and technology,
specifically to meet and exceed the needs of our customers."
KONE's high-rise laboratory at Tytyri was first opened in 1997. Today, it is part of the company's global testing network, located at seven different R&D sites in Finland, Italy, China, USA, Mexico, and India.
The Tytyri R&D team works in close collaboration with KONE's
existing high-rise laboratory researchers in Hyvinkää, Finland, and
in Kunshan, China. The Kunshan test tower was opened in late 2015,
and ranks as one of the tallest test towers in the world, reaching
a height of 235.6 meters.
Read more
KONE high-rise laboratories
KONE UltraRope®
KONE JumpLift construction time elevator
Images are available in KONE's online image
bank
Previous press releases on KONE's orders are available at
www.kone.com/press including:
October 13, 2016: The first KONE UltraRope® in China to be installed
in Beijing's tallest building, China Zun
September 2, 2016: KONE listed as one of the World's Most Innovative
Companies by Forbes for the sixth year running
March 16, 2016: KONE wins order for Australia 108 luxury apartment
building in Melbourne
April 2, 2015: KONE wins order to equip Beijing's tallest
building to be
December 22, 2015: KONE to deliver passenger elevator to reach 400m
deep underground nuclear waste storage in Finland
June 5, 2014: KONE wins order for Saudi Arabia's Kingdom Tower,
the world's tallest building
October 1, 2013: First KONE UltraRope(TM) installed at Marina Bay
Sands, Singapore
For further information, please contact:
Liisa Kivelä, Director, Communications, KONE Corporation, tel. +358
204 75 4330. media@kone.com
About KONE
At KONE, our mission is to improve the flow of urban life. As a
global leader in the elevator and escalator industry, KONE provides
elevators, escalators and automatic building doors, as well as
solutions for maintenance and modernization to add value to
buildings throughout their life cycle. Through more effective
People Flow®, we make people's journeys safe, convenient and
reliable, in taller, smarter buildings. In 2016, KONE had annual
net sales of EUR 8.8 billion, and at the end of the year over
52,000 employees. KONE class B shares are listed on the Nasdaq
Helsinki Ltd. in Finland.
www.kone.com