IFO Institut für Oberflächentechnik GmbH

About the IFO Institute

IFO Institut für Oberflächentechnik GmbH is an independent, accredited testing and certification institute headquartered in Schwäbisch Gmünd. The company offers laboratory services for organic and metallic coating systems, including corrosion and environmental testing (salt spray, climate cycling, Kesternich, CCT, weathering), chemical, physical and mechanical testing, coating thickness measurements, and material and failure analyses using SEM/EDX, Raman spectroscopy and metallography. Other areas of expertise include court-admissible expert opinions by sworn experts, external monitoring of coating plants (QUALICOAT, QUALANOD, QUALISTEELCOAT, GSB, GSK, QIB), coating inspections by NACE- and FROSIO-certified inspectors, contract research, and a notified certification body under ISO 17065 for structural steelwork and coating companies. The laboratory specializes in testing according to OEM factory standards (Mercedes/Daimler, Deutsche Bahn, Caterpillar, AAMA, among others). Founded in 1995, the institute operates internationally as the QUBUS-IFO Group with six locations in Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, China and the UAE.

Site

Schwäbisch Gmünd

Processes

Laboratory services (over 200 accredited methods), Environmental and corrosion testing (salt spray, climate cycling, Kesternich, weathering, CCT), Chemical and physical testing, Mechanical testing, Coating thickness measurement and optical properties, Material and failure analyses (SEM/EDX, Raman, metallography), Court-admissible expert opinions by sworn experts, Quality and conformance testing (monitoring of coating plants worldwide, QUALANOD, QUALICOAT)

Materials

Aluminium, Steel (thick-walled, galvanized), Iron materials, Plastics, Zinc and zinc alloy coatings (electroplated), Zinc and zinc alloy coatings

Certificates

DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025:2018 (testing laboratory), DIN EN ISO/IEC 17065:2013 (certification body), ISO/IEC 17025:2017, AAMA testing laboratory approval (AAMA 611, 623, 624, 625, 2603, 2604, 2605), BSFZ seal (research and development), ISO/IEC 17025 (testing laboratory), ISO/IEC 17065 (certification body), AAMA testing laboratory approval, ISO 9001

Founded

1995

Industries

Architecture, Automotive industry, Commercial vehicles, Aerospace industry, Rail vehicles, Mechanical engineering

1. 01

   Consulting on corrosion protection and coatings

2. 02

   Laboratory testing (environmental, corrosion, chemical and mechanical tests)

3. 03

   Material and failure analysis

4. 04

   On-site coating inspection

5. 05

   Quality assurance monitoring

6. 06

   Certification and expert reports

Tested Materials and Coating Systems

Locations

Schwäbisch Gmünd

DE

Headquarters, accredited testing laboratory (ISO 17025) and certification body (ISO 17065)

Materials

Aluminium, steel, plastics

• Salt spray test chambers
• Climate cycling test chambers
• SEM/EDX
• Raman spectroscopy
• Metallography
• Photography booth

Dresden

DE

Dr. Herrmann expert laboratory for corrosion protection and powder coating

Materials

Steel, aluminium

Netherlands

NL

IFO Inspection and Testing B.V., testing and inspection

Lublin/Janówek

PL

IFO Inspection and Testing Sp. z o.o., testing laboratory

Hangzhou

CN

Hangzhou IFO Quality Testing Co. Ltd., CNAS-accredited testing laboratory

• Salt spray laboratory

Dubai (Jabel Ali)

AE

IFO Laboratories LLC, IAS-accredited testing laboratory

Testing Services

Inside the production

Accreditations

The headquarters is DAkkS-accredited under DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025 (testing laboratory) and DIN EN ISO/IEC 17065 (certification body); Hangzhou is accredited by CNAS and Dubai by IAS. Results are internationally recognized within the framework of the ILAC MRA.

History

1. 1995

   IFO founded by four surface technology experts in Schwäbisch Gmünd as an owner-managed testing laboratory

2. Development into an international network (QUBUS-IFO Group) with six locations in five countries and more than 4,000 customers from over 75 countries