The EPH and the IHD will be participating in DOMOTEX 2026 in Hanover from 19 to 22 January. You will find us in Hall 20, Stand D56.
At the fair, the EPH will provide information about extensive standardised and customer-specific testing options for wood, laminate, cork, MMF and elastic floor coverings, underlay materials and exterior coverings – including monitoring and certification.
In addition, the independent emissions and quality label TÜV PROFiCERT-Produkt INTERIOR will be presented, for which EPH cooperates with TFI as a testing and monitoring body. Furthermore, a wide range of testing and certification options for other interior products such as acoustic panels, wall paints and wall panels will be presented.
The EPH carries out fire tests using the SBI test, determines the acoustic and emission properties of acoustic panels, and assesses the wet abrasion resistance and covering power of wall paints. The content of hazardous substances is also determined for all products.
Hotspot – New testing methods for resilient floor coverings
One highlight is the presentation of the new HotSpot test method, which realistically simulates the thermal stress caused by solar radiation on resilient floor coverings with click connections. Such coverings can deform when exposed to partial heat – a behaviour that could not be adequately recorded with previous standard tests.
The method developed at the IHD has been available as a draft standard (E DIN EN 18243:2025) since October 2025. It uses a large-area test bench (2,340 × 2,040 mm²) to precisely measure thermal deformation on a measuring area of 1,320 × 1,276 mm². This creates realistic conditions for the first time for evaluating the thermal behaviour of floor coverings.
To simplify handling, a mobile table structure is currently being developed in cooperation with IBT GmbH from Freiberg, co-financed by the European Union and the Free State of Saxony. The compact test bench (test area 1,000 × 600 mm²) simulates the normative processes of the large system – heating, holding and cooling – and thus allows practical investigations with variable substrates of different thermal resistances. During the current development phase, the measurement methods, system control and hardware are being further optimised.
Research and development at the IHD
In addition to the hotspot method, the IHD is also focusing on current research topics in the areas of fire protection, emissions, surface and sound properties, and the recycling of laminate flooring.
We look forward to your visit!
On site for you: Dr Rico Emmler, Martina Broege, Andreas Möschner and Heiko Kühne. You are welcome to arrange a consultation appointment in advance.