SMTL Princess of Wales Hospital
Keeping Healthcare Workers Safe During COVID-19
About
The Surgical Materials Testing Laboratory (SMTL) is part of the Welsh NHS, funded by the Welsh Government and is part of NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership (NWSSP).
Location
South Wales, United Kingdom
Website
Overview
When a critical testing system failed at the Surgical Materials Testing Lab at Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend, Wales, Instron's UK service team responded within 24 hours — arriving on site with replacement parts and restoring full operation the same day. The rapid response ensured the hospital could continue verifying the safety of PPE for frontline healthcare workers at the height of the COVID-19 crisis.
The Challenge
On 30th March 2020, Princess of Wales Hospital contacted Instron with an urgent problem. Their Instron 3345 extra high system — used by the Surgical Materials Testing Lab (SMTL) to perform mechanical testing on medical gloves — was not functioning reliably. A temporary fix had been put in place, but the system was not stable enough for the continuous testing the lab needed to perform.
The timing could not have been more critical. With COVID-19 escalating rapidly, the hospital was sourcing medical gloves from multiple suppliers and needed to mechanically test every batch before they could be issued to staff. Without a fully functioning test system, there was no way to verify that the gloves met the safety standards required to protect healthcare workers.
The Solution
Instron's technical support team in High Wycombe identified that they had a compatible Instron 3345 customer return unit in their possession. It was immediately dismantled so that key components could be used to support the hospital's malfunctioning system.
The following day, Helen Smith (UK Service Sales Representative) and Toby Sparkes (Field Service Engineer) arrived on site with the necessary parts. On inspection, they found that the ball screw — the mechanical component that drives the crosshead movement — was travelling in an elliptical pattern rather than a straight line, causing significant noise, vibration, and unreliable test results. The top section of the customer's machine was replaced with matching components from the customer return unit. Safety systems were checked, speed and displacement were calibrated, and full machine functionality was verified with the customer before the team left site.
From the initial call to a fully operational system, the entire process took just over 24 hours.
The Result
With minimal downtime, the SMTL team at Princess of Wales Hospital was able to resume continuous PPE testing — ensuring that every batch of medical gloves sourced during the crisis could be verified before reaching hospital staff. The lab manager and system operator confirmed the system was performing as expected and expressed their appreciation for the speed and quality of Instron's response.