Breathing resistance & pressure drop
Pressure drop at controlled flow and derivation of specific resistance, Rs = Δp/Q, the input quantity of the XRS scale. Flows of 30, 60, 95 and 140 L/min.
XALPES · Division Laboratoire d'Essais
Testing laboratory division
An internal testing laboratory that characterizes performance, writes the protocols, builds its own instruments and prepares the qualification phases. It authored XRS 001:2026 and serves the three XALPES divisions as well as external laboratories.
XALPES is not a notified or accredited body and claims no accreditation. Its measurements characterize performance and prepare qualification phases; regulatory tests are conducted by qualified third-party laboratories where required.
What we measure
Five families of measurement.
Two digital analyzers built on XALPES's proprietary calculation models, physical and visual tests, and — planned at the Austin facility — breathing-simulator measurement. Each card states its status.
Filtration media & assemblies
Characterization of media stacks and finished assemblies: pressure drop, developed surface, face velocity, form factor.
Fit & seal
Face-seal tightness, total inward leakage (TIL) and outward leakage, breathing pressure and real breathability, computed by the XALPES Fit Lab analyzer on the five NIOSH/ISO reference head forms.
Physical & visual tests
Physical and visual tests on samples, prototypes and finished products: dimensional checks, visual inspection, assembly and material verification, performance indicators under development conditions, documented in reports.
Work of breathing
Breathing simulator measurement of work of breathing per tidal volume, using ISO 16900-12 as a method reference — not a claim of accreditation.
Author of XRS 001:2026
This division authored the XRS scale. Regime C declarations — tests conducted by XALPES — are offered as a service.
The XRS scaleProtocols & documentation
Built to characterize performance and prepare qualification phases.
XALPES develops and implements testing protocols designed to characterize the performance, reliability and conformity of products under development. The resulting data guides technical decisions, reduces industrial risk and prepares qualification and certification phases when required.
Technical testing
Design and implementation of testing protocols, performance evaluation, results analysis and generation of technical data to support product development and informed decision-making.
Technical documentation
Preparation of technical files, test reports, risk assessments and development documentation to ensure traceability of completed work and support evaluation, qualification and industrialization phases.
In-house instruments
We build our own instruments.
Two digital analyzers of the Testing Laboratory Division, built on XALPES's proprietary calculation models, used in our programs and available as a service.
XALPES Filtration Lab
Multilayer filtration, breathing and adsorption performance analyzer. From the technical data of each layer of a filtering assembly — mask or filter — a proprietary mathematical model establishes the performance of the finished product: particle and bacterial filtration efficiency (PFE, BFE), breathing resistance carried through to the assembled mask and classified on the XRS scale, adsorption capacity and gas performance (breakthrough time). Each analysis is checked against international references (EN 149, EN 14683, EN 14387, ASTM F2100, NIOSH 42 CFR 84, GB 2626, AS/NZS 1716) and ends in a traceable performance report — before any prototyping.
XALPES Fit Lab
Seal, leakage and breathing performance analyzer. From a mask simulated in shape on the five NIOSH/ISO reference head forms, the XALPES Fit Lab model computes the performance of a multilayer assembly: face-seal tightness, total inward leakage (TIL) and outward leakage, breathing pressure, real breathability and leaks at the face.
For existing laboratories
Subcontracting and co-contracting for testing organizations.
For existing laboratories, technical centers and engineering offices, XALPES works in white label or as co-contractor. The ordering laboratory remains the interlocutor of its client; deliverables are returned in its format and under its name where it so decides.
- Protocol design and review
- Characterization tests on our benches
- Development of analysis and simulation instruments
- Reconstruction of technical files and legacy data
- Overflow capacity during peak periods
- Confidentiality by default; non-disclosure agreement on request
XRS 001:2026
This division authored XRS 001:2026.
The XRS scale classifies the breathing comfort of a mask from its specific resistance. Three declaration regimes exist; regime C — tests conducted by the Testing Laboratory Division — is the only one that allows the wording "XRS level certified by XALPES".
A heuristic, not a standard. No regulatory value. Does not classify filtration. Human-panel validation not yet conducted.