00
Gate 00
Classify
Decision
Product object, coverage, padding, target user, market, intended use, legal category, and allowed claim brief.
Release output
Written classification memo and evidence plan.
Tool 05 / Validation Gates
Prove the product where it is most likely to fail.
A passing swatch is not a released protection program. Validation must move through classification, representative components, full prototypes, laundering, pilot production, field simulation, and controlled change.
- Record
- PMS-KB-VAL-001
- Version
- 1.0
- Published
- Modified
- Reviewed
- Publisher
- ProtectMySleep Category Lab
01
Gate 01
Qualify components
Decision
Fiber, face construction, membrane grade, lamination, elastic, zipper, thread, certificates, and lot controls.
Release output
Locked component specification across representative lots.
02
Gate 02
Prove the prototype
Decision
Three-dimensional fit, liquid path, transmission, absorbency, seams, closure, hand, sound, and care feasibility.
Release output
Prototype report with failures retained—not just pass samples.
03
Gate 03
Age by washing
Decision
Repeat relevant performance at agreed 5 / 10 / 25 / 50-cycle or customer-specific checkpoints.
Release output
First-failure map and wash-aged claim limits.
04
Gate 04
Pilot production
Decision
Normal line speed, first/middle/last roll, operators, random sampling, packaging, labels, and traceability.
Release output
Pilot approval tied to BOM and process revision.
05
Gate 05
Simulate the field
Decision
Real mattresses, bedding, housekeeping changes, adjustable-base cycling, installation, and actual laundry profile.
Release output
Application-specific fit and handling approval.
06
Gate 06
Release and control change
Decision
Freeze claim-critical materials, factories, process windows, care, certificates, and evidence ownership.
Release output
Approved Claim IDs and automatic revalidation triggers.
Failure library
The center of the fabric is rarely the whole story.
The Category Lab treats failure modes as data. A program should record where failure first appears, under which condition, and which claim or specification it invalidates.
F01
Membrane pinhole or hydrolysis
F02
Laminate peel after heat and detergent
F03
Needle-hole leakage at seams
F04
Differential shrinkage between face and skirt
F05
Elastic loss and fitted-corner lift
F06
Zipper end-stop or garage pathway
F07
Installation tear or abrasion
F08
Unapproved material or factory substitution
Wash-aged validation
“Washable” is a process, not a lifetime claim.
Household and commercial laundry profiles must be defined by temperature, chemistry, mechanical action, loading, drying, and checkpoints. Accelerated cycles do not automatically equal years of service.
As received
Baseline fit, barrier, hand, closure, and appearance.
Early change
Detect rapid shrinkage, curl, peel, elastic loss, or closure change.
Direction
Confirm whether performance is stabilizing or continuing to decline.
Program checkpoint
Repeat every claim-critical measurement and full-product pathway.
Only when relevant
Use the intended care profile and pre-agreed acceptance criteria.
Evidence required
A locked BOM, representative lots, documented samples, pre-agreed acceptance criteria, defined wash profile, failure records, and signed gate decisions.
Standard or method
Select methods against the claimed property and intended application. Use full-product protocols at seams, corners, closure, fit, and installation stress.
Not a guarantee
A passed gate applies only to the identified construction, process, sample state, and scope. Claim-critical change reopens the relevant gates.