To test for sudden temperature changes, ATEC offers an array of thermal shock chambers at a wide range of rental rates from leading manufacturers including Espec and Cincinnati Sub-Zero.
What is a Thermal Shock Chamber?
A thermal shock chamber is a testing unit that exposes a device under test (DUT) to an alternating series of extreme temperatures. Testing in a thermal shock chamber helps expose design flaws from sudden hot and cold temperature changes.
A thermal shock test chamber often uses 2 chambers that are vertically stacked on top of one another. One chamber produces heat up to 210°C and the other creates cold temperatures reaching -75°C. A carrier moves between the 2 chambers, exposing the DUT to the different extreme temperatures.
Benefits of a Thermal Shock Chamber Rental
Like with other environmental chambers, thermal shock testing delivers insight into a product's design. Whether results are positive or negative, a thermal shock chamber rental can offer many valuable benefits.
Reveal Design Faults and Defects
Exposure to sudden changes in temperature can cause products to swell and contract, severely testing the product's structure. The product can crack or damage, exposing a defect with the DUT. Environmental stress is a common cause of product faults and thermal shock testing can offer that insight during manufacturing.
Standards Testing
To meet various test standards, a product needs exposure to sudden changes in the environment. A thermal shock chamber rental allows manufacturers to simulate those extreme environments while improving their products. These are some of the common standards which can be tested with a thermal shock chamber:
Useful for Testing in Various Industries
The effects of rapid temperature changes reach nearly every product, so a chamber that simulates those changes is useful across many industries. The following are just some of the industries to rely on thermal shock chambers to evaluate products: telecommunications, medical, aerospace, automotive, military, pharmaceutical, and energy.
Do I Need a Thermal Shock or Temperature Cycling Chamber?
Thermal shock and temperature cycling are similar tests to evaluate how a product responds to changes in weather. While many assume they're interchangeable, there are small differences in both the tests and the chambers used for the simulations.
A thermal shock chamber should be used for immediate changes to the temperature. Best used for products that will experience sudden weather changes, thermal shock testing simulates conditions rarely found in everyday life.
The temperature cycling chamber slowly raises and lowers the temperature over a longer period. Temperature cycle testing replicates much more common weather changes that often occur in the environment.
Choosing the Best Thermal Shock Chamber Rental
After determining a thermal shock chamber meets your testing needs, consider these other variables before choosing a chamber rental:
Chamber Dimensions and Basket Volume
To be used across plenty of industries, there needs to be a variety of sizes available for both the test chamber and transfer basket. Before renting, be sure the DUT is small enough to fit inside the test chamber. Thermal shock tests on larger items may require a single compartment chamber.
The size of the carrier basket is also key. The DUT should be small enough in size and weight so that it will fit in the carrier and avoid affecting the elevator moving the basket.
Recovery Time
Reaching the extreme temperatures needed for thermal shock testing can take time. That process can take much longer when conducting tests repeatedly. A short recovery time can not only improve test accuracy but shorten the duration of each test.
Temperature Limits
Thermal shock tests should push a DUT to its limit to find faults, but melting points can also affect the results. If a product melts around 150°C, your thermal shock chamber rental does not need to reach 210°C at its upper limit.