We all agree that quality and safety are fundamental requirements for the goods that are part of our daily lives, but not many know what kind of tests guarantee them.
The products and materials that surround us in everyday life, in fact, must pass a rigorous series of tests - specific to their intended use - to guarantee reliability and safety.
Climate testing plays a vital role and is essential to most industries.
Today we delve deeper into climate testing.
What is Climate Testing?
Climate testing is a set of procedures aimed at simulating a wide variety of atmospheric and environmental conditions - from the most common to the most extreme - in order to evaluate the resistance and performance of products and materials.
Climate testing therefore has to do with a series of key parameters: above all temperature and relative humidity but also exposure to sunlight or simulated precipitation. Virtually no industry is not involved in climate testing to some extent, such is its importance.
Among these we can name the electronics, automotive, military and aerospace sectors, but also the food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries.
But what are these climate tests? Let's see an overview of the most popular ones.
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The Most Popular Climate Tests
Climate testing is a vast field. The methods of carrying out each type of test are indicated by a series of international bodies, such as ISO, ICH and MIL-STD which outline the procedures depending on the product, material or sector involved.
Below we see some of the most common climate tests:
- Stability Tests: used mainly in the pharmaceutical and food sectors, stability tests simulate the environmental conditions of a product's life cycle to determine the expiry date, conservation methods in storage and on the shelf and much more.
We talked about it in this article.
- Thermal Cycle Test: A thermal cycle is defined as any recursive thermal test in which the temperature is altered regularly, reaching a high temperature peak and a low temperature peak. ISO MIL-STD standards regulate thermal cycling climate tests depending on the industry involved.
- Thermal Shock Test: To talk about Thermal Shock, and not a simple stability test, it is necessary that the material is subjected to an excursion of at least 15° within a minute.: Per parlare di Shock Termico, e non di un semplice test di stabilità, è necessario che il materiale sia sottoposto a un’escursione di almeno 15° nell’arco di un minuto.
- Salt Spray Testing: For products and materials intended for use in marine environments or exposed to corrosive agents, salt spray testing is crucial. This test simulates the exposure of materials to a saline mist, evaluating their resistance to corrosion and rust.
We talked about it in detail here.
Generally, the overall excursion of a thermal shock test exceeds 100° to verify the tightness of the material in the most extreme conditions.
Here is a detailed article.
Here is an article about it.
How to Climate Testing: The Climate Test Chamber
Climate testing is conducted using specially designed laboratory instruments, known as climate chambers. These chambers constitute an environment hermetically sealed from the outside and, inside them, it is possible to regulate and control various environmental parameters, including temperature and relative humidity.
Climate chambers can be of different sizes and configurations, from small benchtop units to room-sized chambers, called walk-in rooms, capable of accommodating large objects such as cars or industrial equipment.
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The FDM Climate Test Chamber
FDM climatic chambers are capable of performing all the climatic tests listed above with precision and reliability.
FDM - Environment Makers has been a leading company in the climate testing sector for over 70 years.
Furthermore, our technicians are always available to listen to the customer's needs to design together a climatic chamber that meets all the relevant criteria.
For further doubts and questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
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