This guide contains everything you need to know about environmental chambers.
You will learn:
Scroll down to chapter one to begin.
An environmental chamber is an enclosure designed to test the impact of various conditions on products, components, parts, or assemblies. These advanced devices can replicate the types of environments a product might encounter during use. Conditions within the chamber are regulated by computer systems that can quickly adjust or maintain specific conditions for extended durations.
The stipulations and requirements for testing are predefined to provide the most accurate data regarding a product's performance under the conditions it will face during use. Typically, the testing parameters surpass the normal conditions of product use.
Environmental chambers offer manufacturers crucial data to enhance their products and provide guidance on refining current market offerings. These advanced instruments assist industries in producing higher-quality, more durable products.
Environmental chambers are available in a wide range of sizes and designs to meet the evolving demands of various industries. Typically, they are designed to conduct multiple tests within a single cycle, which can be programmed to run individually or simultaneously.
The two most critical types of tests involve temperature and humidity, as these are the leading causes of product failure. Environmental chambers can simulate a wide range of weather conditions, from freezing cold to tropical heat, as well as other harsh conditions and hazards.
Temperature is the number one reason that products fail. The types of tests that are performed in temperature test chambers are referred to as thermostatic tests. To test the resilience of a product against temperature variations, temperature chambers are capable of producing temperatures that vary between -70° C up to temperatures in excess of 180° C.
The types of tests in a temperature chamber may expose a product to the same gradient for days or weeks. Other tests rapidly cycle through temperatures to examine a product's reaction to the variations.
Humidity is the second leading cause of product failure, resulting from the combination of moisture and increased temperature. Typically, humidity test chambers work alongside temperature chambers, as heat is essential for creating humid conditions.
Like temperature test chambers, humidity test chambers can simulate various climatic conditions. Tests can be conducted in a static state, with no variation in conditions, or in a dynamic state, where conditions change either rapidly or gradually.
Vibration testing is performed using mechanical or electrodynamic shakers, typically as part of climatic testing. The shaking can occur vertically, horizontally, or along three different axes.
During the development of a new product, vibration testing is commonly integrated into Highly Accelerated Life Tests (HALT) and Highly Accelerated Stress Screens (HASS) to evaluate the product's performance under extreme conditions. It is also frequently combined with environmental tests to assess the product's durability under typical operating conditions.
A stability test chamber is designed to assess a product's response to temperature, humidity, and light over an extended period. It primarily focuses on evaluating the product's shelf life, determining its durability and reliability when exposed to different conditions during shipping and storage.
The International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) has categorized the world into five climate zones. When testing a product's stability, the parameters are based on the climate zone where the product will be used and shipped. These guidelines help determine the settings for the stability chamber.
A salt spray chamber produces a highly corrosive environment that tests the effects of long term exposure to salt saturated substances. The temperature in a salt spray chamber must be consistent to maintain the salt spray concentration. For the greatest consistency, salt spray chambers operate at 35° C.
Salt spray testing is used to assess the durability of coatings and finishes under corrosive conditions.
A key concern for many products is their ability to endure sudden changes in temperature and atmospheric conditions. When designing a product, engineers often envision the types of environments it will face. To gain a clearer understanding of the product’s capabilities, it’s crucial to simulate these potential conditions.
To achieve this and better understand the performance of new products, manufacturers subject them to thermal shock testing. This rigorous and demanding test involves subjecting a specimen to rapid, successive environmental changes, with temperature variations of 30°C or more every minute. It is designed for applications that will experience extreme and rugged conditions.
A vacuum chamber creates a low-pressure environment by removing air and other gases from an enclosed space. This testing is used to evaluate how a product or device performs in a vacuum and is essential for products used in the aerospace and defense industries..
Vacuum chambers come in various sizes, ranging from room-sized models to those that fit on a countertop. Instruments, gauges, and components intended for aircraft and spacecraft must be tested in a vacuum chamber.
The purpose of an altitude test chamber is to test the resiliency of a sample in low pressure at high altitudes. Altitude chambers are able to simulate conditions up to 30,000 m. Those conditions are combined with decompression and explosive testing.
The term "anechoic" refers to the elimination of echoes. An anechoic chamber, typically the size of a room, is lined with materials designed to absorb sound and electromagnetic waves. In addition to containing waves within the chamber, these chambers also block external sounds from penetrating the surrounding area.
Blocking out sound aims to prevent external noises from interfering with test results. Anechoic testing measures the amount of noise a product generates. This type of testing is used for a variety of products, including cars, microwaves, buses, airplanes, and computers.
Before the advent of test chambers in the mid-20th century, assessing a product's durability and longevity involved surveys, experimental groups, and exposure to local climatic conditions. These methods were time-consuming and delayed product launches. In some cases, products were released without any testing, leading to significant backlash.
Since the introduction of environmental chambers, producers and manufacturers have been able to enhance product quality, performance, and durability.
An environmental chamber's purpose is to simulate the conditions a product will encounter during use. During the design phase, engineers predict the product's durability and stability. Environmental chambers enable them to recreate these conditions, allowing for adjustments and improvements based on the results.
Temperature is the leading cause of product failure, making it essential for manufacturers to test its impact on their products. Temperature testing provides data on a product's thermal endurance and its ability to withstand varying temperatures.
Humidity is the second major factor in product deterioration. Moisture, in any form, can cause significant damage to materials and products. This is particularly true for humidity, as it combines both moisture and temperature effects.
Air pressure can fluctuate during transportation, whether by air or truck. To assess how much air pressure a product can endure, it is exposed to various pressure levels in an environmental chamber. The resulting data provides producers with a baseline for customer expectations and offers an opportunity to make necessary adjustments.
Thermal shock testing is a specific type of temperature testing designed to simulate rapid changes in temperature that a product may experience during its lifespan. Unlike standard temperature testing, which subjects a product to a constant temperature over a long period, thermal shock testing rapidly alternates between different temperatures without pause. The test aims to identify potential issues related to expansion and contraction and to determine the point at which the product might fail. This type of testing is considered one of the most rigorous of environmental tests.
The purpose of an accelerated aging test is to determine a product's specific lifespan. This test subjects the product to conditions that replicate the aging process in a condensed timeframe. Before environmental chambers were developed, aging tests involved prolonged use of a sample. Test chambers can now expedite this process, providing valuable data and estimates about the product’s longevity.
Xenon-arc testing involves exposing a product to cycles of radiation to mimic the sunlight it will encounter during regular use. This process uses xenon-arc lamps, which generate a bright white light similar to natural sunlight by passing electrical currents through high-pressure ionized xenon gas. Xenon-arc testing is a component of accelerated aging tests.
UV weathering is a test used to assess the impact of sunlight on a product. Prolonged exposure to solar radiation can lead to various effects, such as fading in clothing, weakening of plastics, or cracking of cement. This damage results from invisible electromagnetic radiation, specifically UV rays, which are emitted by the sun.
Salt spray or corrosion testing evaluates how corrosion impacts a product's performance. This test involves exposing samples to a highly concentrated saline environment for a specified duration. It is commonly used for products such as coatings, paints, and other items that may be exposed to corrosive conditions.
Salt spray testing can also be integrated into the accelerated aging process by rapidly advancing the timing of saline solution application.
The purpose of altitude testing is to determine the effects of high pressure and vacuum conditions on a sample. In a normal environmental chamber, when conducting an altitude test, temperatures can range between -65° C to 150° C at altitudes of -200 ft to over 100,000 ft. Altitude testing is normally done for products that will be exposed to air transport or space programs.
Environmental test chambers have become crucial for industry. Manufacturers need precise data on their products' reliability, and environmental chambers provide accurate, simulated conditions quickly and efficiently. This capability is invaluable for developing and testing new products and services.
Every product used commercially, industrially, or at home will face a range of unique and challenging conditions. Factors like temperature, vibrations, and humidity can reduce the product's lifespan or impact its performance. This is why manufacturers increasingly depend on data from environmental chambers to ensure their products meet expectations.
The automotive industry utilizes test chambers in various ways. Small environmental chambers are used to test individual components before they are integrated into assemblies. Larger chambers handle bigger parts, such as assemblies and mechanisms, accommodating multiple components. Finally, the fully assembled car undergoes testing to evaluate how all the components interact.
Environmental test chambers for the auto industry have led to an improvement in the quality and lifespan of cars.
Electronic devices are particularly vulnerable to failure from environmental factors like moisture, humidity, and temperature fluctuations. Environmental test chambers are used to assess the stability of electronic components under these conditions. Components tested include ICs, circuit boards, semiconductors, transducers, surge protectors, touch panels, switches, and various assemblies.
In the pharmaceutical industry, environmental test chambers are extensively used to simulate the various temperature fluctuations and humidity levels products may encounter. These tests not only assess the products themselves but also evaluate the durability of packaging materials, which are crucial for maintaining a drug's effectiveness.
Compliance with numerous regulations, standards, and legal requirements is crucial in pharmaceutical testing. Environmental chambers play a vital role in product development by assessing lifespan, shelf life, and conditions that could lead to deterioration.
The military has stringent standards detailing the manufacturing requirements for their equipment. These specifications, outlined under United States Military Standards, are designed to ensure flawless performance for every product.
The primary focus in testing military equipment is ensuring it can withstand the harsh, hazardous, and demanding conditions it will face in the field. A crucial aspect of this testing is verifying that the equipment will be reliable to ensure the safety of military personnel.
Similar to the pharmaceutical industry, the medical sector has stringent standards and requirements for the quality of products used in medical procedures and testing. In addition to general specifications for quality, performance, and lifespan, there are strict regulations for sterility, tensile strength, and reliability, particularly for life-saving equipment, which must be rigorously followed.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) mandates validation requirements for monitoring and process control in the manufacturing of medical devices.
The standards for the telecommunications industry were established by the American telecommunications research and development company Telcordia. The specifications outlined by Telcordia are followed by telecommunications‘ producers in determining the exact standards for all telecommunications devices.
Telcordia standards provide detailed testing guidelines for factors such as altitude, temperature, humidity, and more. The data collected under these standards helps predict a product’s reliability and offers specific calculations to assess its potential effectiveness.
In the solar energy industry, environmental testing focuses on assessing the resilience of solar panels and photovoltaic modules, which are exposed to various environmental conditions. Testing includes temperature cycling, damp heat, and humidity. Standards for these tests are set by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), Underwriters Laboratories (UL), and the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM).
The aerospace and aviation industries utilize environmental chambers to test products against atmospheric conditions, ensuring they meet the specifications set by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). Key concerns for these industries include safety, reliability, and efficiency. Products are evaluated for thermal shock and subjected to simulations of various atmospheric conditions to assess their viability.
Environmental chambers are designed to accommodate a wide range of conditions, locations, and environments, with sizes ranging from countertop models to those as large as a building. The choice of an environmental chamber depends on the specific product being tested and its required footprint.
Large room or building sized environmental chambers are planned to the most minute detail to meet the needs of the client as well as the type of testing to be done. In most cases, larger environmental chambers are capable of completing several types of tests and create a wide array of climatic conditions.
Benchtop environmental chambers offer the same high-quality and accurate data as larger chambers but with a smaller footprint, greater flexibility, and cost-effectiveness. Despite their compact size, they can be equipped with the same advanced data-gathering and computational devices found in more expensive equipment. Benchtop chambers are ideal for university labs, small product companies, and testing small components and parts.
Reach-in environmental test chambers have a similar footprint to benchtop chambers but are designed to be placed on the floor and are equipped with wheels for mobility. Their vertical design allows them to be easily moved between different locations. Depending on the model, they may include an observation window and a range of monitoring and control devices for data collection.
Reach-in chambers can be configured for basic temperature or humidity testing, or designed to conduct a range of tests simultaneously.
Walk-in test chambers are advanced testing units that can be acquired as pre-manufactured models for immediate installation or customized to meet specific needs. They can be assembled using either connected panels or welded panels, with welded designs being the most common and reliable. Walk-in chambers come in various configurations, capable of performing either a single type of test or a series of tests.
Accessories for environmental chambers include access ports, heavy-duty floors, various wall thicknesses, noise reduction features, different door sizes, small or large windows, and a range of LCD control systems.
Once all the parts and assemblies of a vehicle have been tested individually, they are evaluated as part of the fully assembled vehicle in a drive-in test chamber. Environmental chambers enable manufacturers to test the vehicle under a range of weather, atmospheric, and environmental conditions it may face during its use.
Given their significant investment, drive-in environmental chambers are customized to meet the specific demands of the customer. They are equipped with features tailored to their requirements and are typically capable of conducting a comprehensive range of environmental tests, including high-altitude testing, rain, humidity, corrosion, and extreme temperatures.
A HALT (Highly Accelerated Life Test) chamber exposes a test sample to extreme stress through thermal dwells, rapid temperature changes, vibrations, and combinations of these tests. The goal is to induce failure by subjecting the sample to conditions far beyond its normal usage.
The data collected identifies the failure limits and weak points of the sample, helping to inform adjustments and improvements. The accelerated testing process provides rapid insights into failures, which is not possible with conventional testing methods.
The HASS (Highly Accelerated Stress Screen) test is typically conducted after the HALT (Highly Accelerated Life Test) and is more stringent and demanding. It involves thermal cycling combined with vibration testing to identify defects in the sample. This process is repeated multiple times until faults are detected. The aim is to drive the sample to failure so engineers can make necessary corrections.
Although environmental chambers are customized to meet the specific needs of the products being tested, each type shares common basic features used in their construction.
Environmental chambers are used across various industries and must comply with the specific regulations, standards, requirements, and laws relevant to each sector. For the medical and pharmaceutical industries, oversight comes from both government agencies and regulatory bodies that establish testing chamber protocols.
The agencies regulating the pharmaceutical industry include the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Conference on Harmonisation (ICH), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Pharmaceutical Discussion Group (PDG). These organizations set requirements for the sterility of testing conditions, packaging, and the shelf life of drugs and medical instruments.
Regulations for the medical industry are similar to those for pharmaceuticals, but also include oversight from the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). These organizations provide guidelines for testing industrial, scientific, and medical equipment.
Requirements for testing military equipment are outlined in the United States Military Standards (MIL-STD). These standards provide detailed guidelines for the testing and development of military equipment, including design specifications and testing limits. Whenever new equipment is developed, a new set of standards is established for its testing.
The standards for the auto industry include those published by the American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM), the Society for Automotive Engineers (SAE), and Underwriters Laboratories (UL). How detailed the regulations and requirements are relate to the organization and its goals. On the government side, the Department of Transportation (DOT) has safety standards regarding the testing of vehicles, which are further stipulated by each state‘s department of transportation.
The key governing agencies for the electronics industry include the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the Joint Electron Device Council (JEDEC), and the Association Connecting Electronics (IPC). These organizations define the types, durations, and limits of tests to be conducted on electronic products.
The telecommunications industry is guided by Telcordia Standards, which serve as foundational principles for the sector. Alongside Telcordia, the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), a division of the Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA), also plays a key role in setting industry standards.
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private organization where members collaborate to develop standards for products, services, processes, and systems. Their primary goal is to ensure consistent performance across all industries and manufacturers.
The organizations mentioned above are key entities that ensure product testing is conducted in a systematic and planned manner to safeguard both the public and manufacturers. These groups may be country-specific or international, depending on the product and its market impact.
An altitude chamber is designed to simulate the altitude, vacuum, and temperature conditions experienced at high elevations. It replicates the environmental conditions encountered by aircraft, ranging from commercial to military, during their flight patterns.
A climate chamber is an enclosed space that offers controlled conditions for testing the effects of various environmental and climatic factors on industrial goods, commercial products, electronic devices, materials, and biological samples.
A cold room is a temperature-controlled environment that uses refrigeration to create conditions suitable for the storage, experimentation, and preservation of foods, equipment, and medical supplies. The various types of cold rooms include...
A humidity chamber is a device used to assess how products respond to changes in humidity. Manufacturers use this type of environmental testing to evaluate the performance of their products under extreme humidity conditions.
Stability chambers and rooms are climate-controlled environments designed to maintain stable conditions for testing and storage. These specialized chambers provide precise, elevated temperatures or humidity levels to determine whether a product...
A temperature chamber is a controlled environment designed to replicate the conditions a product will face during use. These advanced tools can simulate various hazards, usage scenarios, and atmospheric conditions that a product may encounter.
A test chamber is a controlled environment used to evaluate the endurance, stability, and functionality of equipment, products, and chemicals. It simulates the environmental conditions that a product might experience during its use.
Thermal shock chambers are climatic chambers designed for thermal shock testing, used to subject materials to intense temperature changes. This is achieved by rapidly and repeatedly transitioning the material between high and low temperature extremes.
A vacuum chamber removes air and reduces pressure within a confined space to test how parts, materials, components, and assemblies perform under vacuum conditions. It is also used to evaluate the performance of manufacturing applications.
The purpose of an environmental testing chamber is to assess the impact of various climatic, physical, and unique conditions on a product. These chambers are designed to replicate the environments a product might face during its use.
A cleanroom is a specialized enclosed space where airborne particulates are minimized or removed through advanced filtration systems. These rooms are used by industries that need a meticulously controlled and monitored environment for production and other sensitive processes.
Cleanroom products are meticulously designed and engineered to prevent contamination and pollution in highly sensitive cleanroom environments. To achieve its classification, a cleanroom must be cleaned, constructed, and sanitized according to a specific set of qualifying conditions and standards.
A HEPA filter is a high-efficiency, pleated air filter designed to capture extremely small particles, including those as tiny as a micron (µ) or micrometer, which is 1/1000th of a meter.
Modular buildings consist of standardized sections known as "modules," which are manufactured in a factory-controlled environment before being transported to the building's final location. Common factory-made modules include walls, floors, and ceilings.
A modular cleanroom is a prefabricated, controlled environment designed to minimize the presence of sub-micron particulates. Constructed using pre-made panels fitted into a frame, these cleanrooms can be purchased as a kit for assembly or built on-site by a technician.
A portable cleanroom is a compact, space-efficient system that offers mobility, cost-effectiveness, and excellent clean and filtered airflow to maintain an uncontaminated environment. It features a modular design, allowing for easy assembly and transport.
A portable office is a mobile workspace that can be quickly assembled and positioned to offer a quiet and convenient setting for meetings, paperwork, or reviewing plans. These offices are constructed using...
Prefabricated buildings, or prefabs, are structures whose components—such as walls, roofs, and floors—are manufactured in a factory. These components can be fully or partially assembled before being transported to the construction site for final assembly.
A softwall cleanroom is a controlled, enclosed space featuring a metal frame, transparent panel walls, an entrance, high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters, and superior lighting. It is designed to create a workspace free from contaminants and particulate matter.
A cleanroom is a specially designed and configured space constructed to eliminate dust particulates and atmospheric contaminants. It is commonly used in scientific research, pharmaceutical production, and other industries where products are sensitive to unsanitary or polluted conditions.