Thermal Vacuum Space Simulation Chamber

The Next Generation TotalTemp Thermal Vacuum, TVAC Chamber

The efficient advantages of thermal platforms are a natural for conductive heat transfer in high vacuum applications.  With all the new hardware going into space, where service calls are rare, thermal vacuum testing is important part of testing high altitude and satellite equipment.

70°C to +175°C, vacuum to 1×10-6 Torr

Affordable and configurable for your application.  Simultaneous high vacuum and thermal testing without renting time at a test lab.  Thermal platforms to fit your vacuum chamber or fully turn-key systems.  Platform shown inside bell jar is 6.5” x 7.5”, other sizes and different bell jars available.

  • 6.5″ x 7.5″ Usable surface area (49 sq. in / 315 sq. cm).
  • 12″ square or other sizes per your requirement
  • High Altitude or Space Simulation 1 x 10-6 Torr.
  • Temperature Range from -70°C to +175°C.
  • A typical coolant is Liquid Nitrogen.
  • Heated with embedded resistance heaters

TVAC Chambers for…

Aerospace environmental testing in a thermal vacuum chamber allows for the exposing and weeding out potential problems due to temperature extremes and change in or lack of atmospheric pressure as in space. With equipment destined for space, the stakes are much higher with the cost of a launch, chances of a failure could be catastrophic plus service calls in space have historically been very costly. The game of basic thermal testing in space is a little different than testing for land-based systems, mainly because the lack of heat transfer by air. The intentional and unintentional transfer of heat by convection makes a big difference from what could be common sense solution in an environment with air.

Outgassing of many materials would be another consideration that is not such a big deal on Earth but requires careful planning for items going into space. Making sure that components headed for space are going to perform as planned typically involves simulating the environment as it is expected to be experienced in space or low Earth orbit.  Standards for testing have been developed making success more predictable.  Standards such as:

  • MIL-STD-202
  • MIL-STD-810
  • RTCA/DO-160
  • ISO/AWI 15104, ECSS-Q-ST-70-02C

 

Prior to integration into larger systems, components and subsystems can be tested far more effectively in a smaller, portable thermal vacuum chamber.  Typically, larger thermal vacuum systems are only affordable by large institutions and time using them can be scheduled and rented as needed.  Not only is a small portable thermal vacuum system a more affordable option but the ability to have the capability on hand as required can be a big deal. A small thermal vacuum chamber will reach vacuum level and temperature much more quickly than a large chamber and pay for itself in efficiency, convenience, and accessibility.

Thermal Platform Integrated into Space Simulation Chamber

Cost-effective space simulation.

 

  • Portable space simulation equipment is cheaper to acquire
  • Smaller systems don’t take up as much valuable lab space to use and to store when not in use
  • Faster to pull down to vacuum and fast temperature transition times result in shorter test times required to perform tests
  • They are more efficient, using less power, generally not requiring special electrical services
  • Smaller systems are often more time-efficient as you are less likely to have to share with others. Larger systems often require travel, time-sharing, and waiting for a scheduled-use time

 

The TotalTemp Platform can be integrated into an existing vacuum chamber, as is shown in the picture above, or we can provide a complete turnkey system to solve your space simulation or other thermal vacuum challenges.

Custom Wide-Range Temperature Chambers

Custom Wide-Range Temperature Chambers


TotalTemp Technologies expands its offerings to include more products, including custom wide-range temperature chambers.

An environmental test chamber or temperature chamber is an enclosure used to test the effects of specified environmental conditions on electronic devices, components,  industrial products, or biological items – Chambers replicate the conditions they might be subjected to or determine properties in a specific environment. They are also used to accelerate the effects of exposure to an environment, life testing for example, or at environmental conditions not actually expected.

Such chambers are available for your specific application:

  • As a stand-alone test for environmental effects on test specimens.
  • High-performance models are designed to rapidly heat and cool with expendable coolants such as L-N2.
  • Custom configurations include hot-only, extended range, combined convection, and conduction or Boosted models which use both refrigeration systems and expendable cryogenic coolants.

At TotalTemp we offer several standard size models, each one customizable to meet your requirements. We specialize in providing an ideal solution for any industry or product to be tested, and configured for your specific needs, of course.

Featured in this article is the model C230 Temperature Chamber with custom apertures on four sides and a +325°C to -160°C temperature range. It includes features like:

  • Time-tested designs.
  • Award-winning synergy Nano temperature controller.
  • Alternate cooling methods

Meet your custom requirements in a better way than with off-the-shelf solutions. We give you two-year warranties and accessible, knowledgeable support before and after the sale.

TotalTemp Technologies

TotalTemp also offers a new product line of refrigerated custom thermal platforms capable of -70°C, without the need for expendable coolants.

TotalTemp Technologies, Inc

San Diego CA 92110 (888) 712-2228

www.TotalTempTech.com  sales@totaltemptech.com

TotalTemp’s Newest Addition: SCC98-NR

TotalTemp’s Newest Addition: SCC98-NR


SCC98-NR is a Thermal Platform System for efficient conductive thermal testing. It features an award-winning Synergy Nano programmable temperature controller and a two-year warranty. Alternate sizes and many custom features are available to best meet your requirements.

This platform delivers precisely controlled temperature conditioning to devices that have a flat thermally conductive surface. When using thermal conduction to condition the device at hot and/or cold temperatures, the results are much faster than using thermal convection, as used in environmental chambers.

Some great features this device includes are:

  • Quickness: It has fast temperature transition rates – comparable to some cryogenic systems.
  • Efficiency: It is available with a single-stage refrigeration system capable of removing heat at -40°C in less than 8 minutes, while the two-stage refrigeration model can go as low as -70°C.
  • Nitrogen and Carbon Dioxide free: No L-N2 or L-CO2 tanks are needed and there is no oxygen displacement.
  • Popular premiere Synergy Controller: It features logging, graphing and flexible compressor configurations, plus Optional Web server, print server, and GPIB communication.
  • Mobility: It’s available as a fully Benchtop Platform or benchtop platform and controller with an under bench remote refrigeration stand.

TotalTemp Technologies takes pride in fostering innovation with new technologies and continuous improvement, which is why all of our thermal platforms are guaranteed to meet the highest standards for your all-around satisfaction.

TotalTemp Technologies, Inc

San Diego CA 92110

WWW.TotalTempTech.com

sales@totaltemptech.com

(888) 712-2228

New Hot-Only Thermal Platforms


TotalTemp Technologies, the new leader in thermal platforms, has been widening its offerings more and more over time.

Hot-only Thermal Platforms, these platforms were initially designed for electro-migration solder processes hot-only testing. The new hot-only platforms are available with maximum temperature ranges of 200, 300, 400, and 450°C.  Please specify your desired temperature range when ordering. Attractive pricing,  safety, and the same flexibility that current hot/cold models have.

  • Excellent access to DUT
  • Extended temperatures range option (400°C shown here)
  • Efficient conductive heat transfer
  • Extremely fast temperature transition rates
  • Hard anodized surface for durability is standard
  • Bare aluminum for electrically conductive surface (shown here)
  • Five threaded holes are standard
  • Adapter plates available
  • Optional no threaded holes and conductive surface (shown here)
  • Small footprint models for minimal impact on valuable bench space
  • High accuracy temperature sensors for precise control
  • Abundant heater arrangement for low surface gradients
  • Rugged stainless steel chassis
  • Exclusively designed for easier serviceability, with full access panels

These models carry two-year warranties and can be trusted to meet customers’ expectations.

Model Number Usable Surface Inch Usable Surface Milimeter
HSD14 3.75 x 3.75 95.25 x 95.25
HSD49 6.5 x 7.5 165.1 x 190.5
HSD98 6.5 x 15 190.5 x 381
HSD144 12 x 12 304.8 x 304.8
HSD288 12 x 24 304.8 x 609.6
HSD450 18 x 25 457.2 x 635

 

Email or call us any specific questions regarding hot-only options.

Thermal Testing Optimized

Thermal Testing Optimized

It is well known that test and evaluation of production items is a very important part of producing quality products.

The consequences of a lack of quality are unfortunately well known but covering the bases with appropriate testing can be quite time-consuming and expensive and easily run into the weeds of under testing, over-testing, or testing the wrong condition.  The tendency to an error on the side of safety is generally accepted but the flip side of thorough testing can be spending too much time and money testing or literally testing a product to death.

Equally important to understanding the electronic parameters and functions under various electrical conditions which need to be verified is at least a very basic understanding of thermal testing.

A high percentage of failures in electronics are ultimately due to thermal issues.

Subjects for other conversations relating to thermal failures include microscopic cracking, electromigration, the thermal runaway of parameters, or melting of materials.  Many electrolytic capacitors have been shown to dry out and fail more quickly at higher temperatures, critical connections can corrode or otherwise deteriorate enough to cause failure. General expansion and contraction along with the associated moisture cycling are often at the root of many failures.

Three ways

As we learned from an engineering background, the three ways temperature can be changed are by conduction, convection, and radiation.  In that order, they are generally most effective in use for the thermal tests.  Without a big dive into the math and logic behind the statement, conduction is the most effective heat transfer method. Surprisingly, convection, such as in employed in a temperature chamber is far more widely used. As I understand it the main reasons for that disparity are:

1) Heat transfer by conduction requires intimate contact between the heating and cooling equipment (thermal platform) and the device.  Fortunately, many device packages for microwave and other power equipment come in a package with a flat thermally conductive surface. Additionally, many other parts can readily have a machined fixture to provide the needed surface contact.

2) The acknowledgment and the ability to cope with the fact there is always some thermal gradient between the temperature driving the equipment and the furthest part from the driving point that needs to be conditioned.

3) Thinking “That is just the way it is done or one size fits all”. Truly, not all items are compatible with a thermal platform however, with a little prior planning work many parts can readily be more effectively tested on a thermal platform or in some cases even using two or more thermal platforms.

Getting the job done

Convection heat transfer can in cases rival conductive heat transfer effectiveness.  High airflow is important to heat transfer just with air, just as the clamping force is important to conductive heat transfer.  While good airflow is needed for heat transfer, it also comes at a cost. Air friction from high-volume blowers is a surprisingly large source of unintended heating and other losses.  It is often seen that temperature chambers designed to maximize heat transfer and minimize test time produce a surprising amount of heat from air friction.  For example, a high-performance chamber with strong airflow to maximize heat transfer can be seen to cause the chamber temperature to climb from ambient to over 100°C without any other heat added to the system.  Of course, if you are only going that hot, the additional heat from air friction can actually be a benefit.  Fighting that heating with a refrigeration compressor system definitely requires a careful recalculation of this heating contribution to achieve expected cooling results not to mention this also adds more heat to the room, eventually adding to the air conditioning load of the lab room.  For many applications, a temperature chamber with mechanical refrigeration is a very good choice but before purchasing, we suggest you take time to talk to the professionals at Totaltemp and consider understanding the choices before you buy.

Thermal Vacuum Space Simulation Testing Made Easier

Thermal Vacuum Space Simulation Testing Made Easier

Our space simulation chamber VmSD49-N has been featured in Microwave Journal!

Here is a portion of the article:

“Testing products bound for space is a little different for a few reasons, including the lack of air for heat transfer and general level of criticality, no possible service once deployed plus the general high-stakes nature of the whole endeavor. Taking measured risks for the sake of the advancement of science and technology seems to be a key part of the proposition. Given that, appropriate testing is always important for electronic products, but this is even more true for items that are expected to work in a space environment. “

Read the original article here microwavejournal.com.

A New Article About TotalTempTech!

A New Article About TotalTempTech!

We are happy to inform you that Aerospacetestinginternational.com wrote an article about the best methods for benchtop thermal testing and they are talking about our equipment.

Here is a small portion of the article:

There are many trade-offs to consider when facing a new plan to test electronic or RF products / components.

When selecting a temperature chamber, large seems like a good choice when future needs are not known, and financial commitments are being made for test equipment. However, aiming for the right sized chamber is most often a better choice.

Costs

Consider the following, larger usually means more initial cost. Regarding operation costs, larger chambers will not only have more energy costs. Often when testing multiple units in a chamber, people don’t think of the idle time spent with the chamber and the devices that are waiting for enough units to make a complete chamber load.

Read the Whole Article

How to Pick the Right Thermal Testing Equipment For Your Unique Application

How to Pick the Right Thermal Testing Equipment For Your Unique Application

There is not really any one right way.  Items that require thermal testing come in a lot of shapes materials and sizes so there is not really one best way to test everything.

If the device has a flat thermally conductive surface or can readily be fixtured to make good conductive contact, chances are a thermal platform is best.  Physics tells us that conductive heat transfer works best but when that is not practical to get good surface contact, it is usually best to consider using a chamber or a thermal air stream system.

Also, modern control electronics allows programmability, logging, multi point control, direct network printing alarms including email alerts and much more.

At TotalTemp Technologies we can guide you through all the trade-offs, including cooling methods. We not only design, manufacture and sell some of the best equipment out there but also offer you free dedicated consulting to get you to the best thermal testing equipment that meet your unique requirements.

Call us (888) 712-2228 or contact us if you have any questions.

TotalTemp in the Clouds

TotalTemp in the Clouds

New Promotions

TotalTemp offers two new ways to elevate your testing with our thermal testing products.

Beyond the normal ways that our Thermal Platforms and Chambers help you get the job done expeditiously, TotalTemp is offering:

Thermal test equipment with Cloud Storage technology and also Space Simulation chambers.

Cloud Storage Technology

Supporting the effort to get product testing done correctly, repeatedly with consistently reported results, Synergy Server and available cloud storage technologies let you have your test data quickly and easily organized, with traceability.

The days of circle-chart recorders and hand plots are long gone, your test results can be reliably automatically stored.  Reported to PDF, in email, directly to a network printer or to the Synergy Server.  There is no need to file things by hand anymore

Cost savings, security, automation, accessibility, collaboration and recovery are all made easy with these features.

Cloud storage is quickly becoming the method of choice for Engineers and Managers who need to be responsible for test data.

Space Simulation Chambers

The efficient advantages of thermal platforms are a natural for conductive heat transfer in high vacuum applications.  With all the new hardware going into space, where service calls are rare, thermal vacuum testing is important part of testing high altitude and satellite equipment.

70°C to +175°C, vacuum to 1×10-6 Torr

Affordable and configurable for your application.  Simultaneous high vacuum and thermal testing without renting time at a test lab.  Thermal platforms to fit your vacuum chamber or fully turn-key systems.  Platform shown inside bell jar is 6.5” x 7.5”, other sizes and different bell jars available.

TotalTemp Temperature Chamber Manufacturer Incorporates Cloud Technology

TotalTemp Temperature Chamber Manufacturer Incorporates Cloud Technology to Deliver Faster and More Accurate Test Results

Cloud storage delivers more accurate information as it is set up to transmit and save automatically.

In today’s world of being constantly on-the-go, the idea of having test data automatically stored in such a manner that is easily accessible from practically anywhere and that the same data is stored safely is almost priceless.

Especially in a field that requires fast, correct information such as product testing. It is absolutely critical that the information gathered is organized, accurate and easy to access at any time.

We at TotalTemp understand that automation, efficiency, accuracy and accessibility are vitally important in the world of thermal testing.

Which is exactly why TotalTemp Cryogenic Thermal Platforms and Temperature Chambers have modern cloud technology. We want your product testing to be the most efficient, secure and accessible than it ever has been.

 

What are the Benefits of Cloud Technology for Data Storage? 

Cloud storage is more economical than on-site server storage. Because there is no physical hardware to maintain, less time and money can be spent on simply storing data. You won’t need teams of people to solely work on data storage, backup and maintenance. You can put those same people to work elsewhere getting products ready for use.

Online cloud storage offers multiple geographical location redundancy and replication. The information is routinely encrypted to keep the data safe from unauthorized users. Additionally, there isn’t concern about losing data in a fire, flood or other catastrophe that can wipe out all of your hard work in a matter of minutes.

Cloud storage delivers more accurate information as it is set up to transmit and save automatically, leaving less room for user error and lost data. Online storage offers the ability to access stored data from any device and location that has internet connection. Whether you are on site or at a client’s office, you can access needed information.

Cloud storage enables multiple people to access the same information at the same time. No one has to worry about getting error messages that a file is already in use. Cloud storage utilizes an easy drag and drop method of organizing and adding files making work fast and simple.

 

Why Does this Matter to You? 

It is vitally important for you and your employees to have access to safe, secure and accurate information before, during and after testing, correct? With TotalTemp’s Temperature Chamber that has incorporated Cloud technology, you will have fast, unfettered access to that needed data.

TotalTemp’s Temperature Controller aptly named Synergy, works synergistically with our temperature chambers and thermal platforms delivering real time results to Cloud Storage. This means immediate test results are available to all levels of workers that the data is shared with. Product testing results are organized and delivered to a secure location automatically by the temperature controller which would otherwise be time consuming and prone to errors.

The data is kept safe with multiple backup saves meaning you can spend more time getting value from the data and less time worrying about backing it up. The files are also autosaving almost constantly meaning you are less likely to lose valuable information, even as multiple employees are working within the same file simultaneously.

Being able to bring all of these elements together quickly and accurately means you benefit from easy to use automation. TotalTemp’s growing product line now offers three standard models of convectionTemperature Chambers: C230, C460 and C900 (number roughly represents volume in inches).  New and custom models being added now.  Our original line of new generation thermal platforms is filling out with chambers and small hybrid chambers which combine convection with conduction for even better performance.

TotalTemp’s goal is consistently providing quality products with two year warranty at cost effective prices. This only enhanced by incorporating cloud technology in our controllers for platforms and temperature chambers to deliver faster and more accurate test results.  This allows you to spend more time on what matters most.