New testing laboratory for Hi-Rel products
As part of its design and development process for rugged, harsh environment and high-reliability (Hi-Rel) applications, Nicomatic subjects its products to stringent environmental, mechanical and electrical tests to ensure that they meet complex industry standards and specifications. The company has recently opened a materials testing laboratory, offering these test and qualification services to customers with demanding applications.
Nicomatic test engineers work closely with customer design and development teams, applying their expertise to complex materials test and qualification of customer projects. Nicomatic’s test lab is certified to ISO 9001 and AS9100, with experience in meeting industry standards and specifications across defence, aeronautics and space applications, including MIL-DTL-55302, MIL-DTL-83513 and ESCC3401.
Almost a dozen test instruments and machines perform more than 30 tests to ensure customer products, devices and systems are comprehensively performance tested, including:
• Signal integrity: a Rohde & Schwarz vector network analyser performs characterisation of signals across time and frequency domains, and for standard communications protocols (including Ethernet, USB, SATA and HDMI).
• Environmental: using a Labworks vibration test bench, tests can be carried out for vibration, magnetic permeability, temperature cycling, with damp or dry heat or cold, thermal shock and humidity-controlled salt spray.
• Mechanical: using a vertical test bench and an Antilog Atlas II CC automated materials testing machine, tests can be carried out for tensile and mechanical strength, separation, retention and mating/unmating force, and for cable crimp tensile strength.
• Electrical: A Sefelec dielectric meter can be used to perform both hipot and insulation tests, determining dielectric withstanding or breakdown voltage, at specific altitudes between sea level (1 bar) and 30 000 metres (10 mbar), and insulation resistance test from sea level to high altitude.
• Chemical: Tests include fluid resistance, marking and silicon elasticity/expansion.
“This new test laboratory fulfils several important roles for Nicomatic,” explained Jorris Martel, test engineer at Nicomatic. “The first one is to qualify all our interconnect products to the relevant industry standards and specifications. Through this first process, we can provide all the data and information that customers require in term of performance.”
Source: https://www.dataweek.co.za/19774r
