TEMPERATURE CHAMBER SOLUTIONS

Heating System

The heating systems in AES chambers are all-electric and pass air over fast-response, low-watt-density resistance heaters with a ceramic core, ensuring a long, reliable life with no downtime. The combination of airflow, instrument response, and these fast-reacting heaters gives highly accurate and straight-line temperature control. These heating systems support temperatures upwards of 180°C (356°F), and heaters may be controlled independently or in unison. Heating systems are located in a plenum so that test items are not subject to direct radiation.

Cooling System

The cooling system in AES chambers consists of a self-contained mechanical refrigeration system with a cascade configuration. You’ll have the option of air-cooling or water-cooling. Air-cooling comes with easier installation and is less expensive than water-cooling. However, it produces slower pulldown rates.

Water-cooling systems result in faster pulldown rates and are more energy efficient, but they require a dedicated, conditioned water supply and are more complicated to install.

You can supplement your system with boost cooling employing liquid nitrogen (N2) or carbon dioxide (CO2) for even faster pull-down rates. It's a great option for stress tests that require rapid cooling. Even without boost cooling, AES standard cascade refrigeration systems have the fastest standard change rates of any environmental test chamber manufacturer.

Air Circulation

Air circulation is crucial for environmental testing. AES’s chambers have proprietary baffle and fan design combinations, which optimize temperature conditions within the workspace.

Safety Features

Temperature chambers come standard with a few key safety features. A high/low temperature control function enables you to adjust testing conditions so they do not exceed a certain temperature limit above or below what is set for the device under testing (DUT). This includes an internal high-temperature safety component and refrigeration system over-pressure safety circuit. These elements combine to help protect your product throughout the testing process.

Additionally, temperature chambers designed for battery testing come equipped with standard and additional safety features that are key in preventing thermal runaways. AES SAFE chambers have safety features rated up to EUCAR level 7. They protect products and labs and keep user safety in mind so you can innovate with confidence.

Radio Frequency Shielding

Some companies need to block radio frequencies during their testing because they can affect the performance and functionality of DUTs. This is also important for compliance. In the form of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the United States government strictly enforces safety restrictions on radio frequencies. The regulations cover everything from broadcast television and radio to satellite communications and aeronautical navigation.

AES builds some temperature chambers with RF shielding that features the following:

• Cellular, metallic, chromatic gaskets and conductive adhesives that seal the workspace
• A honeycombed RF-shielded grill that keeps the circulation motor cool
• Electrical wiring fed through special RF filters
• Standard and customer-requested RF-rated connectors, installed on a side-mounted interface plate to provide a shielded pass-through grid so you can communicate with the DUT

The level of attenuation (the strength of the signal the test chamber blocks and, by extension, isolates) varies as well. Each test chamber is certified by an independent facility prior to being shipped.