"Industry 4.0" investments and reliability tests in extreme conditions

The climatic chamber, or chamber for simulated environmental tests, is a tool used to create and simulate the desired environments in different temperature and humidity conditions. The use of this tool is essential for CAE to carry out accelerated testing on the ruggedness of its sensors and control units, in order to study their performance both in extreme conditions and in case of rapid changes in temperature or humidity.

CAE has purchased a new climatic chamber to update its facility for trials, tests and calibrations on its products. The new equipment, as with the ones previously in use, is produced by Angelantoni Test Technologies, a world-leader in this sector since 1952 and a reliable supplier of our company for over 30 years.

The model chosen is the ACS branded Discovery DM 1200 C ES chamber. With 1200 litres of internal capacity it is among the largest chambers on the market and allows CAE to test its sensors and instrumentation in their entirety. The volume of this new climatic chamber is equivalent to two of the chambers previously used by CAE; therefore, their replacement also allows energy savings and, consequently, a positive impact on environment.

The "ES" series of Discovery chambers allows for higher performance than its basic version, while maintaining the same overall dimensions and volumes. Other excellences of this facility are the temperature range extended to -75°C/+180°C and the humidity range extended to 10% / 98% between 10°C and 95°C, as well as its high temperature stability (between ±0.1°C and ±0.3°C) and relative humidity (between ±1% and ±3%). Another distinguishing feature is its cooling and heating speed, which is 5°C per minute in the descending phase and 6°C per minute in the ascending phase, therefore being extremely fast.

This essential aspect allows the equipment to conduct tests on elements where high reliability is required over time, in addition to all the tests on which CAE has developed ZBT - Zero Breakdown Technology, a distinguishing feature of all CAE Tech products.

The climatic chamber is also accessible and fully controllable remotely thanks to an integrated management system, also via web browser, via dedicated wireless network, via LAN and via cellular network. Moreover, the chamber is equipped with a PLC managing all the functions and safety blocks, allowing CAE to carry out trials and tests without the need for the physical presence of the operator, a not insignificant factor especially in this delicate period. And thanks to these characteristics, the investment was made within the framework of the National Plan for Industry 4.0.


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