These days, the average product manufacturer’s main concern is saving money. That means cutting costs where necessary. What parts of the manufacturing process are expendable? Unfortunately, some might say comprehensive product testing during research and development is an unnecessary process that can be shelved while sales are down, that merely meeting industry standards is enough. The test chambers are expensive and it’s a lengthy process that requires a lot of skilled labor and equipment. In this tough economy, many manufacturers just don’t seem to have the resources for extensive environmental product testing. Well I’m here to tell you: this just is not true. If anything is important during a recession, it’s the quality of your product that will keep sales going—that compromising product value to save money is never the answer. [Continue Reading Article]

To be sure, outsourcing is not always the best option. The US manufacturing industry's obsession with outsourcing over the last several decades has led to some major economic problems here at home, although it was very profitable to the companies shipping their manufacturing overseas at the time. Nevertheless, manufacturers and service providers specialize for a reason, and companies can often benefit by relying someone else's expertise to perform certain processes. Your company may be the absolute best when it comes to manufacturing urethane casters, but affordably fitting those casters on a shelf in a space-efficient, attractive, easy-to-open package is probably not your strongest suit - unless you're a contract packaging provider. While contract packaging certainly isn't for everyone (environmental test chamber manufacturers, we're looking at you), it can provide huge benefits for manufacturers tied to consumer industries. Here are a few benefits other manufacturers have found: [Continue Reading Article]

With your company’s reputation on the line, especially in this unstable economy, the functionality and reliability of your products need to be rock-solid. Whether you’re refining existing products or developing new, you can’t waste valuable time on the wrong product testing procedure. Beyond simply meeting the standards for your industry, you want to stand out from the competitors by offering superior performance for the long run. Proper environmental testing is key during research and development; you want the confidence of going to market with documented proof that your product is the best it can be. After all, consumers will love the great warranties you will be able to offer, and why leave the door open for costly, time-consuming recalls? [Continue Reading Article]

There are three common ways of creating moisture for humidity control in test chambers. Let’s review they types and the benefits and limitations of each. Type 1: “Steam Generator” - A steam generator is a tank with an immersion heater. As the water in the tank is heated, steam rises up a tube to the chamber’s mixing plenum (where the main heaters and cooling coil are). The chamber, based on humidity demand, controls the output of the heater. [Continue Reading Article]