To ensure their product retains its usefulness over time, manufactures must determine its capacity to withstand various environmental factors. Applied technical Services helps them measure their product materials’ resistance to the sun’s rays by performance xenon exposure testing.
Outlasting Weather Exposure
Because all materials eventually fail, all products have a finite lifespan. Part of the manufacturing process is choosing appropriate materials for the composition of the product, and an important factor in this decision is considering how long materials perform to expectations under the product’s intended use. Depending on how the product is to be used or stored, it may need to survive any host of environmental factors like wind, rain, heat, cold, salinity, and altitude.
Of the weathering elements that manufacturers must consider, however, one may strike people as counterintuitive — sunlight. Materials exposed to solar radiation over time undergo changes to a variety of their physical and visual properties, like weakening their structural integrity or fading the color of their coating. To determine the effects of the sun’s rays on their product, manufacturers send samples to Applied Technical Services; we establish constituent materials’ resistance to solar radiation by performing xenon exposure testing.
About the Method: Xenon-Arc Exposure
ATS performs the method by exposing the sample materials to cycles of radiation like those present in actual sunlight. Our technicians accomplish this with the help of powerful xenon arc chambers; this equipment uses xenon-powered arc lights to emit radiation, which is then filtered to most closely emulate the sun’s rays. By controlling the exposure periods and intensity, our lab observes any differences between reactions to varying stimuli and measures them.
Our xenon chambers can affect more than just solar radiation as well: manipulating the chamber’s temperature, ambient humidity, and spray exposure allow ATS’ technicians to more accurately simulate weather patterns and other live-usage scenarios. To account for the product’s intended use, we can also directly expose the test materials or filter the radiation through a pane of glass.
Our lab is ISO/IEC 17025:2017 (A2LA) accredited to perform xenon testing to the standards of SAE J2527, SAE J2412, SAE J1885, and ASTM G155, although we regularly conduct these tests to ISO 4892–2, ASTM D6695, ASTM D4459, and ASTM D2565 as well. ATS technicians may further perform the method to client or industry standards as relevant.
ATS and Xenon Exposure Testing
ATS has been providing testing, engineering consulting, and inspection services of peerless quality for over 50 years. We proudly serve clients working in a variety of industries and that operating around the globe. Our weathering lab produces highly accurate results as quickly as possible due to our technicians’ familiarity in using our powerful equipment to perform these tests. If you need to find out your product’s resilience against the effects of the sun, send your sample to ATS for xenon exposure testing — we take a closer look.
