Climatic Test Chamber Working Procedures & Important Standards

Product qualification and reliability analysis depend heavily on climatic testing as a fundamental requirement. All manufactured products require environmental testing to function properly under various environmental conditions which include heat and cold temperatures and humidity and rapid temperature changes. The testing of these conditions cannot be performed in real-world outdoor settings because they are unpredictable and need extended periods of time.

To address this issue, companies utilize climatic test chambers, advanced instruments that can replicate climate conditions under laboratory controlled conditions. Test chambers are utilized to investigate a product's response to environmental stresses it may be subjected to while it is in storage, during transport, and lastly during actual use.

What are Climate Test Chambers?

Climate test chambers are insulated chambers used for emulating other environments and atmospheric conditions, including severe temperature- and humidity-based conditions, to test the durability and reliability of products, materials, and systems. They help manufacturers and researchers determine if products can survive real-world conditions, typically accelerating the testing process so that performance can be predicted over a longer period of time.

Purpose of Climate Test Chamber Standards

The intention behind climate test chamber standards is to ensure products are reliable, durable, and safe through testing within controlled conditions so they can perform in real-life situations and adhere to industry guidelines before sale. 

Major reasons behind standards for climate test chambers:

1. Assure product reliability and durability: Standards enable manufacturers to predict product performance over a period of time by putting their products through simulated environmental stresses, such as heat, cold, humidity and other stresses. In addition, standards allow for early evaluation of possible product failure early in the design process.
2. Comply with regulations and standards: In most industries, products must meet specific performance and/or safety thresholds (e.g., FDA, ISO, ASTM) to be sold in the marketplace. Climate testing standards assist with conformity to these benchmarks.
3. Consistent testing: Standards provide a reliable and reproducible means of conducting testing. This leads to reproducible and comparable test results, regardless of test, product, or manufacturer. 
4. Perform accelerated life testing: Standards allow accelerated aging tests, where the whole life of a product is tested in a fraction of the time, to predict durability and lifespan more rapidly.
5. Facilitate quality assurance: By utilizing standards, business organizations are able to perform quality assurance tests to identify changes in product performance, safety issues, or failures that can occur throughout a product’s life cycle.

Climatic Test Chamber Procedures

Processes followed in climatic test chamber use involve sample preparation, adjusting the chamber's environmental conditions (temperature, humidity, etc.) to agreed-upon parameters as part of the test standard, placing the sample in the chamber, and running the test cycle.

1. Sample Preparation for Testing

Samples are housed/conditioned/templated, conditioned and prepared at normal laboratory conditions before testing. Preconditioning prepares the test sample for the testing environment and moderates influences from the environment such as moisture, dust, or temperature differences. It ensures repeatable test results and allows reliable baseline evaluation of environmental stress effects during the test.

2. Establishing Environmental Parameters

The climatic test chamber is programmed with the required temperature, humidity, and number of cycles specified in the applicable standard (i.e., IEC or ISO). It is calibrating to ensure the proper designation of any accurate values. They have simulated real ambient conditions for the purpose of testing the endurance and reliability of the product.

1. Placing the Sample Inside

The sample is positioned into the chamber so that it has even exposure to temperature and humidity. Adequate spacing of samples provides a certain distance for airflow. Sensors or thermocouples can be attached to monitor real-world exposure conditions during the test-cycle period and the length of the test.

2. Performing the Test Cycle

Once the chamber is in stable conditions, the test cycle can begin. The chamber automatically regulates and measures temperature, humidity, and time variations during the test cycle. This test cycle simulates environmental stresses to measure the changed performance, deterioration, or suspension of the sample under climate conditions simulating real-world environments.

Common IEC Standard for Climatic Testing

The general IEC norm for climatic testing is IEC 60068, a multipart series offering methods for environmental testing of electrotechnical products. It consists of a general part (IEC 60068-1) and a part for tests (IEC 60068-2), which deals with different climatic conditions such as dry heat, damp heat, and solar radiation.

Main standards in the IEC 60068 series

• IEC 60068-1: Establishes the general structure, guidance, and classifications for environmental testing.
• IEC 60068-2: A series of specific test procedures and severities, with standard tests being:
  • Dry heat tests
  • Damp heat, cyclic tests
  • Solar radiation tests
  • Salt mist tests (IEC 60068-2-68)
• IEC 60068-3: Holds supporting information and guidance for the remainder of the standard, including how to calculate the uncertainty of conditions in climatic test chambers.

Common ISO Standard for Climatic Testing

The ISO standards for climatic testing include ISO 16750-4 which applies to electrical components of road vehicles and the ISO 14000 series with ISO 14001 for complete environmental management systems. The ISO 17025 standard provides laboratory testing requirements that apply to all laboratories. Depending on the industry and product type under test, different standards apply.

Product standards

• The standard ISO 16750-4 provides recommendations for road vehicle electrical and electronic equipment to withstand climatic loads and stresses through temperature range and humidity testing.
• The standard ISO 9022 provides guidelines for environmental testing of optical equipment systems.
• ISO 20653 is concerned with water and dust protection against ingress (IP ratings).

Conclusion 

The standards for climatic test chambers are a cornerstone of environmental testing. Manufacturers operate these facilities to establish controlled testing environments that replicate actual conditions for evaluating product safety and operational performance under various environmental settings.

The implementation of IEC and ISO standards helps industries produce exact and uniform testing results that fulfill worldwide regulatory standards. The implementation of these standards leads to better product quality and increased consumer trust while reducing the number of product failures that occur under typical operating conditions.