The Colorado Association for Manufacturing and Technology (CAMT) recognized Cascade TEK’s Front Range facility in Longmont, Colorado this month for our innovative product testing services.

Innovation at Cascade TEK testing facilities includes continued expansion and dedication to providing test equipment that meets the ever-changing needs of the Cascade TEK customer.

“Making sure we continuously expand test capabilities is crucial to the success of Front Range,” says Cascade Vice President Mary Babitz. “Our customer’s test requirements are ever changing. It’s our job to have the test equipment they need to help bring products to market as quickly as possible.”

By mid-January our Colorado laboratory will add several new pieces of equipment:

• 2500lb capacity incline impact tester for ISTA package testing.
• 40,000lbf electro-dynamic vibration system. (The 4th vibration system to come on line)
• Free Fall Shock Tower

Front Range has acquired certification from the International Safe Transit Association (ISTA)for package testing, and provides a broad range of testing services for the automotive, aerospace, electronics, medical and packaging industries.

Our Colorado facility offers a wide variety of testing services, including vibration, shock, temperature and humidity, thermal shock, sand and dust, UV exposure, salt-fog, altitude, rapid decompression, g-force acceleration, IP (ingress protection)and ISTA package testing.

Click here to read more about our Cascade TEK’s Front Range laboratory in the CAMT newsletter!.

]]> http://www.cascadetek.com/shake-and-bake/2012/01/colorado-association-for-manufacturing-and-technology-recognizes-cascade-tek-front-range-for-innovative-product-testing-services/feed/ 0 http://www.cascadetek.com/shake-and-bake/2011/11/pilots-catch-a-break-with-help-from-cascade-tek-and-paperlesscockpit-com%e2%80%99s-ipad-kaboom-project/ http://www.cascadetek.com/shake-and-bake/2011/11/pilots-catch-a-break-with-help-from-cascade-tek-and-paperlesscockpit-com%e2%80%99s-ipad-kaboom-project/#comments Thu, 17 Nov 2011 21:10:47 +0000 admin http://www.cascadetek.com/shake-and-bake/?p=503
The push to remove 40 pounds worth of reference material usually found in airline pilots’ carry-on bags got a big boost this past July when the iPad 2 underwent rapid decompression testing at Cascade TEK’s test facility in Hillsboro, Oregon.

The testing concluded a project known as the iPad KABOOM!, a community effort led by PaperlessCockpit.com  to raise  money to have the iPad 2 tested to RTCA/DO-160 Rapid Decompression standards. The testing was used to gain FAA approval for cockpit use of the iPad and iPad 2 devices to access operating manuals, safety checklists, logbooks and more. Key issues in adopting the new technology for in-flight use include demonstration of the safety of electronic devices as well as the integrity of the products themselves. As F.A.A. Deputy Director John W. McGraw noted in a recent New York Times article, “Each airline must submit a unique proposal on how they want to use the iPad and prove that both the device and software application are safe and effective for that proposed use.” The iPad KABOOM! project offered participants shared access to testing results.

Cascade TEK conducted the DO-160 Section 4.6.2 Decompression test at its Hillsboro, Oregon location in July. In the first phase of testing Cascade TEK placed the iPad 2 in an altitude chamber for two hours. The second phase of testing simulated rapid decompression, with the altitude switching from 8,000 to 51,000 feet in under fifteen seconds. The iPad 2 remained fully operational and suffered no physical deterioration during the test. Success!

Use of the iPad and iPad 2 in lieu of paper reference materials offers many benefits for pilots, from reducing physical strain to faster access to information in emergency situations.

Rapid decompression testing is just one of the many Environmental Testing Services offered at Cascade TEK’s two locations in Oregon and Colorado providing reliable testing with full range of climatic and dynamic test simulations.

For more information about the iPad KABOOM! Project, visit PaperlessCockpit.com.

Learn more about the move towards a paperless cockpit in a recent article in the New York Times.Cascade TEK RTCA-DO-160 Rapid Decompression Testing

We know you may still have questions after the decision to buy is made, which is why we’ve created a series of videos to get you started—from setting up your vacuum oven to advanced instructions for setting ramp and soak profiles and time to temp mapping. Whatever your question, these fun and instructional videos will help you learn the ins and outs of your new lab oven in record time.

Nine videos in all! Watch all nine to learn more about:

Changing your Watlow EZ-Zone from Celsius to Fahrenheit

Getting started with your Cascade TEK Oven Controller

Programming your Watlow EZ-Zone:  Simple Ramp and Profile

Programming your Watlow EZ-Zone: Advanced Ramp and Soak Profiles

Setting the high limit on a Cascade TEK Oven

Dry Scroll Vacuum Pump applications

Connecting a vacuum pump to a Cascade TEK vacuum oven (Part 1 and Part 2)

Introduction to the TVO vacuum oven control panel

Overview of rear vacuum connections

Get updates on newly-posted videos as soon as they become available! Subscribe to our Cascade TEK YouTube channel to be notified when new videos are posted.

An excerpt from the awards show, courtesy of Community Action Executive Director Jerralynn Ness:

When Doug was deciding where to locate his business Hillsboro appealed to him because of the proximity to potential clients and the sense of community.  After living all over the country, he was ready to put down roots and become active in his community.

Cascade TEK just opened a second facility in Longmont, Colorado specializing in environmental test services for a wide range of products. Many manufacturers turn to Cascade TEK to find out how products will hold up against environmental conditions.

Doug Barrett accepts Outstanding Business Leader Award

Helping his employees thrive by providing generous benefits and pay and an appealing work environment is a source of pride for Doug.  Cascade TEK cares about the entire package. This includes giving back to the community. Doug quickly became an active and engaged corporate citizen: “I had very humble beginnings–which is why I feel strongly about giving back.”

In providing leadership and support as a member of the board of St Andrews Legal Clinic, Doug has made a commitment to ensure that legal assistance is available to anyone, regardless of their ability to pay.

When asked why he gives so generously, he said “we’ve done well and we should share”.  And he went on to explain that “things come and go; I don’t care about that.  I want to leave a lasting difference.  I want Cascade TEK to be a good corporate citizen of Hillsboro and Washington County.”

• Vibration & Shock
• Drop Shock
• Temperature & Humidity Testing
• Salt Fog
• Additional Capabilities are coming online weekly!

Meet The Team

Michael Bosica

Laboratory Manager
bosica@cascadetek.com
720-340-7810 x 302

Michael has been working in environmental test laboratories since 2005. He’s no stranger to getting our Longmont lab operational. Before joining Cascade TEK, Michael was responsible for the start up of a second laboratory in San Clemente, CA.

Although he knows how to run all the tests we perform, Michael is a dynamics expert. Our Colorado customers with shock and vibrationrequirements are in especially good hands. He has extensive experience in MIL-STD vibration and shock profiles. One of his favorites is running high-Grms rocket liftoff simulations. He also hasHALT/HASS experience.

Joe Fratiello

Applications Engineer
joe@cascadetek.com
720.340.7810 x204

Joe has been with Cascade TEK since 2009. He has extensive knowledge of many industry specifications including MIL-STD, DO-160, ASTM, SAE, IEC and ISTA. Joe holds a degree in Systems Engineering from West Point and is an Army Veteran. Photo depicts Joe hiking (or chasing something) through the Northern California Coast.

Garrett Harris

Assistant Application Engineer
garrett@cascadetek.com
720.340.7810 x230

Garrett is the newest addition to our testing quote and scheduling team. He is quickly becoming our resident expert in MIL-STD test requirements. Garrett holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Oregon Institute of Technology. Photo depicts Garrett tubing down the raging rapids of Rogue River, Oregon.

From the article: “Cascade Technical Sciences Inc., which is based in Hillsboro, Oregon, is opening a testing facility at 1530 Vista View Drive in the Vista View Commercial Center, located east of Longmont in Weld County. The company, which will do business as Cascade Tek Front Range, will perform mechanical and environmental tests for clients.

Cascade Tek took possession of the building this week and plans to open by the end of March or early April, vice president of operations Terry Candlish said. Cascade Tek is equipping the 15,525-square-foot space with about $1 million worth of equipment.”

http://www.bcbr.com/article.asp?id=55433

Alicia writes, “ In a separate move, Portland-based Cascade Tek on Monday put in an offer to purchase a nearly 16,000-square-foot building at 1530 Vista View Drive in Longmont, said Terry Candlish, the company’s vice president of operations. If the offer that includes an initial lease option goes through, the company would establish Cascade Tek Front Range, a facility to offer a variety of mechanical testing options such as shock, vibration, humidity and testing certified by the International Safe Transit Association, he said.

Click Here for a Virtual Tour of Cascade TEK

Read more: Efforts ramp up to fill void of Longmont’s Advanced Product Testing Lab – Boulder Daily Camera http://www.dailycamera.com/business/ci_16694288#ixzz16DamIGAX
DailyCamera.com

CascadeTEK Tests in Denver, Possible expansion

Oracle Corp., one of the few Denver-area product testing labs, has stopped performing tests such as vibration, MIL-STD, DO-160, ISTA package and transportation simulation testing for non-Oracle customers.  As a result many area businesses, once dependent on Oracle to test their products, are scrambling to find accredited labs large enough to handle all their testing demands.  Enter Cascade Technical Sciences.

Original article (below) by DailyCamera in Boulder, CO:

Oracle closes Longmont test lab to outside business

Portland firm eyeing market as a result

By Alicia Wallace Camera Business Writer

Posted: 10/12/2010 07:49:28 PM MDT

Oracle Corp. recently closed its Longmont technology testing facility — a site with roots dating back nearly 30 years to StorageTek — to outside business, an official for the lab’s certifying organization confirmed Tuesday.

As a result, officials for one Louisville company said it and other firms are scrambling to effectively test and fail-safe their high-tech devices. Alternatively, the move has lead a Portland firm to scope out sites in Boulder County for a testing lab.

The Advanced Product Testing laboratory at 1601 Dry Creek Drive in Longmont is no longer being certified by the International Safe Transit Association and will be used for in-house testing for Oracle, said Meredith Dougherty, an ISTA vice president.

Officials who worked closely with the lab directed inquiries to Oracle’s corporate office. Oracle officials could not be reached for comment.

The lab started in 1982 as an in-house product packaging design and testing site for Louisville-based Storage Technology Corp. and moved 10 years later to a site in Longmont. In 1995, the Advanced Product Testing lab was opened to outside business, an offering that remained after Sun Microsystems acquired StorageTek.

Prior to its acquisition by Oracle this year, Sun Microsystems moved its radio frequency identification technology testing center to the local facility and touted on its Web site the lab was “one of the largest … radio-frequency identification, packaging design and product testing laboratories in the nation.”

Customers such as Jack Strandquist and Mike Swain at Broomfield-based Aircell Business Aviation expected that to continue under Oracle’s watch, but said they were shocked to receive a call from Oracle about the facility no longer being available.

The decision sent Aircell “scrambling” to find another outfit to satisfy the testing requirements for its aviation telecommunication technologies.

“Locally, on the Front Range, from Fort Collins to the Springs, I found nobody,” Swain said. “I found a couple little labs that specialize in bits and pieces, which means that I’m having to go to several differing locations to do the same kind of testing. I’m getting quotes from Tempe, Ariz.; San Jose; Portland, Ore.”

The closure “greatly complicates” Aircell’s product development process and, possibly, it’s competitive position, Strandquist said.

“There’s a big demand for that lab, and they’ve shut the doors,” he said.

Terry Candlish, vice president of operations for Portland, Ore.-based Cascade Tek, said his environmental testing services firm has received a number of calls from former Advanced Product Testing customers seeking alternatives since the closure.

The inquiries put a little more fuel on the Cascade Tek’s expansion hopes, he said.

“We had heard about Oracle closing their lab there and letting some people go, and that accelerated some of our interest there,” he said. “It’s looking like it’s a possibility.”

During the past couple weeks, Candlish visited Colorado and toured a couple of properties in the Denver region, including a couple of sites in Longmont.

Contact Camera Business Writer Alicia Wallace at 303-473-1332 or wallacea@dailycamera.com.

Original Article:Oracle closes Longmont test lab to outside business – Boulder Daily Camerahttp://www.dailycamera.com/business/ci_16322143#ixzz12MU8onNc
DailyCamera.com

Emphasis for the seminar will be:

1. Stresses applied during the design phase (HALT) in order to force accelerated design maturity, obtaining robust design margins, and allowing earlier, or mature, product introduction.

2. Methods in the production phase (HASS) to ensure robust manufacturing processes at suppliers, at top level assembly, and everywhere in between: shipping, handling, and storage.

According to post-seminar surveys, past participants have benefited greatly from their time spent at the seminar, including:

• Reduction of product development time and cost by a factor of 2.
• Return on investment of 50:1 in the first year.
• Hundreds of millions of dollars saved in 2 ½ years.
• Dramatically increased MTBF’s, 838 times improvement in one case.
• Greatly reduced warranty and field retrofitting costs!
• One company shipped many 1,400 lb racks of electronics without any field failures in a complete year!
• One company reported a savings of $30 million in one year.
• Reduction in REL-DEMO costs by orders of magnitude.
• Substantial savings in manufacturing costs. Almost no scrap and rework.
• Vast reduction in screening and test equipment costs.
• Detect those “No Defects Found” in field returns! The “Magic Bullet”.

The workshop will feature Chet Haibel, a Senior Member of the American Society for Quality (ASQ), as the instructor. Haibel is certified as a Reliability Engineer, Quality Engineer, Software Quality Engineer, Quality Auditor, Biomedical Auditor, and Manager of Quality / Organizational Excellence.

Cascade TEK is an A2LA accredited product testing laboratory in Hillsboro OR. Cascade TEK performs a wide variety of environmental stress tests, including vibration and shock, UV exposure, sand & dust, thermal shock, temp/humidity and altitude testing.

To register for the workshop contact:

HOBBS Engineering CORP
4300 W 100th Ave.
Westminster, CO 80031-2481
303.465.5988
www.hobbsengr.com
Email us