Anthony's Very Cool Copter

Anthony Vo, Mechanical Engineer at Rockwell Collins is our guest today.   He brought in the coolest remote controlled helicopter we’ve ever seen. It’s a T-REX 700 with a size 90 motor.  It can fly inverted, backwards and inverted AND backwards.  It took Anthony about 6 months to learn that skill.  Many crashes, too.  Total flight time is about 10 minutes, before burning through the two nitro (alcohol based) fuel tanks.  The helicopter has a range of about 1/2 mile and he’s taken it to about 500 ft altitude.  Costs about $2K.  

Cascade TEK does quite a bit of testing on aircraft components.  RTCA- DO160 is the test standard most common for avionics.  Let us know if we can help with your flying machine.

Tony "Dusty" Arbogast & Phan Tu Execute A Sand/Dust Test

Cascade TEK’s blowing sand and dust chamber has been operational now for a few weeks.  So far we have tested products such as cell phones, door latches,  filters and avionics equipment to the MIL-STD 810F Blowing Sand and Blowing Dust test specifications.  Here is a picture of a test in action. It gives you a good idea of what this machine looks like.

Check out  Cascade TEK MIL-STD 810 Blowing Dust for details on how the MIL-STD 810 Blowing Dust test is performed.

Check out  Cascade TEK MIL-STD 810 Blowing Sand for details on how the MIL-STD 810 Blowing Sand test is  performed.

Cascade TEK also performs SETTLING Sand and Dust testing, popular with automotive, avionic and entertainment component manufacturers.  The SETTLING Sand and Dust tests we run most often are RTCA-DO-160, SAE J1455 and IEC 60529 IP5X and and IP6X. Exposure to fine dust causes problems with moving parts, forms conductive bridges and acts as an absorbent material for the collection of water vapor.  Not good.

With state of the art modular fixtures, the testing lab at Cascade TEK can physically test product functionality thousands of times, replicating the repetition it would face throughout its normal lifetime.

Examples of such tests include hinge testing, clasp and release, button pushing, opening and closing, or pressing and releasing keyboard functions. Our facility also has the ability to customize our testing processes to meet most product needs. Have a product you need to test?

Detailed test data, cycle reports and photographs are provided upon test completion. You can check out our tests in action by watching the video below.

[See post to watch Flash video] ]]> http://www.cascadetek.com/shake-and-bake/2010/02/product-life-cycle-testing/feed/ 0 http://www.cascadetek.com/shake-and-bake/2009/12/cascade-tek-adds-mil-std-blowing-sand-and-dust-testing-capabilities/ http://www.cascadetek.com/shake-and-bake/2009/12/cascade-tek-adds-mil-std-blowing-sand-and-dust-testing-capabilities/#comments Fri, 11 Dec 2009 19:33:57 +0000 admin http://www.cascadetek.com/shake-and-bake/?p=42 Cascade TEK’s new Blowing Sand and Dust Chamber is the first of its kind in the country.  It is designed to perform the blowing sand/dust tests called for in MIL-STD 810F.  What makes our Blowing Sand and Dust Chamber unique is that it’s able record test temperature, humidity, wind speed and particle concentration values in REAL TIME.  This is unlike any other sand and dust test data available.   Our next step is to have our Blowing Sand And Dust testing audited by A2LA and added to our list of accredited tests Cascade TEK performs.

Why conduct sand and dusting testing?
Sand and dust create a harsh environment for chassis, under-hood, and exterior mounted devices, and can be a long- term problem in interior locations, such as under the dash and seats in automobiles.  Exposure to fine dust causes problems with moving parts, forms conductive bridges and acts as an absorbent material for the collection of water vapor. Some electromechanical components may be able to tolerate fine dust, but larger particles affect or totally inhibit mechanical action.  Cascade TEK performs a wide variety of Sand and Dust Testing.  For more information, visit our sand and dust test page.

We are always looking for better equipment and ways to improve our testing services.  Check back soon for the latest from Cascade TEK or subscribe to our RSS feed.

You can link to the full video below.

See the Full Video

We are extremely excited to have ranked #36 on this much anticipated list. Selections were based on total revenue growth over the past 3 years, from 2006-2008. Our total revenue has seen an increase from $2.8 million in 2006 to $5.2 million in 2008, for an 84.69% overall growth. This is the first time we have made the list of Oregon’s fastest growing private companies. It is such a thrill for our entire team.

Our excitement extends beyond the immediate Cascade TEK family. Seeing our customers on the list was such a great feeling. It means we truly are making an impact in helping Oregon companies bring new and reliable products to market with our product testing capabilities. We are very pleased that we have been able to continually increase the types of product tests we perform and that our accreditations and expertise attract customers from all over the world.

A Huge Thanks to all of our employees, team members, and loyal customers for helping bring Cascade TEK to #36!

We have recently added new testing technology and are now accredited to test for the following A2LA standards:

Steam Clean and Pressure Wash Temperature Testing for SAE J1455 and DIN requirements.

Highly Accelerated Stress Testing (HAST) for JESD22 requirements.

Highly Accelerated Life Testing (HALT) for Qualmark Guideline 9.0

We have also expanded our existing test technology and are accredited to test for the following standards:

Mechanical Shock Testing of batteries to meet UN ST/SG/AC.10/11

Temperature Cycling Testing for JESD22 requirements

Enclosure Testing for NEMA 250 requirements

Dust Testing for SAE J1455 requirements

To download Cascade Tek’s complete scope of A2LA Accreditations click here

For information regarding all the testing services we offer click here

Since consistent bake-out results rely on uniform temperatures, we improved the temperature uniformity of the SVO-501, to +/-3% of the user set point. As well, we incorporated an optional touch screen data logger to make real time temperature, vacuum and independent thermocouple data more accessible and easy to download. Making adjustments to accommodate for various drying requirements is easier.

Like other Cascade TEK vacuum ovens, the SVO-501 offers digital independent over-temperature control and protection, built-in serial communication outputs for both temperature as well as vacuum and smart alarms to notify the operator if required specifications are not being met.

View more information here about the SVO-501 features and specifications.