Archive for the ‘Articles’ Category

Cascade TEK Helps Adidas Demonstrate Ruggedness of New Device Designed to Measure Athletic Performance

Monday, October 31st, 2011

Adidas has recently announced the launch of its new miCoach SPEED_CELL, a small device designed to live in the sole of your sport shoe and measure the speed, distance and time for both forward and lateral movement to help athletes study and improve athletic performance.

The device, a newly improved version of previous technologies, was tested for ruggedness and durability at Cascade TEK’s Testing Facility located in Hillsboro, Oregon—where it was found that the new SPEED_CELL stands up to the worst environmental conditions as recognized by the MIL-STD 810 test requirements. Cascade TEK testing of the SPEED_CELL included a laundry list of testing services: everything from Vibration and Shock Testing to high/low temperature tests, salt fog and corrosion testing and humidity tests were conducted to ensure the miCoach SPEED_CELL could withstand extreme temperature and environmental conditions without product breakdown.

“As a runner myself, it was fantastic to see the latest in digital sports technology survive even the harshest of real world conditions,” says Mary Babitz, Vice President of Cascade TEK. “At Cascade TEK, we’re pleased to know our testing services can help companies like Adidas demonstrate just how rugged their products really are.”

The device was designed at Adidas America which is headquartered in Portland, Oregon, and is being hailed as the “latest innovation in digital sports technology” by the German-based international company. Previous versions of MI Coach devices have been available since 2008.

To learn more about the miCoach SPEED_CELL, visit Allan Brettman’s blog at OregonLive.com.

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Colorado Open House Featured in Times-Call Article

Monday, August 22nd, 2011


Just when we thought things couldn’t get any better after the success of our Colorado Open House on August 12, we discovered this little piece from our local news and changed our minds.

We are happy to note the Open House was featured in the August 17 issue of the Longmont Times-Call, and thrilled the local press could attend along with the 300 community members who made it out to visit the the new Cascade TEK Front Range facility and to check out our offerings and those of EMC Integrity.

Thanks, Times-Call, we’re glad you could make it out!

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Cascade TEK Front Range test lab near Longmont ramps up

Saturday, January 8th, 2011

Here is an article from the Boulder County Business Report, highlighting our expansion into the Denver area. Cascade TEK’s new product reliability testing lab will be operating out of Longmont.

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

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Cascade TEK One Step Closer To Colorado Test Lab

Wednesday, November 24th, 2010

Longmont’s Daily Camera Business Writer Alicia Wallace (303-473-1332 or wallacea@dailycamera.com) has been covering the product testing void left by Oracle and Cascade TEK’s expansion efforts to bring  Cascade TEK’s A2LA Accredited, full -service product testing services to the Colorado region.

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.

It would be Cascade Tek’s second facility and is expected to employ about three or four employees initially and eight to 10 people in the next three years”.

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

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Cascade TEK Focuses on Testing in Denver; Eyeing Market

Thursday, October 14th, 2010
CascadeTek Hires sales manager for Denver, Colorado Testing Lab, Expanding to Denver

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

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CascadeTek’s Testing Capabilities featured in R&D Magazine

Wednesday, October 28th, 2009

In the October 09 issue of R&D magazine, the featured article titled “Understanding Contract Labs” calls on CascadeTek and our Vice President of Operations, Terry Candlish, to expound upon the benefits of third party environmental stress testing as well as the services, qualities and procedures of an expert testing lab like the one at CascadeTek.

The article states that, “Another reason a company might outsource their product is that they wish to have a third party do the testing. ‘A lot of companies that are instructing their vendors to do environmental stress testing usually want a third party to do the testing,’ says Terry Candlish, Work Laboratory Manager and Vice President of Operations, CASCADE TEK, Hillsboro, OR. ‘They want an unbiased party testing the product for integrity and strength, so that what is going to the market is a reliable product.’ ” The article goes on to further explain the importance of 3rd party contract laboratories and using their testing expertise with today’s demanding and strict standards. The full article is out now and can be read here.

R&D magazine is a greatly respected magazine in the Research and Development arena and has been around for over 50 years.  We are quite flattered to be called upon for our expert analysis and feedback in the Environmental Testing world.  Visit our Environmental Testing Services page to read more about our world class testing capabilities and facility.

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What is the Difference Between Salt Fog and Salt Spray Testing?

Tuesday, October 27th, 2009

We wanted to provide a little clarification in case you are wondering if Salt Fog Testing is different from Salt Spray Testing. From a testing standpoint, these are the exact same test, but they are often referred to by these different names because the levels of salt being applied vary according to the specific environmental conditions needed to be replicated. The test typically applies salt and/or sea mist to coated or painted marine, automotive, and military equipment, testing for corrosion over time through an accelerated process.

The concentration of salt and duration of testing are the two variables that are adjusted in order to tailor the test to your requirements.  Thus, the same test is sometimes referred to as Salt Fog or Salt Spray.  For more details on CascadeTek’s testing capabilities, visit our Environmental Testing Services Page.  We hope this helps!

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Five Reasons to Outsource Product Reliability Testing

Thursday, August 6th, 2009

Many companies have their own test equipment in house. If that is the case, when is a good time to consider utilizing the services of an outside lab? We’ve listed some below:

1. Save Time – Run Tests in Parallel
The test lab is ready to go. The equipment is dedicated to you, in good working order, calibrated and all the test documentation ready. Consider bringing multiple units to run a variety of tests at the same time. For example, start a Temperature Cycle Test on one unit and a Salt-Fog Test on another. This saves time and hassle associated with scheduling and administering the test in house. Outsourcing also a great way to handle overflow or back-logged test requirements. Running your tests at an outside lab will get the job done faster than waiting for the R&D Department to finish using the test chamber.

2. One Stop Shop
Often a testing program will require a wide variety of tests to be done in a certain sequence. A well equipped test lab will manage the logistics and schedule. If a certain test must be sent to another facility, the Test Lab has the resources to handle the coordination and keep the program on schedule.

3. Professional Quality Data
The Formal Test Report, or Test Certification document is the most important part of your test. Working with an outside lab gives you high quality, professional test data to release to your customers. This is also relieves you from time consuming paperwork.

4. Perform Only Accepted & Appropriate Tests – Consultative Expertise
An accredited test lab has a wide scope of industry and testing knowledge. Often test requirements are not well defined or succumb to “that’s the way we’ve always done it”. Reviewing the required tests up front with the Lab Manager can determine if a better or more industry appropriate test profile should be done.

5. Credible Results – Third Party Accreditation
Working with accredited test labs that are consistently audited by 3rd party organizations gives credibility to the test data and insures the lab is qualified to perform each test. For example, Cascade TEK is certified by A2LA, ISTA , and the Department of Defense.

For more information about the tests offered at Cascade TEK, visit our testing page.

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