In the October 09 issue of R&D magazine, thefeatured 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.
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!
Once again, we are excited to be participating in what has become a great local resource for testing customers. This is among the country’s longest running and most trusted contract manufacturing events for the sourcing of custom parts, services, design (and product testing of course). We always love this event! Here are the details:
Portland Expo Center
Portland, Oregon
September 16th – 17th 2009
Wednesday 9:30am – 4pm
Thursday 9:30 – 3pm
Cascade TEK Booth 328 (Environmental Testing)
NWEMC Booth 330 (EMI Testing)
Please come visit us to see what our latest innovations, products, and services are. We are one of only a few companies representing the testing services industry. You can register online at d2p.com.
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.
On June 18th, at an awards ceremony hosted by the Portland Art Museum, The Portland Business Journal officially announced their annual selections for the Oregon’s Fastest Growing Private Companies Top 100 List.
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!
As an accredited A2LA testing laboratory, we are constantly expanding our testing services ability by adding new test technology and updating our current technology with the specifications required to meet the stringent accreditation standards, ensuring quality performance from your equipment.
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
Hello Everyone, Please excuse our lapse in blogging. We make our blogging return with a video about a unique package testing application we performed. The test requires a 12.2 meter Package Drop Test Video for Test Spec. PRF 12990872. This includes a temperature pre-conditioning to determine if temperature has an effect on the product at the time of impact. Enjoy the video, and send along any questions or comments.
Cascade TEK recognizes the market’s demands for vacuum ovens that can be easily tailored to meet unique drying requirements. After reevaluating our mid-sized vacuum oven design, we created the new SVO-501, a five cubic foot vacuum drying oven, and made specific improvements to the temperature uniformity and increased process automation features. These changes translate into improved drying time, greater batch consistency and ease of use for our customers.
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.
Cascade TEK of Hillsboro, Oregon has received the A2LA accreditation from the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA). The staff at Cascade TEK’s environmental testing facility has spent the last year completing the extensive accreditation process, which now insures compliance of internal quality systems, technical staff, and calibration protocols to ISO/IEC 17025:2005 – General Requirements for the Competence of Calibration and Testing Laboratories. See details at Cascade TEK of Hillsboro, Oregon has received the A2LA accreditation from the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA). The staff at Cascade TEK’s environmental testing facility has spent the last year completing the extensive accreditation process, which now insures compliance of internal quality systems, technical staff, and calibration protocols to ISO/IEC 17025:2005 – General Requirements for the Competence of Calibration and Testing Laboratories. See details at A2LA Vibration Testing
