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Atlas Enhances Weather-Ometer

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

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Atlas Material Testing has introduced a new technology for its Weather-Ometer that enhances temperature measurement and recording.

The company’s new S³T (Specimen Specific Surface Temperature) Technology is designed to provide accurate surface temperature measurements for materials under a wide range of weathering test conditions.

The temperature of a material in a weathering test is a primary factor in material degradation, the company notes. Measuring specimen temperature during accelerated tests usually requires interruption of the test cycle. S³T is designed to address that challenge.

Technology and Application

The system uses a non-contact thermal infrared sensor (pyrometer) facing the exposed specimen surface to provide accurate temperature profiling during test exposure, according to Atlas. An RFID system is used for automatic sample indexing and identification. The temperature data can be viewed in a table or trend plot format on a new full-color touch screen display.

The S³T system includes NIST-traceable calibration of the infrared pyrometer and can also be calibrated in the field without removing any components. The new system can be used in a wide range of test standards with different temperature, irradiance, and humidity set points.

Selected Features

According to the manufacturer, features include:

• Input of specimen codes to link temperature data to each specimen under test;

• Easy viewing of temperatures in real-time while the specimens are on exposure; and

• Efficient transfer of data to spreadsheet format for further analysis.

Atlas, part of AMETEK Measurement & Calibration Technologies, is a global provider of material testing technology, offering a complete line of instruments and services for accelerated and natural weathering.

More information: atlasinfo.us@ametek.com.