Cascade TEK Blog

Catastrophic Moments In High Vacuum

marybabitz — Wed, 22 May 2013 20:19:29 +0000

Cascade TEK’s hi-vac ovens utilize a turbo pump to get into vacuum levels in the 10-7torr range. The interior of a turbo pump is loaded with blades that spin as fast as 20,000 rpm to achieve those hi-vacuum levels. The catch is…. turbo pumps cannot pump at atmospheric pressure. Turbo pumps should only be activated once the 1st stage “rough” vacuum pump has already pumped the system down to a pressure level that is low enough for the turbo to work.

ASTM B117 Salt Fog Test – Frequently Asked Questions & Quote Tool

marybabitz — Thu, 16 May 2013 17:16:53 +0000

ASTM B117 is the most widely used corrosion test. Cascade TEK is accredited to perform ASTM 117 and has published a quick reference on ASTM B117 answering questions such as:
Reasons to consider running an ASTM B117 Test
What results can you expect from a B117 Salt Fog Test?
When NOT to use ASTM B117 as the corrosion test standard
The general conditions and most popular exposure durations of ASTM B117
Helpful Tips -Before You Salt Fog Test

Production of Medical Devices - How To Minimize Dry Time

marybabitz — Tue, 14 May 2013 20:27:41 +0000

Cascade TEK Develops Vacuum Drying Processes For Medical Device Manufacturing

Vacuum Drying Works. Manufacturing Process Engineers know that vacuum drying is the most efficient method to remove moisture from products. Particularly in the medical device industry when products can be temperature sensitive.

Thermal Shock Testing – Liquid to Liquid

marybabitz — Fri, 10 May 2013 20:18:01 +0000

Cascade TEK now offers liquid to liquid thermal shock testing to MIL-STD 883 Method 1011 and MIL-STD 202, Method 107.
Liquid thermal shock chambers consist of separately controlled hot and cold baths in an inert liquid (typically Galden). The liquid provides an excellent heat exchange rate, allowing the item under test to be moved very rapidly between temperature extremes and resulting in an immediate temperature change. The liquid used in liquid thermal shock testing does not coat the product or conduct electricity.

Cell Phone Cases - Waterproof Ingress Protection Testing

marybabitz — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 22:01:03 +0000

Seidio gave Cascade TEK a shout-out for Ingress Protection Testing on their OBEX Waterproof Cellphone Cases. IP (Ingress Protection) is a classification system established by the International Electrotechnical Commission. IP ratings define the effectiveness of enclosures of electrical equipment enclosures against intrusion from moisture, dust, etc…
An IP rating of 6 denotes the highest level on contact protection – 100% dust proof.

See Colorado Test Labs At Design & Contract Manufacturing Expo

marybabitz — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 22:40:01 +0000

All matters related to product testing, both environmental reliability and EMC/EMI can be found at Denver’s AmCon Design & Contract Manufacturing Expo . Cascade TEK and Guy Dodds from EMC Integrity will be exhibiting and ready to discuss all of your product testing needs. Learn more about how EMC Integrity and Cascade TEK can handle Colorado’s environmental and EMI testing at our neighboring laboratories in Longmont, Colorado.

EMC Integrity Makes Front Page News!

marybabitz — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 22:04:01 +0000

Great Boulder Business Report article on EMC Integrity’s EMI Test Facility in Longmont. Special thanks to Guy Dodds for the Cascade TEK mention in the article! The neighborly Longmont location and relationship between EMC Integrity and Cascade TEK makes testing convenient for our Colorado testing customers.
Congratulations Vince, Guy and EMC Integrity!
Click Here For A Great Read!

Cascade TEK At 2013 AmCon Design & Contract Manufacturing Expo

marybabitz — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 17:48:31 +0000

All matters related to product testing, both environmental reliability and EMC/EMI can be found at the 2013 AmCon Design & Contract Manufacturing Expo . Cascade TEK and Northwest EMC will be exhibiting side by side to discuss all of your testing needs.

MIL-STD 883 & MIL-STD 202 Shock Testing

marybabitz — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 21:44:52 +0000

Cascade TEK has added another free fall shock tower designed to perform the high- g / short duration shock impulses called out in MIL-STD 883 & MIL-STD 202 test specifications. This LAB Model SD-16 Shock Tower can achieve shock requirements up to 1500g’s with a quick ½ millisecond duration.

Weathering Test Specifications - Plastic Non-Metal Parts Guideline

marybabitz — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 23:31:12 +0000

If your plastic, non-metal parts will face exposure to UV, light, rain, dew – and you need an established, respected industry standard to base product weathering testing on – consider these popular go-to test standards:

Need to simulate exposures in desert and subtropical climates?

Consider ASTM D4364 - 05 Standard Practice for Performing Outdoor Accelerated Weathering Tests of Plastics Using Concentrated Sunlight