Airbags - Solar panels & whole cars....what do they have in common?
Question: Airbags - Solar panels & whole cars....what do they have in common?
Answer: CTS. Our German manufacturer of environmental chambers!
Alphatech Managing Director and Business Manager just returned from a 3 day training session in Stuttgart with leading Environmental chamber manufacturer CTS. (Alphatech exclusively represent CTS in the UK).
The inside track on "news from CTS" included...
CTS are supplying "Walk in rooms" in significant quantities to the European SOLAR PANEL industry. CTS have a well integrated 
design where even large rooms can be uplifted virtually fully assembled onto standard road transport and once onsite "hook up" is very simple. This cuts out the nightmare of "flatpack" designs that have to be "built" onsite. Where is the UK SOLAR PANEL industry...perhaps the sun is dimmer here!
Airbags - testing of these at extreme temperatures is now very common practice for the big German automotive companies (yes the obvious ones). CTS has been working extensively to provide chambers for dynamic testing at temperature extremes.
Whole cars and parts of cars - with many vehicles utilising multiple airbags the need to test them actually in the vehicle or at least in the main cabin area has meant a need for sophisticated "whole vehicle" chambers. Some of these are equipped to allow high speed filming of airbag deployment which creates interesting challenges as the multiple high intensity lighting heat input has to be factored.
Other CTS notes...
New software coming early in 2009. All CTS chambers are equipped with colour touch screen input/controls, these have been 
progressively enhanced in the last couple of years. However the already excellent CID desktop pc control program has been further enhanced. Most improvements come in inter-active screens that now remove the clutter of inapplicable data or info for non existent options.
CTS technical advances are startling! The products certainly are built for the 21st century, user friendly interfaces, intuitive control software, precision construction and more.
If you would like to know more about where CTS and Alphatech can help you build a robust and reliable test regime in your facility call or email us.
Regards
Stephen Mathews - Business Manager