ATLAS Material Testing Technology GmbH

Vogelsbergstr. 22

http://www.atlas-mts.com

+49 6051 707140

Automobiles, windows or plastic chairs – many objects of daily use must resist weathering stresses daily and should still have a long, trouble-free life. A challenge for almost every product and producer. Atlas Material Testing Technology therefore offers weathering tests which meet the highest demands. The accredittation of two Atlas sites in France and India now once more demonstrates the wide range of weathering tests. #################### COMPACT INFO: Weathering test sites Sanary-sur-Mer and Chennai Sanary-sur-Mer, France Region:     Bandol Climate zone:     Mediterranean Latitude/longitude:     43° 08' North/5° 49' East Height above sea level:     110 meters Average temperature:     13 degrees Celsius Average relative humidity:     64 per cent Annual hours of sunshine:     3,000 hours Total precipitation:     700 millimeters Total radiation dose:     5,500 MJ/m² Accreditation:     ISO 17025:2005 Test process according to:     AATCC, ASTM, DIN, ISO Test samples:     All products that can be tested under sun Chennai, India Region:     Tamil Nadu Climate zone:     Tropical Latitude/longitude:     12° 35' North/79° 48' East Height above sea level:     45 meters Average temperature:     28 degrees Celsius Average relative humidity:     72 per cent Annual hours of sunshine:     2,750 hours Total precipitation:     1,252 millimeters Total radiation dose:     6,760 MJ/m² Accreditation:     ISO 17025:2005 Test process according to:     AATCC, ASTM, DIN, ISO Test samples:     All products that can be tested under sun #################### Dashboards, spectacle frames, garden furniture or window frames: All of these are constantly exposed to sun, rain or snow - with sometimes undesirable consequences. Paints and varnishes can fade, flake or the products can lose their original shape. Natural factors of influence such as UV radiation, heat or humidity can attack the surface of products or even influence their function. Therefore manufacturers have prototypes tested during product development to see how they stand up to weathering conditions. "We test almost everything under the sun, from the nail varnish bottle to the complete automobile – of course in every desired climate zone", says Siegfried Roessner, expert for natural weathering testing at Atlas Material Testing Technology, the worldwide pioneer for weathering tests and technologies. ISO 17025 accreditation for maximum process quality Atlas has 23 weathering test sites and therefore covers all benchmark climate zones. "Weathering tests can last days, months or even several years, depending on the product," Roessner explains. This applies independently of the climate zones. It is decisive what lifetime the company has planned for the product. With Sanary-sur-Mer in the South of France for the Mediterranean climate as well as Chennai in India for the sub-tropical climate, two weathering test sites of Atlas have now been accredited. The high precision of the test methods is very important here. "We have been working according to prescribed methods for many years. Now we have also received the official confirmation for these two sites," Roessner adds. With the ISO 17025 accreditation the structure, process and result quality of the test methods has now been classified as permanently reliable and of high quality – and consistent quality in the compliance with management specifications and prescribed rules of conduct have been certified. The range of test methods includes a large number of international industrial standards. Varnishes, for example, must pass the resistance test of the American Material Testing Association ASTM, plastic tubes must fulfill the ISO stability regulations and paints may only change minimally in accordance with the applicable DIN standard. The accreditation also certifies the extended competence for professional assessment of processes in addition to the standards of weathering tests. The test processes can therefore be monitored, assessed and optimized by Atlas Quality Managers. Atlas is thus the only company that offers accredited weathering tests in all benchmark climate zones. ISO, DIN, ASTM certification and benchmark climate zones Weathering tests run highly efficiently according to exactly defined processes or accredited procedures. In order to create a constant test situation with maximum stress, the material samples, in the size and shape desired by the manufacturer, are usually mounted on special racks which are set at a defined angle to the sun so that the samples receive the greatest possible exposure to the sun's radiation depending on their final application and location. For authentic simulation of the final application it is also possible to place a plate behind the materials or to expose them to radiation in an enclosed box. The chemical components in paints, varnishes or plastics react very differently to natural factors of influence and the constellations in which they occur. "Every climate zone logically has totally different conditions. In Chennai, India the heat together with the humidity naturally has a different effect on the materials than in Sanary-sur-Mer in France where we are currently testing many window profiles from European manufacturers in a Mediterranean climate," says Atlas expert Siegfried Roessner. Reliable test results therefore depend also on the choice of suitable weathering conditions. The three benchmark climate zones are: Mediterranean, sub-tropical or desert environment. The results of the test processes show whether the product materials satisfy international standards such as ISO, ASTM or DIN. Direct weathering and "black box exposure" The methods of static weathering testing are used at the Atlas sites in Chennai and Sanary-sur-Mer: Materials are exposed to natural influences in direct weathering – as material samples or as finished end products such as automobiles or housing building components. "Black box exposure" is also possible at both sites. This simulates the conditions that prevail in an automobile. Atlas, as a world leading weathering expert, also has test sites at which the weather resistance of products can be tested in the shortest possible time by accelerated test methods. The site in Arizona, USA, is particularly suitable for this because there the amount of direct sunlight that hits the earth is very high. In addition to natural weathering, Atlas also offers, a wide range of instruments for accelerated weathering. Atlas also has its own laboratories for weathering tests and calibrations measurement devices. Services such as comprehensive consulting on weathering tests and other services such as testing photovoltaic cells round off the portfolio. Numerous accreditations and certifications of international standards institutes are evidence of the highest possible quality of the test processes. Siegfried Roessner: "Thanks to the accreditation of the two sites in Sanary-sur-Mer and Chennai we are expecting even more demand for product tests there. Natural weathering is an increasingly important topic for product launching especially on the varied Indian market."