Neometrix / Environmental Test Chambers / Weathering Chamber / NMX-AWC-63

NMX-AWC-63 · ENGINEERED-TO-ORDER CLASS — SPECIFY · MOUNT · SET · RUN · INSPECT · PROVE

Weathering Chamber. A chamber hour is not a year outdoors.

Name: Accelerated Weathering Test Chamber
Brand: Neometrix
SKU: NMX-AWC-63

Weathering is light, water and heat, repeated. A weathering chamber repeats them faster than the sky does, to show which material gives way first. It ranks materials. It does not count years.

So the chamber is built around three things: a light that is measured and held, a cycle of light and water that is the same every time, and a control specimen in every run.

Discuss a weathering chamber Capability note (PDF)

A single freestanding industrial accelerated weathering test chamber on a plain white studio background: a tall pale grey painted steel cabinet on a welded steel base frame with its large front door standing open, showing a bright brushed stainless steel interior with a bank of plain straight tube lamps beside a flat vertical rack of plain unmarked test panels and a shallow stainless steel water pan along the bottom, and a short plain grey steel vent duct on top, and no people

Fig · 01 — An accelerated weathering test chamber: a cabinet with its door open on a stainless steel interior, a bank of tube lamps, a rack of test panels and a shallow water pan — illustrative render.

The light

measured and helda radiometer, not a lamp rating

The cycle

light, then waterthe same every time

The panel

read at the facea black panel, not the air

The control

in every runranking, not years

Status

engineered to orderno weathering chamber claimed

ISO 9001ISO 14001ASTM G154 and ISO 4892-3 reference standards

Overview

Why the whole job is to rank, not to count.

Because a chamber can show which material fails first, but nothing in it turns hours into years. A page, a test or a buyer that says otherwise is guessing.

Fig · 02 — The chamber in one picture: lamps at a set irradiance, then condensation or spray on the face, then the same cycle again and again.

A chamber hour is not a year outdoors.

What the chamber is for

It ages coatings, plastics, sealants, rubbers, textiles and finishes with ultraviolet light, water and heat, much faster than outdoor exposure, so that formulations can be compared side by side. It suits paints, polymers, seals, cables and fabrics.

Why a chamber hour is not a year outdoors

How much faster a chamber ages a material depends on the material and on how it fails. There is no single factor that turns chamber hours into outdoor years, and the practice standard for laboratory light sources warns against using one. What the chamber gives is a ranking, and a ranking is trusted only once it has been shown to agree with outdoor results for that kind of material.

Why the light needs water

Outdoors, a material meets sun, dew, rain and heat in turn. Ultraviolet light alone misses the damage that comes when water wets the surface and dries again. So the chamber runs a cycle: a light phase with the panel hot, then a wet phase made by condensation or spray, and back again. The cycle is the test, not the lamp.

Why the lamp type matters

A UVA-340 lamp has a spectrum close to sunlight's short-wave ultraviolet. A UVB-313 lamp reaches into wavelengths that sunlight never delivers at the ground, so it ranks quickly and can mislead. The lamp is chosen to suit the question, and written down.

Why the light is measured

Lamps lose output as they run. At a fixed power the specimens would get less light every week, and the test would drift. A radiometer reads the light, and the controller raises the lamp power to hold it, up to a limit. After that the lamps are changed, and the change goes in the record.

Why the temperature is read at the panel

Specimens heat up in the lamp light, so the air temperature is not what the specimen sees. A black panel thermometer reads the combined effect of the lamps and the chamber air, and the cycle is set at the panel.

Why there is a control specimen

A reference material, exposed in every run in the same place in the racks, shows whether the chamber did what it was set to do. If the control ages differently from last time, the run is in doubt before any result is read.

The method

Specify, mount, set, run, inspect, and prove.

Six steps in a fixed order. The two shaded steps are the ones a quick order skips.

FIG · 02WEATHERING CHAMBER · SPECIFY / MOUNT / SET / RUN / INSPECT / PROVE — A CHAMBER HOUR IS NOT A YEAR OUTDOORS

The step people underrate is the control. A chamber that runs without one has not been shown to have done the same thing twice.

Fig · 03 — Three ways a weathering test misleads: a lamp that fades, the wrong light, and hours counted as years — a drawing of the idea, with no values.

1 · Specify

The material, the way it fails and the standard are stated by the customer, and the chamber is sized to the specimens.

2 · Mount

Specimens go flat in the racks, face to the lamps, with a control beside them.

3 · Set

The irradiance and the panel temperature are set and read by instruments, not taken from the lamp's rating.

4 · Run

Light and water follow each other in the same cycle, again and again, and the lamps are changed when the limit is reached.

5 · Inspect

Specimens are compared with the control and with the unexposed material, by eye and by measurement.

6 · Prove

The record is kept, and handed over with the chamber.

Work content

What the chamber contains, element by element.

Read it as a checklist: a chamber missing a row will run a test and report a result it cannot defend.

A single stainless steel specimen rack on a plain white studio background holding two rows of three flat rectangular test panels in plain unmarked colours, white, pale grey, sand, dark grey, blue and red, each held at its corners by small steel spring clips with an even gap between the panels, and no people

Fig · 04 — A specimen rack: flat test panels held by spring clips, spaced so that each face meets the light and the water alike — illustrative render.

Element	What it does	What matters
Lamps	give the light	fluorescent ultraviolet lamps of the type the standard names, or a xenon-arc lamp with its filters, arranged for an even light across the racks
Radiometer	measures the light	a sensor in the light that feeds the controller, so that the irradiance is held and not assumed
Black panel thermometer	reads what the specimen sees	a panel sensor at the face of the racks, read by the controller
Specimen racks	carry the specimens	flat racks that hold specimens face to the lamps, with the back open to room air
Water system	makes the wet phase	a heated water pan for condensation, or nozzles for a spray
Water treatment	keeps the water clean	clean water for the pan and the spray, because dissolved salts leave marks on the face
Controller	runs the cycle	sets the light and wet phases, the irradiance and the panel temperature, and logs them
Control specimen	shows the chamber did its job	a reference material in every run, in a fixed place in the racks
Cabinet and vent	contain the test	an insulated cabinet with a vent for the lamp heat and the vapour
Alarms and safeties	protect the specimens and the room	alarms for water level, over-temperature and lamp failure
Procedure	fixes the sequence	specify, mount, set, run, inspect and prove, the same for every test
Testing & documentation	prove the chamber first	a radiometer check, a panel temperature check, a run of the cycle and a record the customer can inspect

The element that decides whether the chamber tests what it claims is the radiometer, because a chamber that trusts its lamp rating will drift as the lamps age and never know it.

Fig · 05 — Where the water comes from: in the wet phase the lamps are off, the water is heated, and the vapour condenses on the cooler face of the specimens — a drawing of the idea, not to scale and with no values.

Full specification — expand

System	Lamps of the type the standard names, fluorescent ultraviolet or xenon-arc with filters, arranged for an even light across the racks; a radiometer in the light that feeds the controller; a black panel thermometer at the face of the racks; flat specimen racks that hold specimens face to the lamps with the back open to room air; a water system that makes the wet phase by condensation from a heated water pan or by a spray, with clean water; a controller that sets the light and wet phases, the irradiance and the panel temperature and logs them; a control specimen in every run; an insulated cabinet with a vent; alarms for water level, over-temperature and lamp failure; a written test plan; and testing and documentation before handover
The One Idea	A chamber hour is not a year outdoors.
Why A Chamber Hour Is Not A Year Outdoors	How much faster a chamber ages a material depends on the material and on how it fails, there is no single factor that turns chamber hours into outdoor years and the practice standard for laboratory light sources warns against using one, so a chamber ranks materials and a ranking is trusted only once it has been shown to agree with outdoor results for that kind of material
Why The Light Needs Water	Outdoors a material meets sun, dew, rain and heat in turn, and ultraviolet light alone misses the damage that comes when water wets the surface and dries again, so the chamber runs a light phase with the panel hot and a wet phase made by condensation or spray, and the cycle is the test and not the lamp
Why The Lamp Type Matters	A UVA-340 lamp has a spectrum close to sunlight's short-wave ultraviolet, while a UVB-313 lamp reaches into wavelengths that sunlight never delivers at the ground, so it ranks quickly and can mislead, and the lamp is chosen to suit the question and written down
Why The Light Is Measured	Lamps lose output as they run, so at a fixed power the specimens would get less light every week, and a radiometer reads the light while the controller raises the lamp power to hold it, up to a limit, after which the lamps are changed and the change is recorded
Why The Temperature Is Read At The Panel	Specimens heat in the lamp light, so the air temperature is not what the specimen sees, and a black panel thermometer reads the combined effect of the lamps and the chamber air, and the cycle is set at the panel
Why There Is A Control Specimen	A reference material exposed in every run in the same place in the racks shows whether the chamber did what it was set to do, and if the control ages differently from last time the run is in doubt before any result is read
Standards	ASTM G154 and ISO 4892-3 are the public references for exposing non-metallic materials to fluorescent UV lamps, ASTM G155 and ISO 4892-2 are the public references for xenon-arc exposure, and ASTM G151 is the public practice standard for accelerated test devices that use laboratory light sources. This page prints none of their irradiances, temperatures or cycle times, and no edition year: those come from the standard the customer names and from the material. Approval of a chamber or a test for use rests with the customer and the authority they name; none is claimed here
Configurations	A UV and condensation chamber, a UV, condensation and spray chamber, and a xenon-arc chamber
Scope Boundary	This page is the accelerated weathering test chamber. It is not a chamber that holds a temperature and humidity (see climatic and environmental test chambers), not a salt fog or corrosion chamber (see salt spray and corrosion test chamber) and not a dust and sand chamber (see dust and sand test chamber). A solar simulator for photovoltaic modules is a different machine again. No certification is claimed here
Status	Neometrix engineers accelerated weathering test chambers to order, and no delivered accelerated weathering chamber is claimed.

Configurations

One method, three ways to build the chamber.

The method, the record and the control specimen are shared. What changes is the lamp, and how the wet phase is made.

UV and condensation

Lamps, rack and water pan

Fluorescent ultraviolet lamps with a heated water pan that makes the wet phase by condensation, for ranking coatings and plastics against ultraviolet light and moisture.

UV, condensation and spray

Lamps, rack and spray

The same cabinet with a water spray on the face, for materials that meet rain as well as dew.

Xenon-arc chamber

Xenon lamp, filters and rack

A full-spectrum lamp with filters to match the sun, for materials that respond to visible light as well as ultraviolet, and for tests that name it.

Fig · 06 — Three ways to build the chamber, one method: UV and condensation, UV with condensation and spray, or xenon-arc.

And the part that is not equipment at all, yet decides all three: the test plan. It fixes the lamp, the irradiance, the panel temperature, the length of each phase, the control and the end point, and it is written from the material and the standard, not from the chamber.

Where it is used

Wherever a material meets the sky, and has to be chosen before it does.

The common thread is a surface that will stand outdoors for years, and a decision that cannot wait for them.

Coatings and paints

Where formulations are ranked for chalking, fading and loss of gloss before one is chosen.

Plastics and rubbers

Where cracking, yellowing and embrittlement under light and moisture are compared.

Seals, cables and textiles

Where a jacket, a seal or a fabric must still do its job after exposure.

Quality control

Where every batch is run beside a control, to catch a change in the material.

Watch

See it in motion.

A short walkthrough video of the weathering chamber.

FAQ

Common questions.

Longer answers, for readers who want the reasoning.

Q · 01 What does an accelerated weathering test chamber actually do?

It exposes specimens to ultraviolet light, water and heat in a repeating cycle, much harder than the sky does, so that materials can be compared in days or weeks instead of years. It reports how each specimen has changed against a control. It does not report how long a material will last outdoors, and it does not replace outdoor exposure where that is what a customer needs.

Q · 02 Why is a chamber hour not a year outdoors?

Because the ratio is not a constant. How much faster a chamber ages a material depends on the material, on how it fails, and on the light, the temperature and the moisture in the test. The practice standard for laboratory light sources, ASTM G151, advises against turning laboratory hours into outdoor years, and says results are representative only where the ranking has been shown to agree with outdoor exposure for that material. So the chamber ranks materials, and a result is reported as a ranking against a control, not as years.

Q · 03 Why does the test need water as well as light?

Because the sky does not give light alone. Dew and rain wet a surface and it dries again, and that cycle drives damage that light alone does not. The chamber therefore runs light and wet phases in turn, with the panel temperature set for each. The wet phase is made, either by heating water so that vapour condenses on the cooler face of the specimens, or by a spray.

Q · 04 Which lamp, and why does it matter?

A UVA-340 lamp has a spectrum close to sunlight's short-wave ultraviolet. A UVB-313 lamp is harsher and reaches into wavelengths that sunlight never delivers at the ground, so it works faster and can age a material in ways the sun does not. A xenon-arc lamp gives a full spectrum, light and heat together, with filters to match the sun. None is right for every material. The lamp is chosen for the question, named in the test plan, and written in the record.

Q · 05 Is this the same as the climatic, salt spray or dust and sand pages?

No, and the differences are worth stating precisely. The climatic and environmental test chambers page covers chambers that hold or ramp a temperature and humidity at a controlled rate, with no ultraviolet test. The salt spray and corrosion test chamber page covers a salt fog that corrodes metals and coatings. The dust and sand test chamber page covers dust that is blown at an enclosure. This page is the weathering chamber. It does not replace any of them, and it does not claim what they claim a second time.

Q · 06 Has Neometrix built one of these?

We would rather answer this plainly than let a page imply otherwise. Neometrix engineers accelerated weathering test chambers to order, and no delivered accelerated weathering chamber is claimed. What stands behind the offer is adjacent: Neometrix engineers climatic and environmental test chambers (see the climatic and environmental test chambers page), salt spray and corrosion test chambers (see the salt spray and corrosion test chamber page) and dust and sand test chambers (see the dust and sand test chamber page). The lamps, radiometers, black panel sensors, pumps, nozzles and controllers are catalogue items, bought in, not invented. What Neometrix engineers is the chamber around them: the cabinet and racks, the water system, the control and the record, the procedure and the test plan. So the honest position is that the chamber is engineered to order, the neighbouring disciplines are in the building, and the first chamber of this exact kind will be built around the customer's own material and standard rather than taken off a shelf.

Q · 07 Which standards apply, and what can the chamber not do?

ASTM G154 and ISO 4892-3 are the public references for exposing non-metallic materials to fluorescent UV lamps. ASTM G155 and ISO 4892-2 are the public references for xenon-arc exposure. ASTM G151 is the public practice standard for accelerated test devices that use laboratory light sources. This page prints none of their irradiances, temperatures or cycle times, and no edition year: those come from the standard the customer names and from the material. The chamber exposes specimens and keeps a record. It does not certify a material: this page claims no certification or accreditation. No irradiance, temperature or time figure is printed here, and approval for use rests with the customer and the authority they name; none is claimed here.

Q · 08 What do you need from us to quote?

Six things, and most of them describe your material rather than the chamber. First, the material: its kind, the way it fails and the size of the specimens. Second, the standard and the lamp it names. Third, the cycle: the light phase and the wet phase, and how the wet phase is to be made. Fourth, the irradiance and the panel temperature wanted, and how they are to be read. Fifth, the control: which reference material runs beside the specimens. Sixth, the record: what you want kept with each test. From that we come back with a chamber concept, a written test plan you can check, and a budgetary price.

The neighbouring chamber pages, and how they differ from this one.

Three neighbours: one holds a climate, one fogs with salt, one blows dust.

↗ A climatic chamber

Climatic & Environmental Test Chambers

Chambers that hold or ramp a temperature and humidity at a controlled rate, with no ultraviolet test - where this page ages a surface with light and water.

↗ A corrosion chamber

Salt Spray & Corrosion Test Chamber

A salt fog that corrodes metals and coatings - a chemistry test, where this page uses ultraviolet light and water.

↗ A dust chamber

Dust & Sand Test Chamber

A chamber that blows dust and sand at an enclosure - a test of what gets in, where this page tests what a surface does under light.

Browse all Neometrix product lines.

Get a quotation

Tell us the material, the standard,
and the cycle.

The projects desk replies within two working days with a chamber concept, a written test plan you can check, and a budgetary quotation. Write to [email protected] or use the form.

Enquire — weathering chamber Capability sheet (PDF) +91 7777 876 876

ISO 9001 / 14001 ENGINEERED-TO-ORDER CLASS — ACCELERATED WEATHERING TEST CHAMBER SPECIFY · MOUNT · SET · RUN · INSPECT · PROVE — A CHAMBER HOUR IS NOT A YEAR OUTDOORS ENGINEERED IN NOIDA · INDIA