Neometrix / Environmental Test Chambers / Thermal Shock Test Chamber / NMX-TSC-61

NMX-TSC-61 · ENGINEERED-TO-ORDER CLASS — SPECIFY · FIXTURE · SOAK · TRANSFER · MEASURE · PROVE

Thermal Shock Test Chamber. The air is fast. The part is slow.

Name: Thermal Shock Test Chamber
Brand: Neometrix
SKU: NMX-TSC-61

A thermal shock test takes a part from hot to cold, or from cold to hot, as fast as the chamber can manage. The air around it changes at once. The part does not.

So the chamber is built around three things: a probe on the part, a dwell timed to the part and not to the air, and a load the zone can recover from.

Discuss a thermal shock chamber Capability note (PDF)

A single floor-standing industrial thermal shock test chamber: a tall pale grey painted steel insulated cabinet on a welded steel base frame with its heavy insulated door standing open on two hinges, showing a bright brushed stainless steel interior with one stainless steel wire basket holding a few plain aluminium blocks and white ceramic discs, and two thick insulated round grey ducts running up the back to a plain grey housing on top, and no people

Fig · 01 — A thermal shock test chamber: a heavy insulated cabinet with its door open on a stainless steel interior and a basket of parts, with insulated ducts to a housing above — illustrative render.

The shock

hot to cold and backthe part moved, or the air switched

The dwell

timed to the partnot to the air

The load

one the zone can takelimited, and spaced for air

The record

the part's own temperatureas well as the zone air

Status

engineered to orderno thermal shock chamber claimed

ISO 9001ISO 14001IEC 60068-2-14 change of temperature reference

Overview

Why the whole job is what the part feels.

Because the chamber sets the air, and the test is made of what the part does with it. A chamber that cannot tell the two apart tests less than it claims.

Fig · 02 — The chamber in one picture: the zones are held at their limits, the part or the air is moved at once, and the part follows at its own pace.

The air is fast. The part is slow.

What the chamber is for

It takes a part between a hot extreme and a cold extreme as fast as it can, to find the weakness that a slow change of temperature hides: a cracked joint, a split seal, a lifting bond, a drifting sensor or lens. It suits electronic assemblies, sensors, seals, connectors, optics and small mechanical parts.

Why the air is fast and the part is slow

The air around the part changes at once. The heat then has to get into the part through its surface and across its thickness. The surface follows first and the centre last, and the thicker or heavier the part, the longer it takes.

Why the dwell is timed to the part

A dwell counted from the air ends while the part is still on its way. The part then swings through less than the range the chamber is set to, and the test is milder than the one that was written. How long a part needs depends on the part, so the dwell is found from a probe on it.

Why the basket is part of the machine

A load that enters a zone pulls it off its set point, and the heavier the load, the longer the zone takes to recover. So the load limit, the basket and the spacing of the pieces belong in the specification, not to whoever happens to load it.

Why two zones and three zones

A two-zone chamber carries the part in a basket between a hot zone and a cold zone, so the transfer is a movement and its time is set by the mechanism. A three-zone chamber keeps the part still in a test zone and switches hot or cold air onto it, so nothing moves the part and its cables can stay fixed. Each suits a different part.

Why the range is the severity

Thermal fatigue follows a power law, so life falls much faster than the range rises. A step twice as large costs far more than half the life. What counts is the range the part sees, not the range the chamber is set to.

Why it is checked on the part

A chamber can hold its zones perfectly and still miss. The probe on the part, the zone air and the transfer time are all logged, and the test is judged from the part's own record.

The method

Specify, fixture, soak, transfer, measure, and prove.

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

FIG · 02THERMAL SHOCK TEST CHAMBER · SPECIFY / FIXTURE / SOAK / TRANSFER / MEASURE / PROVE — THE AIR IS FAST, THE PART IS SLOW

The step people underrate is the record of the part. A chamber that holds its zones has not been shown to have tested the part.

Fig · 03 — Three ways a thermal shock test lets you down: the dwell is timed to the air, the basket is too heavy, and the range is read from the setting — a drawing of the idea, with no values.

1 · Specify

The part, its limits and the standard are stated by the customer, and the chamber is sized to the part and its load.

2 · Fixture

A probe is fixed to the part, and the basket holds the pieces apart so that air reaches each one.

3 · Soak

The dwell is timed to the part, from the probe, and not to the air.

4 · Transfer

The part is moved, or the air is switched, within the stated time, on every cycle.

5 · Measure

The part's own temperature is recorded with the zone air and the transfer time.

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 pass a part that fails in service.

A single stainless steel wire mesh specimen basket standing on a bare stainless steel work table, holding four plain bare test pieces, a bright aluminium block, a dark steel block, a white ceramic disc and a small brass cylinder, spaced apart, with a thin stainless steel temperature probe clamped flat against the surface of the aluminium block by a small steel clip and a thin black lead running out over the edge of the basket and curling across the table, and no people

Fig · 04 — A specimen basket: the pieces spaced apart so that air reaches each one, and a probe clamped to the surface of one of them — illustrative render.

Element	What it does	What matters
Hot zone	holds the high extreme	an insulated zone with heating and air circulation that holds its limit with the basket loaded
Cold zone	holds the low extreme	an insulated zone with refrigeration and air circulation, sized for the load and the rate of cycling
Transfer	moves the part or the air	a basket drive in a two-zone chamber, or dampers in a three-zone chamber, that act within the stated time and repeat
Basket or fixture	carries the part	open, so that air reaches every piece, with a load limit and a spacing
Doors, ducts and seals	keep the zones apart	insulated, so that neither zone leaks into the other or into the room
Probe on the part	shows what the part feels	a temperature probe fixed to the part, with its lead taken out through a sealed port
Zone air sensors	show what the chamber does	a sensor in each zone, logged alongside the part
Controller	runs the cycle	counts the dwell from the part's probe, times the transfer, and stops on a zone that does not recover
Powered connections	feed a part under test	ports and leads for a part that is powered and watched while it cycles
Alarms and safeties	protect the part and the chamber	an over-limit cut-out, and alarms for a zone out of limits, a failed transfer or an open door
Procedure	fixes the sequence	specify, fixture, soak, transfer, measure and prove, the same for every part
Testing & documentation	prove the chamber first	an empty check of each zone, a loaded check of the recovery and a record the customer can inspect

The element that decides whether the chamber tests what it claims is the probe on the part, because a chamber that records only the air cannot show the part ever reached the extreme.

Fig · 05 — One part, four moments after the air changes: the surface follows first and the centre last — a drawing of the idea, with no values and with the surface heat transfer idealised.

Full specification — expand

System	A hot zone and a cold zone, each held at its limit by heating and by refrigeration with air circulation; a transfer that carries a basket between the zones, or dampers that switch hot or cold air into a test zone; insulated doors, ducts and seals; a basket or fixture that lets air reach every piece, with a load limit; a probe on the part and a record of its own temperature as well as of the zone air; a controller that counts the dwell from the part and times the transfer; an alarm for a zone that does not recover; a written test plan; and testing and documentation before handover
The One Idea	The air is fast. The part is slow.
Why The Air Is Fast And The Part Is Slow	The air around a part changes at once, but the heat has to get into the part through its surface and across its thickness, so the surface follows first and the centre last, and the thicker or heavier the part the longer it takes
Why The Dwell Is Timed To The Part	A dwell counted from the air ends while the part is still on its way, so the part swings through less than the range the chamber is set to and the test is milder than the one written, and how long a part needs depends on the part, so the dwell is found from a probe on it
Why The Basket Is Part Of The Machine	A load that enters a zone pulls it off its set point, and the heavier the load the longer the zone takes to recover, so the load limit, the basket and the spacing of the pieces belong in the specification
Why Two Zones And Three Zones	A two-zone chamber carries the part in a basket between a hot zone and a cold zone, so the transfer is a movement, while a three-zone chamber keeps the part still in a test zone and switches hot or cold air onto it with dampers, so nothing moves the part and its cables can stay fixed
Why The Range Is The Severity	Thermal fatigue follows a power law of the temperature range, so life falls much faster than the range rises, a step twice as large costs far more than half the life, and what counts is the range the part sees and not the range the chamber is set to
Why It Is Checked On The Part	A chamber can hold its zones perfectly and still miss, so the probe on the part, the zone air and the transfer time are all logged and the test is judged from the part's own record
Standards	IEC 60068-2-14 is the public reference for change-of-temperature testing, and its Test Na covers a rapid change of temperature with a specified transfer time, while MIL-STD-810 Method 503 is the public reference for temperature shock. This page prints none of their temperatures, dwell times or transfer times, and no edition year: those come from the standard the customer names and from the customer's part. Approval of a chamber or a test for use rests with the customer and the authority they name; none is claimed here
Configurations	A two-zone chamber with a basket, a three-zone chamber with dampers, and an instrumented chamber with the part powered and probed and its readings logged
Scope Boundary	This page is the thermal shock test chamber. It is not a chamber that holds or slowly ramps a temperature and humidity (see climatic and environmental test chambers), not a vibration or mechanical shock system, where shock means impact (see vibration and shock test system) and not a thermal vacuum chamber (see thermal vacuum chamber). A liquid-to-liquid shock bath, which dips the part in fluid, is a different machine again. No certification is claimed here
Status	Neometrix has quoted against successive hot-and-cold and thermal shock chamber requirements, and no delivered thermal shock test chamber is claimed.

Configurations

One method, three ways to build the chamber.

The method, the record and the probe on the part are shared. What changes is how the part meets the air, and how much of the test is watched.

Two-zone chamber

Hot zone, basket and cold zone

A basket carries the part between a hot zone and a cold zone, so the transfer is a movement, for parts that can ride a basket.

Three-zone chamber

Hot zone, test zone and cold zone

The part stays in a test zone while dampers switch hot or cold air onto it, so nothing moves the part, for a part that is heavy, cabled or powered.

Instrumented chamber

Part, probes and logger

Either of the others with the part powered and probed while it cycles, and its readings logged against the zone air and the transfer, so that what the part felt can be seen.

Fig · 06 — Three ways to build the chamber, one method: a two-zone chamber, a three-zone chamber, or an instrumented chamber.

And the part that is not equipment at all, yet decides all three: the test plan. It fixes the extremes, the dwell and how it is timed, the transfer, the load and its spacing, and the number of cycles, and it is written from the part and the standard, not from the chamber.

Where it is used

Wherever a part must survive a sudden change, and be tested as it will feel it.

The common thread is a part that will meet a sudden change of temperature, and a test that has to be believed.

Electronic assemblies

Where solder joints, bonds and housings of different materials must survive a sudden change.

Sensors, seals and connectors

Where a seal, a joint or a contact must keep its function through repeated sudden changes.

Optics and precision parts

Where a lens, a mount or a reference must hold its position after a sudden change.

Qualification and screening

Where a design is tested once to qualify it, or each unit is cycled to find the weak ones before it goes out.

Watch

See it in motion.

A short walkthrough video of the thermal shock test chamber.

FAQ

Common questions.

Longer answers, for readers who want the reasoning.

Q · 01 What does a thermal shock test chamber actually do?

It takes a part between a hot extreme and a cold extreme faster than an ordinary chamber ramps, either by carrying it in a basket from a hot zone to a cold zone, or by keeping it still and switching hot or cold air onto it. The aim is to find what a slow change of temperature hides: cracked joints, split seals, lifting bonds and drifting sensors or optics. It does not replace a chamber that holds or slowly ramps a temperature. It tests what happens in between.

Q · 02 Why is the dwell timed to the part and not to the air?

Because the air is not what is being tested. The air changes at once, but the part follows at its own pace: the surface first, the centre last, and the heavier the part the longer it takes. A dwell counted from the air ends while the part is still on its way, so the part swings through less than the range the chamber is set to and the test is milder than the one that was written. A probe on the part shows when it has arrived, and the dwell is counted from that. How long it takes depends on the part, so it is found and not assumed.

Q · 03 Why does the basket matter?

Because a load changes the chamber. A load that enters a zone pulls it off its set point, and the heavier the load, the longer the zone takes to recover, so the part meets the extreme late. The load limit, the basket and the spacing of the pieces are therefore part of the specification. A basket packed tight also keeps the air from the pieces in the middle, and those pieces follow the air more slowly than the ones at the edge.

Q · 04 What is the difference between a two-zone and a three-zone chamber?

A two-zone chamber carries the part in a basket between a hot zone and a cold zone, so the transfer is a movement and its time is set by the mechanism. A three-zone chamber keeps the part still in a test zone and switches hot or cold air onto it with dampers, so nothing moves the part and its cables can stay fixed. The first suits parts that can ride a basket. The second suits parts that are heavy, cabled or powered. Either can be instrumented.

Q · 05 Is this the same as the climatic, vibration-and-shock or thermal vacuum 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. The vibration and shock test system page covers a shaker, and there shock means impact, not temperature. The thermal vacuum chamber page covers a part in a vacuum, where heat moves by radiation. This page is the thermal shock 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 has quoted against successive hot-and-cold and thermal shock chamber requirements, and no delivered thermal shock test 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), vibration and shock systems (see the vibration and shock test system page) and thermal vacuum chambers (see the thermal vacuum chamber page). The compressors, refrigeration, heaters, dampers, sensors and controllers are catalogue items, bought in, not invented. What Neometrix engineers is the chamber around them: the zones and the transfer, the basket and its limits, the controls 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 part and standard rather than taken off a shelf.

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

IEC 60068-2-14 is the public reference for change-of-temperature testing, and its Test Na covers a rapid change of temperature with a specified transfer time. MIL-STD-810 Method 503 is the public reference for temperature shock. This page prints none of their temperatures, dwell times or transfer times, and no edition year: those come from the standard the customer names and from the customer's part. The chamber cycles the part and keeps a record. It does not certify a part or a design: this page claims no certification or accreditation. No temperature, time or rate 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 part rather than the chamber. First, the part: its kind, size and mass, and the way it is mounted. Second, the extremes and the standard they come from. Third, the dwell and how it is to be timed: from a probe on the part, or from the air. Fourth, the transfer: the time allowed, and whether the part is to be moved or kept still. Fifth, the load: how many pieces go in a cycle, and whether they are powered. 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 temperature, one shakes a part, one takes the air away.

↗ A climatic chamber

Climatic & Environmental Test Chambers

Chambers that hold or ramp a temperature and humidity at a controlled rate - where this page changes the temperature as fast as the transfer allows.

↗ A shaker system

Vibration & Shock Test System

A shaker that vibrates and impacts a part - mechanical shock, where the shock on this page is a change of temperature.

↗ A vacuum chamber

Thermal Vacuum Chamber

A chamber that cycles a part's temperature in a vacuum, where heat moves by radiation - this page works in air.

Browse all Neometrix product lines.

Get a quotation

Tell us the part, the extremes,
and the standard.

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 — thermal shock chamber Capability sheet (PDF) +91 7777 876 876

ISO 9001 / 14001 ENGINEERED-TO-ORDER CLASS — THERMAL SHOCK TEST CHAMBER SPECIFY · FIXTURE · SOAK · TRANSFER · MEASURE · PROVE — THE AIR IS FAST, THE PART IS SLOW ENGINEERED IN NOIDA · INDIA