MTS Systems Corp. is using 3D CAD software to more efficiently design, configure, and assemble its custom test systems, including automotive road simulators, earthquake simulators, aircraft frame testers, and wear testers for biomedical devices. Since adopting the software, the Eden Prairie, MN company has been able to speed up delivery of these systems so that […]

Assembly Magazine’s website recently posted an article on automotive leak testing. The article, titled “Leak Testing Supplier Solves Trio of Automotive Challenges” describes three applications:

a turnkey project for testing gear housings,
a leak tester to check brake caliper assemblies, and
a system for testing cooler assemblies.

It’s not a real in-depth piece, but it’s mildly amusing.

Defense News has recently posted an article on testing autonomous navigation systems. The article, “U.S. Army Tests TARDEC Autonomous Navigation System,” describes the tests run on a 17-kilometer test course featuring varied terrain with some gravel and off-road areas, 90-degree turns, blind turns, which are unexpected changes in direction, and some small hills.
The article notes, […]

Energy Current reports that an inter-agency project between the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will test hydrogen fueling technologies in cold weather military applications. Officials from the U.S. Army’s Tank and Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center, along with executives from Chevron Technology Ventures (CTV) and Hyundai-Kia […]

I’ve always liked trade shows. Trade shows give you a short break from your usual work routine, let you immerse yourself completely in a particular topic, and perhaps even teach you something new. When looked at in this light, the 2007 Automotive Testing Expo in Novi, MI was a great success.
With a full schedule […]

In today’s Washington Post, there’s an article on new mileage ratings for 2008 models. According to the article, “The Benefits of Truth in Mileage,” the ratings are to fall anywhere from 12% to 30%. The new test take into account factors such as extreme temperature changes, varying road grades, the use of air conditioners and […]

DRS Technologies has been awarded a $13.6 million contract from the U.S. Army to continue manufacturing Direct Support Electrical System Test Sets (DSESTS) and Test Program Sets (TPS) for the U.S. Army’s M2A2 and M3A3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle Systems.
The contract was awarded to DRS by the Army’s Tank Automotive and Armaments Command Life Cycle Management […]

From NIST TECHBEAT, September 27, 2007:
How do you conveniently measure something that not only is 14 times lighter than air but also invisible? That’s just one of the tasks National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Weights and Measures Division staff have taken on to prepare the nation for the hydrogen economy.
Under an interagency […]

The VXI Technology EX400 is a hybrid systems developer’s kit designed to allow ATE and data acquisition system architects to integrate VXI-based subsystems within an LXI instrumentation network.
The core of the EX400 is a 1000 Watt, 13-slot VXI mainframe with industry-leading cooling capacity and a slot 0 module that incorporates a gigabit Ethernet interface that […]

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Director William Jeffrey has named Clare Allocca as the chief of NIST’s new United States Measurement System (USMS) Office. The creation of the office marks the start of the second phase of NIST’s USMS effort to ensure that the nation’s measurement infrastructure—a large, diverse collection of private and […]