ECN Asia is currently running a story on automotive test strategies. Here’s an excerpt that discusses process testing:
In terms of verifying the quality of the assembly process, the automotive industry is somewhat conservative in implementing denser technology. According to the International Electronics Manufacturing Initiative (iNEMI), the automotive industry is slower than other market niches in adapting smaller geometries (test pad sizes, microvias, etc.) in terms of PCB layout. The primary reason is the environment ─ temperature ranges of -40ºC to +250ºC (exhaust sensors can see up to 580ºC) and multiple G force shock potential demand a mechanical design that is more robust than, say, a home computer. Component densities per square centimeter will likely remain lower than other consumer products as well.
Also, as most clock rates will be under 150MHz for the foreseeable future, test pads will stay mechanically and electrically viable. It appears that in-circuit testing will still be viable in the assembly line for several more years.
August 2nd, 2009
TCP/IP-compatible servo drives have simplified the construction of an innovative automotive component tester.
The new machine by Dynamic Testing & Equipment (DTE) fully automates the accelerated life testing of the flexible boot seals used to protect ball joints in automobile steering assemblies. The use of programmable AC servos - instead of conventional hydraulic actuators - provides an unprecedented level of control flexibility, enabling test parameters such as joint articulation angles to be varied on the fly.
Capable of testing up to six boot seals simultaneously, testing regimes can include continuous articulation of the ball joints, hot and cold brine sprays, elevated humidity levels and air temperature cycling from -25 to +80 degrees Celsius.
DTE’s boot seal testing machine employs two motorized movement axes - one vertical and one horizontal - each driven by a Baldor Electric MotiFlex e100 3-phase servo drive and servomotor fitted with a multi-turn absolute encoder. The precise feedback signals enable both axes to be programmed to absolute zero, facilitating optimal positioning of the machine’s tooling for parts loading and unloading, and ensuring ease of start-up.
The servo drives are connected via industry-standard Ethernet to the test machine’s host computer, which runs National Instruments’ LabVIEW software, and are controlled via TCP/IP using the built-in ActiveX commands in Baldor’s Mint programming language.
July 29th, 2009
HBM has just released new SoMat eDAQ and eDAQ-lite data acquisition systems. The HBM SoMat eDAQ and eDAQ-lite are sealed stand-alone data acquisition systems for testing in the harshest of environments.
eDAQ systems utilize standard Ethernet communications, and host their own web servers with configurable IP addresses. No software is required to start/stop test or upload data. This combination allows the eDAQ to effortlessly communicate through wireless WWAN modems, bypassing corporate firewalls giving users access to their system anywhere in the world.
July 26th, 2009
FEV, Inc.has announced that it will open a new FEV technical center - FEV’s fifth in the world - in Pune, India. The announcement was made by Prof. Stefan Pischinger, Chairman and CEO of FEV Group, who said the technical center will be used for powertrain and vehicle development. FEV India Pvt. Ltd. is the company’s second location in India, following its Indian headquarters located in Delhi, according to Dr. Ernst Scheid, executive vice president, FEV Group, and responsible for Asian business development.
The company anticipates more than 70 employees of FEV India will be on board by the end of 2009.
The facility is built on five acres of land and includes an office building, test bench and workshop. The facility will be capable of hosting 10 engine and powertrain test benches and an area for the assembly of test systems. Four test benches are part of the first construction phase. The second phase, which is already being planned, will add resources for engine, transmission and vehicle testing. The land is suitable for three test cell buildings, a building for vehicle testing, and additional offices building.
July 26th, 2009
Electrolube has boosted the technical capabilities of their laboratory. The new equipment includes a bespoke design thermal cycling chamber which utilises a CFC and HCFC free mechanical cooling system for rapid thermal changes over a very wide temperature range. The thermal cycling chamber has been designed to meet the toughest thermal cycling requirements including those laid out in IEC 61086 and IPC-CC-830.
To extend the environmental testing range, Electrolube have also invested in a new cyclic corrosion test chamber for creating four distinct environments; salt spray, condensation humidity (wetting), air drying and controlled humidity. In addition, the chamber is also equipped for corrosive gas testing. The chamber conforms to a vast array of international standards including, ASTM, DIN, ISO, and IEC as well as automotive test standards for Ford, Honda, GM, VW, Toyota, Renault and many more.
Other exciting new purchases include a high-tech thermal conductivity measurement device and a cone and plate rheometer for superior viscosity profiling. The thermal conductivity instrument eliminates the air interface in calculation and measures both the thermal resistance of the sample and the thermal contact resistance between the sample and the instrument, providing a highly accurate and reproducible result. In contrast, regular heat flow meters measure only the sum of these values leading to errors and higher variance in the results obtained.
Finally, the cone and plate rheometer can be used to measure the viscosity of a wide variety of materials as well as thixotropic response, yield stress determination and creep analysis. The equipment is designed for the high throughput required for quality control but also offers the flexibility required for research projects.
July 25th, 2009
Bosch has invested approximately $8 million to renovate its vehicle test track in Flat Rock, Mich., to provide a state-of-the-art facility that will be used to test a variety of innovative automotive technologies.
The renovation included repaving and expanding the surface size of the site’s Vehicle Dynamics Area, and reconfiguring the test facility to accommodate Bosch’s vehicle dynamics and foundation brake testing.
Facility improvements include:
- Pad Size expansion from 417,000 to 937,000 square feet
- Addition of a three-lane high bank curve
- Extension of the track loop from 3/4-mile to 1.4 miles
- New installation of a hydroplane surface
July 25th, 2009
The Shimadzu Scientific Instruments Autograph AGS-X Series table-top universal testers perform tensile and compression tests, including three- or four-point bending test, peeling test, and tear tests on various materials, including thermostatic resins.
The AGS-X crosshead achieves 1,500 mm/minute return speed, and an optional jog controller allows handheld control of the crosshead position. The high level of precision (±0.5% of the indicated value), wide application range of the self-recognized load cell (1/1 to 1/500 load cell rating), and newly designed electronics provide a high class tool at an affordable price.
Operators will find using the AGS-X easy because the heights of the multipurpose tray and table for jig mounting have been significantly lowered. This ergonomic design provides superior comfort to operators during daily operation. In addition, the open design of the multipurpose tray surface can accommodate a large number of test specimens and jigs.
The AGS-X provides users with comprehensive safety measures, including one-touch stroke limiters and a safety guard. Stroke limiters offer one-touch adjustment and firm locking of the crosshead stroke limit positions. The vertically sliding safety guard opens easily with one hand and comes equipped with an interlock function.
The AGS-X utilizes the new and easy-to-use TRAPEZIUM LITE X software. A refined interface provides easy one-touch method selection. Shimadzu has automated many tedious operations using macros so that a sequence of operations frequently conducted after testing is now fully automated. The “Quick List Method” makes frequently used tests easy to find, and many built-in functions test in accordance with JIS, ISO and ASTM methods.
To see a video of the AGS-X in action, visit www.ssi.shimadzu.com/products/flash/agsx/agsx_video.cfm.
July 24th, 2009
The latest version of the Elektrobit tresos Inspector now sports a completely redeveloped graphics user interface. Plus, the EB tresos Inspector 2009. In addition, it supports measurement and analysis of both, LIN networks and AUTOSAR PDUs (Protocol Data Units).
The new user interface now provides several analysis windows, which can be individually adapted by drag and drop. These windows offer e.g. a convenient search function and a complete overview of the data acquired with oscilloscopes, bars and direct reading instruments. Different data views in tabular form are also possible.
The EB tresos Inspector 2009.a now also supports FIBEX+ Import and offers statistics for FlexRay and CAN networks. Users can now even analyze AUTOSAR PDUs, whereupon the processing of PDU update bits can be easily configured. The log data format has been changed to SQLite, so that users now can develop project-specific inquiries either by themselves or in collaboration with EB specialists.
For analyses, the EB tresos Inspector uses EB 6100 or EB 6110 hardware, which time stamp for each data packet with 25 ns resolution. Thanks to the IP65 protection class and an optional Flash memory, the hardware is also suitable for in-vehicle tests on the road, with subsequent offline evaluation.
To view a short video of the new software, visit YouTube.
July 13th, 2009
From BaltimoreSun.Com:
As it rumbled down a steep hill at the Aberdeen Test Center, the huge armored troop carrier hit a bump and briefly caught air. Thanks to a modified suspension, the 22-ton truck did not land with a bone-jarring clatter. Instead, its knobby front tires seemed to glide back to the dirt road.
“That speed would almost definitely bend the axles on the original suspension,” automotive engineer Adam Vittum shouted over the engine noise. “We would all be in a lot of pain and very possibly have broken something on the vehicle.” No danger of that now, he noted, given the cushiony independent suspension: “It feels like nothing.”
Read the complete story.
July 12th, 2009
Labthink Instruments Co. PARAM FT-F1 Fogging Tester is for high-temperature volatilizable constituent evaporation evaluation of the automotive interiors and similar components and materials used in aircrafts, including automotive inner plastic decoration components, polyurethane, textiles, leather, adhesives, non-woven and thermal forming elastomers, etc., as well as for fogging testing of automotive front high intensity discharge (HID) lamp. This tester can thus perform the thorough test of volatilizable constituents, especially for the situations of volatileizable material in high temperature environment like direct sunshine heating.
This tester is useful for the relevant R & D, technical and testing departments of automotive manufacturers, testing authorities, material and component manufacturers as well as automotive and material academies. It can measure the fogging value of interiors accurately so as to provide safety guarantee for driving. The components of the tester are from world advanced companies, precise and reliable, which can provide better references for the users. Meanwhile, the low operation noise design permits it more suitable for laboratory applications.
July 10th, 2009
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