Ascott Corrosion Test Chambers
World leaders in salt spray cabinets, salt spray chambers and cyclic corrosion chambers for corrosion testing.
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Innovation
The story behind the development of the new product range
The behind-the-scenes story of the development of Ascott's new product range and Ascott case studies are often of interest to other users - these give an insight into some of the interesting and more unusual aspects and uses of Ascott corrosion test chambers.
Ascott are pleased to introduce this latest range of corrosion test chambers to the world. This is our third generation of products (since our beginning) and our most radical and innovative design yet!
To explain the thinking behind this new product range, we’d like to introduce you to some of the team behind its design and development.
Chris Gates – Project Manager
Chris Gates, founder and Chief Executive of Ascott Analytical Equipment, took on the role of project manager, with overall responsibility for taking this new project from concept to production, through all points in between.
His comments are as follows;
“We live in an age where people have become very ‘design conscious’ both at home and in the workplace, and nowhere is this trend more apparent than in the field of industrial design, where there have been some exciting and bold developments in recent years”
“In an increasingly competitive world, the discerning customer values designs that embrace the latest in technology, and novel features, and blend this with ergonomic and aesthetically pleasing design. A competent manufacturer will be aware of this and at Ascott we have tried hard to balance these requirements within our latest product range. Judging by the significant increase in customer demand we have seen since these new products were introduced, I’d say that so far we’ve successfully achieved these objectives”.
Adrian Dartnall– Designer (Fellow of the Chartered Society of Designers)
Adrian Dartnall, of Dartnall Design Associates, who has worked with Ascott for many years, was chosen to tackle the industrial design aspects of the new product range.
Adrian’s comments are as follows:
“The design brief was that the chambers, like any product, should be essentially user centred. Ease of access, convenience and safety of operation are achieved with the intelligent use of anthropometric data and sound ergonomic principals”
“Clean lines and attractive styling are important in any design, but particularly for Ascott, where the products are often located in a high-tech, laboratory environment. As with all good design, form should follow function, so all aspects of the design had to work together. The chambers also had to be cost effective to manufacture in the numbers required, project the right image for the manufacturer and appeal to the customer”
“Simplicity, logical construction and the nature of the materials and manufacturing techniques used, were the framework in which the styling possibilities were explored. I am very pleased with the overall results we have achieved and am certain that this will help maintain Ascott’s position at the forefront of European chamber design”.
Barry Graham – Omron Applications Engineer
Omron electronic components have been a feature of Ascott chambers since the very beginning. Their products have always proved to be of excellent quality and reliability. Barry has provided Ascott with the very best of technical support, throughout this period. This support, coupled with Omron’s highly innovative range of Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC’s) & Human Machine Interfaces (HMI’s), were key factors in Omron being selected to provide all the control hardware solutions for this new product range.
Barry’s comments are as follows:
“By upgrading to a state-of-the-art PLC based control system, operating in conjunction with a choice of HMI’s (including touch screen types) and Ascott’s own sophisticated software, an unprecedented level of control flexibility has been achieved. Almost any conceivable corrosive environment can now be programmed by the user and controlled by the chamber (within the physical limits of the chamber of course!). Special customer requirements can also be more easily accommodated”.
Richard Pointon – RPS Software Engineer
The new Omron PLC based control system selected by Ascott required new and dedicated software in order to operate, and in order to get the most out of the new Ascott product range. Richard’s long association with Omron and his expertise in programming the ladder logic for their PLC’s resulted in him being chosen by Ascott to develop this software.
Richard’s comments are as follows:
“Once the full potential of the new PLC based control system had been realised, the initial specification for the software to control 3 different corrosive environments, soon evolved into a requirement to control up to 11 different environments! This has resulted in some tough programming challenges for me, and the emergence of a very sophisticated software based control system for Ascott. The results have been well worth the effort. The CCT chamber control system in particular, with it’s touch screen interface and intuitive menu driven commands, must be amongst the most comprehensively equipped and easiest to use of its type in the world.
….and finally, you the customer.
The following features and benefits of the latest product range are some of those which are directly attributable to comments and suggestions made by our customers, for which we are very grateful.
Atomiser
The unique Ascott salt spray atomiser features an in-line salt solution filter, which was originally developed in conjunction with Ford, to reduce the incidence of atomiser blockages which they were experiencing with a competitor's product. This filter will remove undissolved salt crystals, and other debris from the salt water, just before it enters the atomiser. It is in a transparent filter housing so its condition can be easily monitored, and its convenient location means that it can easily be removed for cleaning or replacement.
Catchpots ®
This novel system comprises of two 80cm² collecting vessels mounted on adjustable supports within the chamber and linked to two transparent measuring cylinders, mounted externally. This system allows salt fog fall-out inside the chamber to be collected and measured continuously, without the need to open the chamber and interrupt the test.
Loading threshold
Traditional top–loading chambers can be difficult to load and unload, especially if the test samples are heavy and/or large. A low front loading threshold was therefore desigated to be the cornerstone of this new chamber design. The resultant benefit from this ergonomic treatment, in terms of the health and safety of the user, is significantly less risk.
Laboratory Showcase
Chamber users tell us that increasingly the laboratory where corrosion test chambers are installed, is used as a showcase for the company, when their own customers visit. It is therefore important that laboratory equipment such as this projects the right image. Where possible, it should look ‘state of the art’ and impressive. This is what we have tried to achieve with our latest chamber design, even down to offering our customers a free of charge choice of colour for the chamber canopy!