Crystal Group adds temperature and humidity chamber to engineering testing suite

HIAWATHA, Iowa, 19 Feb. 2016. Crystal Group Inc., a manufacturer of rugged commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) custom-developed computers, displays, switches, and storage devices in Hiawatha, Iowa, has added the Thermotron SE 600-10-10 temperature and humidity chamber to its engineering suite of environmental, thermal, vibration, and electromagnetic interference (EMI) testing equipment.

Environmental chambers are used to ensure the reliability of electronic items through tests, such as prolonged thermal cycling and prolonged exposure to various humidity conditions. The unit can achieve more than 10 degrees Celsius per minute temperature change rates over the range of -40 to +70 degrees Celsius.

Crystal Group is using the environmental testing chamber in part for stress and fatigue analysis of electronics to verify that components and systems can operate in a manner that customers expect, specifically in accordance with MIL-STD-810G Method 507.6.

Crystal Group can now perform environmental testing (including humidity) on rugged electronic components and systems through a temperature range of -70 degrees to 180 degrees Celsius and from 10 percent to 98 percent relative humidity.

“We're a vertically integrated engineering-based company," says Crystal Group's Jim Shaw, EVP of engineering at Crystal Group. "Whether we are working on the development of an individual component or working on a complete system-level rugged compute solution, the projects begin in engineering and are processed through defined R&D, design, testing and certification processes. The addition of the Thermotron environmental chamber to the company's testing suite allows Crystal Group to bring certified product designs and configurations more quickly to market."

Crystal Group Inc., an employee-owned small business located in Hiawatha, Iowa, specializes in both custom and COTS products for defense, government, and industrial markets since 1987. Crystal Group designs and manufactures installation-ready rugged servers, displays, networking devices, embedded systems, power supplies, and storage devices that fit critical applications in demanding environmental conditions.

Crystal Group is certified to quality management standards AS9100C:2009 and ISO 9001:2008. Crystal Group products meet and exceed MIL-STDs 810, 167-1, 461, MIL-S-901, IEEE and IEC industrial standards. Additionally, the company offers integration services, configuration management, product life-cycle planning and 5+ year warranties.