New Specimen Holders Boost Weather-Ometer® Efficiency Atlas Material Testing Technology

Atlas has offered a variety of unique solutions for mounting different specimen types onto the rotating rack of Ci Series Weather-Ometers. Holders have been designed for products ranging from glass to solar panels to thick carpet – even construction helmets and nail polish bottles. However, the standard panel and sample holder with the spring clip back have not changed significantly for many years.

Answering the needs of our customers, Atlas has partnered with a well-established industrial design firm to develop revolutionary sample holders that will accommodate a wide range of specimen sizes and thicknesses, as well as reduce the rack-loading time by more than 50%. During the design process, Atlas conducted multiple interviews with customers who test a wide range of specimen types. The new state-of-the art designs incorporate their feedback as well as observations of sample loading best practices.

The new holders still allow the specimen surface to be precisely oriented at the appropriate distance from the lamp to maximize irradiance uniformity. However, loading samples is now safer and more ergonomic, and the holders allow for multiple thicknesses. One specific holder design can remain on the rack and simply be folded together – similar to vertical blinds – for easy access to the lamp and chamber, without the clutter of hard-to-stack holders. The holders can be used on any existing Ci Series instrument.