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Featured Article...
With the current difficult and uncertain outlook in the automotive industry, many companies are modifying practices to promote efficiencies and save money. One trend evident in the test laboratory concerns the equipment purchases. In the past, many companies would never consider purchasing used or reconditioned test systems. This practice is clearly changing in the current environment, and MGA has been helping many customers in this area.
The purchase of used equipment can present risks to the buyer. Concerns can include a lack of warranty, a significant cost to bring old items on-line after the purchase, potential down-time due to reliability, and image concerns. And while some of these issues may concern large companies, our experience in the used equipment market is unparalleled. We have been an active and aggressive purchaser of used test systems for over 30 years. Dozens of systems ranging from ED shakers, real-time simulation equipment, environmental chambers, test dummies, MAST systems, FMVSS systems, and many more have been purchased by MGA over the years.
Our "ultimate" used equipment purchase was with the Proving Grounds Facility in Burlington, WI. This facility, bought from Chrysler in 1988, was not in operation at the time of purchase. MGA-NY immediately went to work bringing the facility back to life within weeks of the closing date. Today the facility is thriving, and plays a vital role in the automotive industry.
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Completion of the PATAC Crash Facility
David Winkelbauer - Burlington, WI (david.winkelbauer@mgaresearch.com)
The 50-50 joint venture between GM (General Motors) and SAIC (Shanghai Automobile Industry Corporation) of the full-scale crash facility at PATAC has been completed.
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UN/DOT Shock Testing
Shock testing is a part of the UN/DOT testing, which is mandated on all lithium batteries before they can be legally shipped. The testing is performed to simulate what would happen if the shipping container was accidentally dropped during the shipping process. There are two main purposes for the testing. First and most importantly, the battery is tested to ensure no explosions or electrolyte leakage will occur. This is done to afford safety to anyone near the container. Secondly is to ensure the product would still be in working order if the package was dropped, which saves time and money for both customers and manufacturers.
A pneumatically powered shock machine is used for shock testing; which generally involves placing a customer's part on our shock tower and dropping the test part to a specific pulse. Pressurized gas lifts the drop tower platform up to a specific height, and then pushes it downward onto padding to try to achieve that pulse. The pulse is mandated by the UN/DOT requirements as a 150 g acceleration, 6 millisecond duration half sine shock pulse. These values, which come from real world observed conditions, are simulated in the laboratory, and fine tune adjustments can be made to properly achieve the pulse. By increasing the pressure on the machine, you can increase the magnitude of the acceleration seen by the unit under testing. By varying the padding the shock tower is dropped onto, you can also vary the duration of the pulse of the test. The softer the material underneath the tower, the longer the duration of the pulse because it takes longer for the drop tower to come to rest.
We have the capabilities to achieve a wide array of test pulses and shapes, and can also perform pyroshocks with pulses to 10,000 Gs! For more information, call Terrance Abrams at (716) 542-5672 or via e-mail at terrance.abrams@mgaresearch.com. |
MGA Awarded FMVSS 202a NHTSA Contract
 Whiplash is a term used to describe a range of injuries due to the sudden distortion of the neck. It is commonly associated with motor vehicle accidents, specifically rear end collisions. FMVSS 202a is a federal regulation that evaluates head restraints located in all vehicles with a GVWR less than 10,000 pounds. It becomes effective September 1, 2009 for front seats, and September 1, 2010 for rear seats. This regulation is intended to improve head restraints and to minimize whiplash injuries during rear end collisions.
MGA has been awarded a NHTSA FMVSS 202a test contract, with the compliance testing to be conducted in MGA-Troy. We have been working closely with the NHTSA over the past few years to continuously improve our method and understanding of this regulation. Our experts have developed a head restraint test machine custom-built for FMVSS 202a. The tests are run by our highly trained and experienced engineers and test technicians.
With the regulation going into effect this year, many OEMs and other manufacturers are making many design changes to satisfy the FMVSS 202a requirements. One customer states, "MGA has conducted all of our 202a static testing over the past year and a half. Their expertise and insight has led us to develop better head restraints which will help ensure the safety of our customers."
We look forward to being one of the first test facilities to conduct this important compliance testing. For more information on the FMVSS 202a testing, contact Chris Collins at (248) 577-5001 or via e-mail at chris.collins@mgaresearch.com.
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MGA Websites:
For more information on our capabilities please visit one of our following
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Touching Base
with Dr. Patrick Miller - Akron, NY
Spring Training
All major league baseball teams spend March at spring training in either Florida or Arizona. They participate in either the Grapefruit (Florida) or Cactus (Arizona) Leagues. Spring training is unique to baseball as all other major league sports tend to have their preseason activities at or near their home base.
I have been attending spring training games in Florida for more than 20 years. Not only is this a way to get away from the cold weather and enjoy some sunshine, but it is also a way to gain a better understanding of the strategies involving the game. From a fan's perspective, this period is much more than whether the team wins or loses, but rather how they are set for the somewhat grueling 162 game season and how they are preparing their personnel for years beyond the current season.
I spend the time in Lakeland, Florida, the spring training home of the Detroit Tigers. Having been born and raised in Michigan, I have been a loyal Tiger fan all my life. Detroit has been in Lakeland for over 70 years, and holds the record for longevity of all major league teams at their spring training location. A disturbing trend with the sport is how some team owners tend to move their spring training location to another city if it will provide better financial incentives. Lately, a contest has taken place between the states of Florida and Arizona to determine which one can provide the greater incentives. And as such, both states have spent millions of dollars on facility upgrades. In many cases, what were originally somewhat spartan accommodations are now extremely elaborate facilities. Taxpayers may question such use of their taxes for just four or five weeks of exhibition baseball.
Because spring training involves the major league team and its minor league affiliates, the facilities must accommodate over 150 players. A typical complex will have 6 to 8 practice fields with at least one exactly duplicating the dimensions of the major league team's home playing field.
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