New website coming
Wednesday, December 14th, 2011
The current Measurement Technology NW website has served us well for several years now, but it’s about to get a much needed makeover. The new website, which should be ready to “go live” in early 2012, is still just a bunch of whiteboard drawings and ideas looking for a place to call home – but even at this early stage it’s exciting to fast-forward and imagine how these ideas will play out on the new site. There will be more images and product demonstration videos, better connections between our products and the test standards they support, and ways to search for client laboratories that offer testing services (in case an equipment purchase is not yet in your company’s plans). There will be information on equipment rental plans, at least one new product introduction, and a few other new features that will make it easier for visitors to navigate through the website and find the information they’re looking for.
Newton and his thermal manikin family are already looking forward to moving day, so keep an eye on this blog for new announcements as the website design work moves forward. I should note that our partner in this project is Williams-Helde Marketing Communications (www.williams-helde.com), a Seattle agency selected not just for their creative expertise but because they also have a hyphen in their website address! Our partnership was clearly meant to be.
Tags: MTNW, new, website
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Our 25th Anniversary!
Wednesday, November 9th, 2011
Our Founders
Measurement Technology NW, founded October 15, 1986, designs and manufactures precision biophysical instruments for evaluating the thermal comfort of textiles, garments, protective apparel, seats, beds, and dynamic thermal environments such as aircraft, truck, and automobile interiors.
Our company’s growth into the thermal comfort testing industry began in 1988, with delivery of a Thermal Hand manikin system to USARIEM (United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine) which was used to test gloves and protective handwear for soldiers. This project not only helped USARIEM advance the science of soldier protection, it also launched Measurement Technology NW into the thermal comfort test equipment business. Expertise gained through the development of the Thermal Hand manikin allowed MTNW to win research contracts for other thermal comfort testing equipment and, as they say, the rest is history:
1988 – Thermal Hand Manikin
1994 – Guarded Hotplate System
1996 – “Bo” Heat Pipe Thermal Manikin
1999 – “Newton” Articulated Thermal Manikin
2001 – “ADAM” 126-zone Sweating Thermal Manikin
2005 – “NEMO” Submersible Thermal Manikin
2006 – “HVAC” Automotive Manikin System
2011 – Flame Test Manikin System
Next – IPEMS Robotic Thermal Manikin
Since 1986 Measurement Technology NW has installed over 250 manikin and hotplate systems, making us the industry’s most experienced source for advanced thermal testing equipment – now and for the next 25 years to come!
Tags: 25 year celebration, 25 years, beds, biophysical instruments, Flame Test Manikin System, garments, Guarded Hotplate System, IPEMS Robotic Thermal Manikin, MTNW, protective apparel, seats, textiles, thermal comfort, Thermal Hand Manikin, USARIEM, “ADAM” 126-zone Sweating Thermal Manikin, “Bo” Heat Pipe Thermal Manikin, “HVAC” Automotive Manikin System, “NEMO” Submersible Thermal Manikin, “Newton” Articulated Thermal Manikin
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Barcelona – ITMA 2011
Tuesday, October 11th, 2011
Newton at ITMA 2011
Newton had an excellent trip to Barcelona, Spain for the ITMA 2011 textile exhibition. As a booth companion, I can say he was definitely the strong, silent type – not much for conversation but quite popular nonetheless. Sharing the spotlight with Newton were Measurement Technology NW’s SGHP-8.2 sweating hotplate (skin model), and our new RPP (Radiant Protective Performance) device for assessing a fabric’s resistance to radiant heat energy.
All these items garnered significant interest and proved that ITMA is the premier show for the textile industry. To call it a huge exhibition is an understatement. It was a full 8 days long, with attendance totaling well over 100,000 people. Every facet of the textile industry is represented: from raw materials, to finished goods, to everything in-between.
Next up for MTNW is the IFAI Expo in Baltimore (October 25-27), where Newton will put on a repeat performance. The SGHP-8.2 unit we had on display at ITMA remained in Europe, but at IFAI it will be replaced with our TPP (Thermal Protective Performance) device.
Interested? Come on by! You’ll find Measurement Technology NW in Booth 2509.
Tags: exhibition, ITMA, ITMA 2011, measurement technology northwest, MTNW, Newton, SGHP, SGHP hotplate, sweating manikin, textile, thermal manikin
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Upcoming Events
Friday, August 19th, 2011
With the end of summer quickly approaching, your MTNW team is hurrying to complete preparations for the ITMA show in Barcelona, Spain(September 22-29) and the IFAI Expo in Baltimore, Maryland (October 25-27).
At ITMA, Measurement Technology NW will be displaying a 26-zone Newton sweating thermal manikin with physiological control model, a SGHP-8.2 sweating hotplate, an RPP (Radiant Protective Performance) device, and, hopefully, a TPP (Thermal Protective Performance) device. For those of you traveling to Barcelonafor the big ITMA show, you’ll find Measurement Technology NW in Hall 2, Booth A164.
At the IFAI Expo, we plan to display the 26-zone Newton sweating thermal manikin with physiological control model, an RPP (Radiant Protective Performance) device, and the TPP (Thermal Protective Performance) device. We may include some other items too, but until final decisions are made you’ll just have to find a way to deal with the suspense. October is a beautiful time of the year to be on the East coast, and if attending the IFAI Expo is part of your travel plans you’ll find Measurement Technology NW in Booth 2509.
Oh, and we have new booth display banners too!
New Booth Display Banners
Tags: 26-zone, Baltimore, Barcelona, IFAI Expo, ITMA, Maryland, Newton, physiological control model, RPP, SGHP, Spain, sweating, sweating guarded hot plate, thermal manikin
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Pig Roast!
Friday, July 22nd, 2011
As our blog readers may recall from past postings, Measurement Technology NW has a much-appreciated tradition of “celebrating the wins” by hosting lunch for employees whenever a new thermal order has been completed and shipped off to the customer. However, the 110% team effort that was behind our first Flame Test Manikin and Burn Chamber shipment (to Donghua University, Shanghai, China) called for something more than your typical in-house lunch. The kind of dedication and perseverance shown by our project engineers and techs could only be properly rewarded with something flame-related… like a Hawaiian pig roast!
The requirements were simple. Wear a Hawaiian shirt and be ready to eat! Our talented machinist Brian Welch is also a pig-roasting connoisseur, and thanks to his watchful eye over the 10-hour roasting period, this particular pig was moist, delicious, and reduced to a pile of scraps by the time lunch was over.
For more information on the Flame Test Manikin and Burn Chamber system installed at Donghua University, keep an eye out for our next thermal newsletter, coming soon!
Tags: burn chamber, donghua university, flame test system, MTNW, pig roast, thermal manikins
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Techtextile 2011, Frankfurt, Germany
Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011
While Newton was busy showing the crowd at VTMS 10 how comfortable he was, Measurement Technology NW was preparing other thermal test equipment for the big Techtextil 2011 show in Frankfurt, Germany. We had a SGHP-8.2 sweating guarded hotplate on display at the Mesdan S.p.A. booth, and the device generated a great deal of interest from textile labs and companies who evaluate the thermal insulative and evaporative properties of fabrics. In fact, by the end of the show the SGHP-8.2 had been sold to Carvico S.p.A. in Italy – a fabric testing lab for high performance bicycle apparel.
After the show and before my flight home I saw one of Frankfurt’s more unique sights: the “Beer Bike”. A human-powered beer bar, five seats on a side, each seat with a set of bicycle pedals underneath. If you were thirsty and a seat was open all you had to do was run alongside, hop onto the seat, and start pedaling while the driver/bartender served you a beer from the keg in front!
It was a memorable example of German efficiency – a place to have fun, drink beer, and work off the calories, all at the same time.
Tags: beer bike, comfort manikin, display, human simulation, Newton, techtextil 2011, thermal manikin, thermal simulation
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Newton visits the UK for VTMS 10
Wednesday, May 25th, 2011
Newton at VTMS
If you happen to be at the VTMS 10 show in Warwickshire, UK this week, Measurement Technology NW is there too, displaying a 26-zone Newton thermal manikin running ManikinPC2 human comfort model software (as part of the ThermoAnalytics booth).
ManikinPC2 (Manikin Physiology Control and Predictive Comfort) software is a closed-loop feedback control package that accurately mimics the human thermoregulatory system and provides metrics for thermal comfort and thermal sensation. The software permits variable activity levels that simulate the human metabolism while resting, working, or exercising.
Set an activity level and appropriate metabolic wattages will be imposed onto the manikin. Want to learn more? Well, you could come by the ThermoAnalytics booth to see if Newton is comfortable. Or, you could ask us to set up a demonstration to show how comfortable Newton is. Thanks to ManikinPC2 software, he’ll be able to tell you!
Tags: comfort software, human comfort model, human comfort simulation, human comfort software, human metabolism simulation, ManikinPC2, Measurement Technology NW, metabolic rate simulation, Newton thermal manikin, physiology simulation, ThermoAnalytics, VTMS
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Growth – A good problem to have
Thursday, April 7th, 2011
In fact, sometime next week we will welcome aboard MTNW’s 40th team member. We’re not sure where to put his desk, but we do know his engineering skills will quickly be put to good use. Thankfully there is no shortage of things to work on these days, and that happy fact is a clear testament to the company’s dedication to continuous product improvement and new product innovation – even during the down times.
That dedication is the main reason we now offer a new, state-of-the-art Flame Test Manikin system, smartly designed TPP and RPP test devices, an advanced physiological comfort model (ManikinPC2) for our Newton thermal manikins, and a new Integrated Chamber for the SGHP hotplate. Couple these high-profile achievements to a long list of “under the hood” refinements made to our existing lineup of thermal testing products and you can see that the growth we’re enjoying today is no accident.
So we’ll continue to invest in product innovation and improvement. We’ll accept the fact that growth is a very good problem to have. Somewhere, we’ll find room for another desk. And the new guy will have to fight for a parking space just like the rest of us.
MTNW Staff
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ITMA 2011: Will you be there?
Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011
ITMA 2011
We are still putting together plans on what equipment to bring, but the chances are good that the list will include a Newton sweating thermal manikin and one or two other examples of our thermal comfort and protective apparel test equipment. If you have any specific requests for MTNW equipment you would like to see displayed at ITMA, let us know and we’ll do our best to make it happen.
ITMA is a great trade show, so for anyone who plans to attend let this be an advance invitation for you to come by the MTNW booth and introduce yourself. So much of our international communications are by email, and it is trade shows like ITMA that let us connect face-to-face with existing clients and get to know potential new customers.
If that’s not a good enough reason to attend ITMA, I also understand Barcelona is beautiful in September…
Tags: Barcelona, International Exhibition of Textile Machinery, ITMA, ITMA 2011, measurement technology northwest, Measurement Technology NW, Spain
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Integrated Chamber for the SGHP is now available
Friday, January 21st, 2011
We are just days away from shipping our first Integrated Chamber, built specifically for the SGHP sweating guarded hotplate models. When used with either the SGHP-8.2 or SGHP-10.5 hotplate, both hotplate and chamber are fully integrated as one unit and both can be operated using our ThermDAC control software (which explains the USB port photo!). All hotplate and chamber test settings can be made from one operator interface for better accuracy and data tracking capabilities.
Of course, the Integrated Chamber can also be controlled manually, but we think having a single-point control interface for hotplate and chamber is a major benefit (and very cool too). Even better, the Integrated Chamber’s space-efficient design allows it to be inexpensively shipped and easily transported through narrow laboratory doorways, thanks to exterior dimensions of only 34″W x 38″D x 70″H.
Don’t let the Integrated Chamber’s compact size fool you. It’s a full-featured steady state environmental chamber that’s built to last, with specifications that include heavy-duty components, an insulated door with window, dual LED cabinet lights, and a removable top shelf for the preconditioning of fabric samples. A protective floor plate (to cover the SGHP test plate surface) allows the chamber to be used for other lab purposes.
- Integrated Chamber for SGHP
Tags: environment chamber, hot plate, hotplate, integrated chamber, lab testing, SGHP, SGHP hotplate, steady state environment, sweating guarded hot plate
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