We also discussed our Newton thermal manikin with ManikinPC2 model control, not only because this is an advanced feature of the popular Newton system but also because the Ninth International Meeting for Manikins and Modeling (9I3M) is being held in Tokyo this summer. Research papers describing the methodology and results for tests using virtual human model controls are expected to be a hot topic in the 9I3M proceedings. In fact, if past I3M’s are any indication, a good portion of the cutting-edge thermal comfort research presented at 9I3M will be generated using Newton manikins!

Despite the busy training schedule, our IDS friends also found time to take in Seattle’s Public Market and a few other popular area attractions. And it only rained a little…

Cold Plate add-on for the SGHP-10.5

One project that did find its way to the top of our to-do list was the development of an active cold-plate accessory device for our SGHP-8.2 and SGHP-10.5 hotplate systems.

Cold Plate add-on for the SGHP-8.2

This exciting add-on device for new and existing SGHP systems features a sensorized and temperature controlled cold plate for thermal conduction tests. Use of the cold plate accessory allows operators to review and characterize samples and generate approximate ISO 8302 test results. The test results can quickly identify samples worthy of more advanced testing.

The new cold plate uses thermoelectric coolers and temperature sensors mounted to a robust aluminum plate to control and measure plate temperature and generate a sufficient temperature delta to permit thermal conduction tests. Sensor data is integrated to our ThermDAC software for fast, reliable test reporting and analysis. The result is a clean, quick, simple-to-use SGHP accessory device that gives operators the ability to switch between standard hotplate tests and hot plate-cold plate conduction tests.

Use the SGHP-8.2 or SGHP-10.5 as-is to fully meet sweating guarded hotplate standards ASTM F1868 and ISO 11092, and add the new cold plate accessory to generate test values (within the device’s temperature range) for ISO 8302!

How’s that for versatility?

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.

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!

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.

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

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!

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.

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!

In fact, sometime next week we will welcome aboard MTNW’s 40^th 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