Application Case：Xenon Lamp Weathering Aging Test Chamber SI4000

Customer Background

A comprehensive new material testing research institute provides weather resistance testing services covering textile fabrics, automotive interior and exterior plastics, industrial coatings, construction sealants, photovoltaic accessories and other materials. Its business includes incoming material testing for upstream manufacturers, weathering aging verification for new product R&D, and compliance testing for export products in accordance with domestic and overseas testing specifications such as national standards, ISO, ASTM, AATCC and SAE.

The laboratory needs to carry out a large number of simultaneous weathering tests every day. The original aging equipment suffered from problems including unstable irradiation, large temperature and humidity control deviations, limited compatibility with industry standards and poor repeatability of test data. These issues severely restricted testing capacity and the authority of test reports, driving the institute to purchase high-performance xenon lamp weathering aging equipment to expand laboratory testing capacity.

Core Pain Points of the Customer

Unrealistic light source simulation effect

The spectrum of old equipment deviated greatly from natural sunlight, failing to accurately restore complex outdoor climates such as sun exposure, rain and temperature variation. The gap between aging test results and actual outdoor service conditions made the data of limited reference value for R&D.

Insufficient control accuracy

Irradiance, black panel temperature and cabinet humidity were only regulated by single-loop control without closed-loop automatic correction. Parameters fluctuated drastically during long-term operation, leading to high dispersion of color difference and mechanical property data among parallel samples from the same batch. The equipment failed to meet the data reproducibility requirements of third-party testing institutions.

Single standard compatibility

One unit was only compatible with a small number of industry standards. Samples from automotive, textile, pharmaceutical and photovoltaic clients had to be tested separately on different devices, prolonging test cycles and limiting the volume of test orders accepted by the laboratory.

Simplified water and humidification system

Without a stable deionized water supply system, unqualified water for spraying and humidification left water stains and corrosion on sample surfaces. Meanwhile, pipeline scaling occurred frequently, resulting in high maintenance frequency and operation costs.

Short service life of light sources

Traditional xenon lamps attenuated rapidly and required frequent replacement. Frequent shutdowns for lamp replacement disrupted test schedules and raised comprehensive operating costs.

Customized Solution

After multi-brand performance comparison, on-site prototype testing and evaluation of standard compatibility, the customer selected our water-cooled xenon lamp weathering aging test chamber as the core weather resistance testing equipment for the laboratory.

Equipped with a full-spectrum water-cooled xenon light source system, integrated multi-loop synchronous intelligent control, a stable deionized water circulation system and a large-capacity multi-layer sample rack, the unit supports flexible matching of various filter sets. It meets domestic and overseas weathering test standards for multiple industries in one machine, with performance comparable to high-end imported counterparts and outstanding cost performance.

Core Product Advantages Matching Customer Demands

Realistic simulation of natural sunlight for high aging restoration accuracy

Adopting a high-power water-cooled xenon light source that fully reproduces full-spectrum sunlight, paired with replaceable internal and external filter sets to switch between multiple spectral modes (340 nm / 420 nm or 300–400 nm). It accurately simulates sunlight environments in different regions. By combining light exposure, temperature & humidity adjustment and periodic spraying, the equipment recreates complex outdoor climate conditions including sun irradiation, rain, high temperature & high humidity, and low-temperature darkness. It reliably predicts long-term outdoor aging failures such as discoloration, cracking, chalking and performance degradation of materials.

Multi-loop closed-loop intelligent control for stable and traceable data

Independent control loops for light energy, humidity and black panel temperature are integrated, alongside real-time irradiance monitoring and multi-point energy detection. Irradiance is regulated via automatic closed-loop adjustment with single-point standard control, and a second-point monitoring function is optional. Cabinet temperature, humidity during light/dark cycles, black panel temperature and standard black panel temperature can be synchronously regulated. The temperature range covers 25–100°C, and relative humidity ranges from 10% to 100%RH. The optional dual-temperature synchronous control function satisfies stringent testing standards for automotive and photovoltaic industries. Parameter fluctuations remain minimal during both short and long-term continuous tests, delivering excellent repeatability and reproducibility, and granting high recognition to issued test reports.

Complete standardized water system to reduce sample damage and maintenance costs

The complete machine is equipped with a dedicated stable deionized water supply system, featuring independent water circuits for humidification, sample spraying and rack spraying with precisely controlled flow rates and a wide applicable water pressure range. Spraying produces uniform atomization without residual water stains damaging samples. The high cleanliness of the water circuit prevents pipeline scaling, drastically reducing daily cleaning and inspection workloads.

Large-capacity sample rack for greatly improved testing efficiency

A three-layer rotatable sample rack supports free switching between two sizes of racks. All samples are placed at a uniform tilt angle of 28±2°, and constant rotation ensures even irradiance across all specimens. A large number of samples can be loaded in a single run to carry out multiple groups of parallel comparison tests simultaneously, effectively boosting the daily testing capacity of the laboratory.

Long service life of light sources and worry-free fully automatic operation

The xenon lamp is designed for a service life of up to 2,000 hours with slow light attenuation, lowering shutdown frequency for lamp replacement. The fully automatic operation mode eliminates manual supervision after setting procedures for light, dark and spraying cycles, making it suitable for uninterrupted long-term aging tests.

Full compatibility with industry standards for multi-scenario testing in one unit

The equipment is fully compliant with mainstream domestic and overseas weather resistance testing standards including GB, ISO, ASTM, AATCC, SAE, IEC and ICH. It can be applied to textiles, automotive plastics, industrial coatings, construction sealants, photovoltaics, pharmaceutical packaging and military products. Separate purchase of multiple small aging devices for different categories is unnecessary, saving laboratory procurement budgets and floor space.

Equipment Installation, Commissioning and Training

Our technical engineers completed hoisting, positioning, water & power connection and grounding safety inspection on-site. They flushed water pipelines and calibrated the deionized water system, then debugged the light source irradiance value, temperature & humidity closed-loop control system, black panel temperature synchronous control program, spraying water pressure & flow rate, and rack rotation speed sequentially. Multiple spectral modes were calibrated by replacing different filter sets.

On-site comprehensive training was provided for laboratory operators, covering program editing, standard parameter retrieval, light source replacement, water circuit maintenance and routine troubleshooting. After commissioning, two parallel comparative aging tests on textile fabrics and automotive plastics were conducted on-site. All indicators met standards stably, and the equipment was officially put into service the same day.

Practical Application Results

Significantly improved testing capacity

The large-capacity three-layer rack greatly increases single-batch sample loading. A single unit can process samples from textile, automotive, coating and other industries simultaneously without separate batch testing. The monthly volume of test orders accepted by the laboratory rose by over 40%, shortening delivery cycles for client samples.

Stable and authoritative test data with highly recognized reports

Multi-loop closed-loop control minimizes parameter fluctuations, greatly reducing the dispersion of color difference and mechanical property data among parallel samples. Issued test reports can be directly used for product export, factory audit and new product R&D filing, and have passed audits by numerous vehicle manufacturers and well-known textile enterprises.

Effectively reduced operation and maintenance costs

The extended service life of xenon lamps prolongs replacement cycles. The standardized deionized water circuit resists scaling, cutting monthly equipment cleaning and maintenance time by 60%. Long-term expenditures on water, electricity, consumables and labor for maintenance have decreased markedly.

Multi-functional integration cuts laboratory investment

A single machine covers domestic and overseas standards for all core testing categories of the institute, eliminating the need to purchase multiple small aging devices for different material types and saving equipment procurement budgets and laboratory floor space.

Highly matched aging simulation supports client product R&D

Full-spectrum sunlight simulation combined with alternating temperature, humidity and spraying cycles delivers aging effects highly consistent with natural outdoor exposure. During new material R&D, risks such as discoloration, embrittlement and failure can be quickly predicted, helping manufacturers optimize formulations and improve the weather resistance of finished products.

Customer Testimonial

This xenon lamp weathering aging testing equipment is the core unit for our laboratory renovation and upgrade. It delivers realistic spectrum simulation and high precision in all parameter controls. A single machine completes weather resistance tests for textiles, automotive parts, photovoltaic products and other materials, complying with most domestic and overseas testing standards. The large-capacity rack greatly lifts our testing efficiency, with excellent repeatability of test data and widely recognized reports from our clients. The fully automatic operation simplifies routine management, and the stable water system requires little maintenance. With durable light sources, its long-term comprehensive cost is far more competitive than imported equipment. It perfectly solved our previous bottlenecks including insufficient testing capacity, unstable data and limited standard compatibility.

Case Summary

Boasting a full-spectrum xenon light source, multi-loop synchronous closed-loop control system, standardized deionized water circulation system and large-capacity multi-layer sample rack, the water-cooled xenon lamp weathering aging test chamber balances high precision, wide versatility and outstanding cost performance.

It caters to weathering aging verification demands of third-party testing institutes, automotive component manufacturers, textile mills, coating and building material enterprises, photovoltaic producers and pharmaceutical R&D laboratories. The equipment delivers an all-in-one solution for sun exposure, rain and temperature cycle aging tests of materials from diverse industries, providing stable and standardized test support for product quality control, new material R&D and export compliance inspection.