Released in May of 2011, GR-1089-CORE Issue 6 Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) and Electrical Safety requirements for Network Telecommunications Equipment has undergone a number of technical changes. We look at its substantial modifications and the potential impact on previously certified products. Click here for the full article written by NTS EMI/EMC Engineering Manager Jeffrey Viel for InCompliance Magazine.
NTS is pleased to welcome two new locations to our family of test and engineering laboratories. The first, Ingenium Testing of Rockford, IL, was announced on July 21, 2011. The new NTS Rockford is a full-service EMI and EMC engineering and testing facility, spanning over 83,000 square feet on a 5 acre lot. Click here to learn more about NTS Rockford.
Our second new addition was announced on September 1. Lightning Technologies, located in western Massachusetts in the town of Pittsfield, is one of the most complete lightning-simulation laboratories in the world and ranks as an international leader in the development of sophisticated lightning protection systems for customers. Click here to learn more about NTS Pittsfield.
National Technical Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: NTSC) (NTS), a leading provider of engineering services, is pleased to announce that on April 6, 2011, the Telecommunications Certification Body (TCB) Council elected Mark Briggs, Staff Engineer at NTS, Chairperson of its Board of Directors.
TCB’s are accredited organizations with the authority to issue Grants of Certification for compliance with Federal Communications Commission Rules & Regulations. The purpose of the TCB council is to provide a forum for periodic dialogue between the FCC and the TCB’s and to facilitate on-going activities geared toward the improvement of TCB technical and administrative performance. Mark’s election to Chair of the TCB Council Board is a reflection of his deep technical expertise and the great respect he holds among his peers on the Council and within the wireless industry at large.
“I am very honored to be nominated to the position of TCB Council Board Chair. This is an interesting and exciting time and there many important issues before the council. I hope to continue the excellent work done by the outgoing Board under Chair Greg Kiemel, and look forward to working with the new Executive Committee.” Mr. Briggs said.
Mark initially became a member of the Board of Directors in February 2010. In the recent elections for a new board, Mark was nominated for the position of Chair and his appointment was made public on Wednesday, April 6th. His term will be two years, 2011-2013. As Chairman of the TCB Council Board of Directors, Mark will be responsible for setting the agenda, overseeing the Council’s ongoing activities and hosting periodic meetings and open forums.
Photo credit Timothy Rider
Philip Samuels, chemical engineer (left) and Anthony Di Stasio, lead project officer (right), both members of the Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center, look at seven different fuze plugs designed to accommodate the IMX-101-loaded M795 155mm projectile.
National Ordnance and Ballistics Test Center – Camden, Arkansas
The US Army’s explosive formulation IMX-101 has been named one of “The 50 Best Inventions of 2010” by TIME Magazine. IMX-101 is part of a new family of explosives under development called Insensitive Munitions eXplosives (IMX). They are significantly more stable than conventional TNT and Composition B munition fills, making them safer for troops to transport and handle. For example, TNT typically behaves violently if subjected to an accidental stimulus, such as fire, and TNT-loaded munitions also are susceptible to enemy attack. The IMX generation of insensitive munitions are designed to maintain chemical stability when subjected to mechanical shocks, fire, and impact by shrapnel; while performing as intended when needed.
Earlier this year, the Army team at Picatinny Arsenal and the US Marine Corps approved IMX-101 as an effective replacement to TNT in the new M795 155-millimeter artillery munition. The Army also has endorsed IMX-101 as a suitable replacement for any large-caliber munitions requiring the energetic performance equivalent to TNT. That decision has the potential to revolutionize the way military ordnance is stored and transported, saving lives on and off the battlefield.
The US Army Program Management – Close Combat Systems (PM-CAS) at Picatinny Arsenal managed the Research & Development (R&D) Program to identify an effective IM fill replacement for TNT. NTS-Camden took a proactive approach by becoming involved during the R&D phase of this program. This enabled NTS to gain a thorough understanding of our customers’, and the end users, needs and requirements. During the R&D program, PM-CAS ultimately down-selected to three viable explosive fills for MIL-S-2105 Insensitive Munitions testing. NTS performed all down-select MIL-S-2105 testing for two of the three IM fills; and performed qualification testing for BAE Systems, the formulator and manufacturer of IMX-101, which was the ultimate fill of choice.
NTS provided input in the test protocols and offered advanced planning for testing schedules that suited the PM-CAS program accelerated timeline. The importance of good communication was evident during this program. By becoming involved during the R&D state of the program, NTS quickly became an integral part of the success of all customers including the explosive manufacture, load-assemble-pack facility, PM-CAS program office, and the ultimate customer – the US Solider.
article links….
http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2029497_2030613_2029816,00.html
http://science.dodlive.mil/2010/08/17/5-ways-the-new-army-explosive-will-help-our-warfighters/
Testing of Faster, More Robust MoCA 2.0 Products Coming Soon
Calabasas, CA (August 17, 2010)…National Technical Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: NTSC) (NTS), a leading provider of engineering services, announced today that the Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA®) has extended its agreement with NTS to be the exclusive worldwide testing laboratory for MoCA product certifications for an additional 2 years.
The Ordnance Sciences Division within the NTS Defense Group has been fortunate this year to participate as co-authors with the NSWC Crane, Detachment Fallbrook, ESED customer and support their presentation of papers at two NDIA conferences. The paper presentations were: “High Speed Digital Infrared Imaging of the M201A1 Grenade Fuze Initiation Train,” that was presented at the NDIA Fuze Conference in May 2010, and “Pyrotechnic Shock Loading of the M82 Percussion Primer in the M777 Light Weight Howitzer Magazine Assembly,” that was presented at the NDIA Joint Armaments Conference, also in May 2010. More recently, Ryan Hill and Jon Conner of the NTS Ordnance Sciences Division presented a paper at the Gun Tube Tube M3 Symposium hosted by the US Army Research Laboratory at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD in July 2010. The title of this paper was “Transient Heat Transfer Model to Support Rapid Trade Studies of Machine Gun Barrel Geometries and Materials.”
The Ordnance Sciences Division at NTS recently added the capability to perform computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis to their suite of high end engineering analysis software tools. The CFD software acquired included CFDesign from Blue Ridge Numerics and FloTHERM from Mentor Graphics. CFDesign is ideally suited for general purpose internal and external flow analysis including high speed compressible flow (up to Mach 5) and can accommodate rotating projectiles such as the 81 mm HE Mortar Projectile shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1. CFDesign Analysis of the External Flow Around an 81 mm Mortar Projectile at 225 fps.
FloTHERM is ideally suited for the solution of heat transfer problems incorporating conduction, convection, and radiation phenomena with complex assemblies (including electronic circuit boards) and incompressible fluids. An example of the steady state flow induced in the surrounding air by natural convection heat transfer from an electronics enclosure is shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2. FloTherm Analysis of Natural Convection Through a Wall Mounted Electronics Enclosure.
NTS Test Systems Engineering Division to Develop Automated Test Equipment (ATE) for the Boeing 777 Program
Calabasas, CA (July 7, 2010)…National Technical Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: NTSC) (NTS), a leading provider of engineering services, announced today that its Test Systems Engineering Division has been selected by The Boeing Company to provide Automated Test Equipment (ATE) systems in support of its 777 Program. The ATE systems will perform tests on 777 systems, avionics and engines using automation to quickly perform measurements and evaluate the test results.
National Technical Systems (NTS) Completes ZigBee Smart Energy Certification Testing for SimpleHomeNet Appliance
Rapidly Expanding Smart Grid Compliance Testing Market Is Key NTS Initiative
CALABASAS, Calif., June 4, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ –National Technical Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: NTSC) (NTS), a leading provider of engineering services, announced today that it recently completed ZigBee Smart Energy certification testing for a feature-rich, wireless electric load controller manufactured by SimpleHomeNet, a division of Compacta International. The tests were run at the NTS laboratory in Culver City, CA. Following completion of the certification tests, the ZigBee Alliance reviewed the test results submitted by NTS and the application submitted by SimpleHomeNet and certified the load controller.
NTS is the market leader in ZigBee smart energy certification testing and one of only three companies worldwidewith rights designated by the ZigBee Alliance to test wireless products for ZigBee Smart Energy certification. Completion of the certification tests for SimpleHomeNet is another example of NTS’ expanding leadership in the burgeoning testing market for ZigBee Smart Energy.
ZigBee Smart Energy is the market leading wireless home area network (HAN) standard with more than 40 million smart meters being installed around the world. Last year, it was selected by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) as an initial interoperable standard for HAN devices. ZigBee has also been adopted by over 350 global manufacturers andthere is a large total potential market of 1.5 billion devices that could be installed in homes worldwide for energy management and demand response, according to a recently published report by ON World.
Smart energy device testing is a rapidly expanding global industry and a growing market for NTS,said NTS Chief Executive Office William McGinnis. The U.S. Department of Energy has allocated $30 billion as part of a national energy initiative backed by national utility companies, which is expected toencourage the development and certification of a broad range of smart energy products McGinnis said.
ZigBee Smart Energy certification demonstrates that a wireless product such as a load controller, or other wireless device, is compliant with the ZigBee Smart Energy standard that was created by energy experts and ZigBee Alliance members. ZigBee members include Ember, Freescale, Texas Instruments, Landis & Gyr, Itron, Cisco, General Electric, Honeywell, Intel, Mitsubishi Electric Corp., Philips, Samsung Electronics, Siemens, Sony and many other leading corporations around the world.
“This is already a large, rapidly growing market and an expanding list of companies is committed to the smart energy path, which we believe is a good opportunity for us,” McGinnis added. “We not only provide the test services, but we also design the test tools to simulate the functions of the appliances that allow our clients to do self-testing. We have a full solution for our clients with software testing and validation and multiple engineering services.”
Remotely controlled, wireless appliances such as thermostats, meters, load controllers, pool pumps, water heaters and display units designed for homeowners as part of a HAN are key components of a smart grid created to reduce energy usage, increase reliability and cut costs for consumers, said NTS Chief Technology Officer Osman Sakr. The NTS testing demonstrates that the appliances work together properly and can accurately show how much energy is being used, thereby allowing a consumer to manage energy efficiently.
Al Choperena, President and CEO of Compacta International, said the NTS testing and ZigBee Smart Energy certification of its load controller “is a key milestone in our ZigBee product roadmap and signals our strong commitment to the future of the smart grid. To date, our certification efforts have been on track thanks to our ongoing partnership with NTS.”
NTS is pleased to announce that we’ll be exhibiting at the upcoming Farnborough International Air show to be held from July 19 to 25, 2010 in Farnborough, UK. The Air Show at Farnborough is the premier global showcase for everything that is part of the aerospace industry. Held once every two years, the 2008 Air Show attracted nearly 300,000 visitors. Exhibitors include nearly all the world’s aircraft manufacturers including Boeing and Airbus, as well as manufacturers of aircraft components and services. More information on the show can be found on their website. NTS will be in stand H2/B35.
The M82 Percussion Primer is employed to initiate the propelling charges of separately loaded artillery weapon systems. Unique to the 155 mm M777 Light Weight Howitzer weapon system design is the use of a magazine assembly mounted in the breach mechanism of the howitzer in which ten M82 percussion primers are loaded. This design allows the primers to experience shock loadings associated with multiple howitzer firings. To address concerns as to the potential impact this shock environment may have on the sensitivity of the percussion primers in the Marine Corps inventory, the Expeditionary Systems Evaluation Division of NSWC Crane, in concert with National Technical Systems (NTS) Ordnance Sciences department, conducted tests to characterize the pyrotechnic shock imparted to the magazine assembly of the M777 howitzer during weapon system firings and then used this data to develop a series of laboratory tests to characterize changes in the sensitivity of the M82 Percussion Primer as a result of multiple exposures to these shock environments. This work was done in support of the Program Manager for Ammunition of the Marine Corps System Command service life accelerated age testing program. The paper “Pyrotechnic Shock Loading of the M82 Percussion Primer in the M777 Light Weight Howitzer Magazine Assembly” will be presented at the NDIA Joint Armaments Conference being held in Dallas, TX, May 17 through 20, 2010. NTS will be exhibiting in booth 521.
