Fred Barwick: The Educator Who Helped Standardize Automotive Fog Testing How one industry expert helped laboratories around the world perform more accurate, repeatable, and reliable fogging tests. For today's automotive testing laboratories, fogging testing is simply part of doing business. Whether evaluating instrument panel materials, seat fabrics, adhesives, foams, coatings, or plastic trim, engineers routinely
Whole-Seat VOC Testing: The Next Evolution in Automotive Interior Emissions Testing? As automotive manufacturers continue to reduce volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from vehicle interiors, testing methods are evolving to better reflect what consumers actually experience inside a completed vehicle. Traditionally, VOC and fogging evaluations have been performed on individual materials and components. Today, however,
How Schap Specialty Machine Built Upon the Hart Scientific Legacy Continuing the Evolution of Dry Fog Testing Few laboratory tests demand the level of thermal precision required for automotive fogging evaluations. Whether testing interior plastics, textiles, foams, adhesives, leather, or coatings, the reliability of the data ultimately depends on one critical factor: repeatability. Over the
One of the barriers to entering material testing in your lab is financing. With scarcity of limited resources, you are forced to have your testing done by outside, third-party services. You lose control over the process and have to trust someone else. At Schap, we understand business finances. That's why we offer alternatives. If you
Why Automotive Test Laboratories Choose Schap Specialty Machine for Cast Aluminum Butt and Back Forms The Foundation of Accurate Seat Testing Begins with the Right Test Forms In automotive seating validation, sophisticated test machines often receive most of the attention. Servo-hydraulic systems, programmable fatigue testers, and automated seat durability equipment are certainly impressive, but every
FMVSS 207 & FMVSS 210 Seat Belt Anchorage Testing: Why FAD1 and FAD2 Are Transforming Compliance Testing By Schap Specialty Machine, Inc. For automotive OEMs, Tier 1 seat manufacturers, and accredited automotive testing laboratories, demonstrating compliance with FMVSS 207 (Seating Systems) and FMVSS 210 (Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages) is one of the most critical structural
Understanding Colorfastness Testing with the Schap Gakushin Tester How the JIS L0849 Standard Helps Ensure Durable, Fade-Resistant Textiles In today's automotive, aerospace, furniture, apparel, and technical textile industries, appearance is every bit as important as performance. Consumers expect fabrics to retain their original color throughout years of use—even after repeated rubbing, cleaning, and exposure to
The History of the Wyzenbeek Abrasion Tester: Why Is It Called the "Wyzenbeek" Test? When engineers and textile laboratories discuss fabric durability, one name appears repeatedly: the Wyzenbeek Abrasion Tester. For more than a century, the Wyzenbeek method has been one of the primary standards for evaluating the abrasion resistance of upholstery fabrics used in
Gravimetric vs. Reflectometric Fog Testing: Which Method Should You Use? One of the most common questions asked by automotive materials engineers and laboratory managers is: "Should our laboratory perform gravimetric fog testing or reflectometric fog testing?" The answer is often both—but for different reasons. While each method evaluates the tendency of automotive interior materials to
Compression Testing Foam with the Schap Specialty Machine Servo Universal Test Machine Why Compression Testing Matters Flexible polyurethane foam is engineered to deform under load while recovering its original shape when the load is removed. The ability to maintain these characteristics over thousands of loading cycles directly affects product quality. Compression testing helps manufacturers determine:
