Multi-Cell Ageing Oven (also called Cell-Type or Test Tube Oven) is a highly accurate piece of equipment for thermal testing. The purpose of this apparatus is to test the thermal stability and breakdown properties of rubber, plastic, and electrically insulated materials by exposing them to heat in isolated cells.

What is inside a multi-cell ageing oven?

• Cells: Vertical tubes (4, 6, or 12 tubes per unit) where samples can be placed. The sample cell becomes like a small laboratory on its own.
• Airflow Controllers: Highly precise rotameters installed for each cell, allowing you to control the number of “Air Changes Per Hour.”
• Sample Holders: Specialized hooks for hanging the material (commonly ISO/ASTM "dumbbells") in such a way that there is no contact between the sample and the cell wall.

Why is it ideal for the Laboratory?

1. Accuracy and Replicability

Laboratories require the capacity for replication of the tests conducted. The ovens, because of the aluminum heating block design and controlled air flow, have much better thermal stability than conventional ovens.

2. Small Sample Testing

There is no requirement in laboratories for testing a bulk quantity of products; rather, they test dumbbells or strips of material.

Technical Features of the Oven

Inside the laboratory ageing oven is a heat Source: Commonly, a solid aluminum heating block, which gives better thermal mass and therefore, temperature variations remain minimal.

Why is age testing important for industries?

Ageing testing can be likened to a “time machine” for materials.

1. Safety and Prevention of Failures

• Problem: When a brake hose on a car or a seal on an engine of an airplane ages through heat and develops a tendency to become brittle and crack, the outcome is mechanical failure.
• Solution: Industrial ageing oven tests and guarantees that when the material reaches the end of its “service life,” it still has sufficient strength to remain operational.

2. Durable Lifespan

• Accelerated Ageing Test: By applying the Arrhenius equation, researchers can determine that 70 hours of exposure to temperatures of 100 °C in the oven is equivalent to years of room temperature.

What are the advantages of a multi-cell ageing oven?

1. Removal of Cross Contamination

• The Benefit: Since every sample is contained within an individual isolated chamber that has its own airflow.

2. Control of Air Flow

• The Benefit: Multi-chamber ovens provide control over laminar air flow.