Birk Manufacturing is at the forefront of engineering thermal solutions for extreme environments and its work with the space industry is at the pinnacle. We develop high-precision, durable flexible heater technologies tailored to withstand the harsh conditions of outer space, supporting critical functions for satellites, spacecraft, and other aerospace applications.
Our commitment to precision and performance goes beyond manufacturing to include comprehensive testing for endurance in space environments. This includes in-depth testing to ensure heaters perform flawlessly under the specific stresses and challenges encountered in space.
Our in-house testing includes the following: dielectric insulation testing, hi-pot testing, DC continuity testing, thermal power conditioning, and thermal cycling.
| Power conditioning
Our power conditioning facilities allow us to operate heaters to a specific Watt-Density (Watts/ in2), or to a specific temperature, depending on a customer’s specification. Temperatures are measured via a FLIR thermal image camera. Power Conditioning can be monitored with a 32-channel data acquisition system. |
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| Thermal cycling
Our environmental chambers for thermal cycling allow us to expose heaters to extremes in temperature (-73C to +200C) and relative humidity (up to 95%). Both our 8 and 32 cubic foot chambers are programmable and can be set to any customer-specified thermal profile. They can be monitored using our 32-channel data acquisition system. |
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These in-house capabilities improve turn-around time by minimizing transportation of your finished product to third party testing facilities.
We are actively progressing toward full NASA certification, anticipated in Summer 2025. This certification process includes submitting sample heaters directly to NASA for validation against their stringent requirements.
Our testing capabilities represent a robust commitment to quality and reliability. The certification process underscores our capability to meet NASA’s high-performance standards, providing you with the assurance that Birk Manufacturing heaters will withstand the extreme demands of space missions. Increase your peace of mind, knowing that your heaters have been qualified to withstand the rigors of space up to NASA’s standards: S-311-P079 (FEP Heaters) and S-311-P841 (for All-Polyimide Heaters).
For more information on how Birk can support your complex aerospace needs, please reach out using our contact us form, by phone at 860-739-4170, or by email at sales@birkmfg.com.