Atlas Weathering Services Group, a division of the U.S.-based Atlas Material Testing Technology, has opened its new facility at Uttermerur, 70 km (44 miles) from Chennai.




CHENNAI, India - Atlas Weathering Services Group, a division of the U.S.-based Atlas Material Testing Technology, has opened its new facility at Uttermerur, 70 km (44 miles) from Chennai. The new facility is the first independent commercial outdoor exposure site in India. Atlas is a provider of laboratory-accelerated weathering-equipment solutions to fit any test program and budget parameters.

Russell Lane, President, Atlas MTT LLC, USA, inaugurated the facility on August 31st. The new facility is the first independent commercial outdoor exposure site in India, which is characterized by a tropical climate with high levels of sunlight, humidity and temperature.

Giorgio Chiandetti, GM-Sales Division, Atlas MTT BV, Switzerland, said that Chennai was chosen primarily on two important factors – the climatic condition matches Florida’s climate, and Chennai is the automotive hub of Asia.

Some of the reputed clients of ATLAS are Asian Paints, Berger Paints, Ford, GM, Honda, Hyundai, Lexus, Toyota and other leading multi-nationals. In the past, companies were sending their end products to the United States from India and encountered great difficulties during shipping with customs and declaration. So, about five years ago, ATLAS initiated a site search in India. Several sites were considered prior to this one in Chennai. However, this facility at Uttermerur provided valuable test data for many industries like automotive exterior and interior, plastics, coatings, architectural and building products, and consumer durable goods.

The site provides 25 racks, available with a variety of exposure angles from 5 to 90 degrees (all facing south) that simulate end-use conditions. The site complies with ISO, ASTM and manufacturer-specific test requirements. In addition to standard exposures on the racks, customer-specific installations including entire vehicles and “test houses” can be tested. A modern weather station records the total solar irradiance, UV radiation, ambient temperature and relative humidity, wind speed and direction. This ensures that these important parameter measurements are taken exactly the same as on the other ATLAS outdoor sites in Florida, Arizona, Sanary-sur-Mer and Hoek van Holland. The onsite, state-of-the-art laboratory guarantees optimum sample preparation, handling and measurement (color, gloss etc.).

Jack Martin, Chief Operating Officer of Services, says, “It is our near-future goal to gain accreditation according to DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025. This guarantees that our customers can rely upon our high material testing standards at whatever location they choose to test their products.”

For more information, e-mail info@atlasmtt.in or call +91-44-450-360-20/30/40.