Westpak’s hail impact tester achieves accreditation

Westpak, Inc. has been accredited by the American Association of Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) for its custom designed and built air-powered gun which fires 25mm (1”) diameter ice balls at test targets.

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    The tool, affectionately named “Mr. Freeze”, meets the hail impact testing requirements prescribed by IEC 61215, IEC 61646, and IEC 62108 for PV module certification.

    Last year, Westpak contracted the Industrial Technology Department at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo to design and build the custom device and associated ice ball mold. The development of the tool was done as a part of a senior project; a great example of a joint student-industry project.

    The tool has been successfully utilized by the solar, glass and roofing industries for research and development and pre-certification testing at Westpak’s solar test lab.

    http://www.westpak.com