Search Results

Many engineers today use large, powerful multi-purpose test systems to do squeak & rattle testing of modules and subsystems such as Instrument Panels, Consoles and Seat Assemblies. Such test systems include Multi-Axis Hydraulic Shaker Tables and Electrodynamic Vibration Systems with large head expanders and rigid (or at least stiff) fixtures. These test systems have been successful when used for squeak & rattle test programs, have been validated as approved test methods, and have become the standards of comparison in many labs today. They are, however, expensive and throughput can be limited due to the time needed to unbolt, unload, handle, load, and re-bolt a test item at its many attachment points on the rigid fixture. Furthermore, the capital cost of these Legacy systems can be prohibitive, especially for the smaller supplier, who is being compelled to perform squeak & rattle testing on the products they supply to their customers, the vehicle manufacturers and Tier 1 suppliers.

Engineers doing squeak and rattle testing of instrument panels (IP's) have successfully used large electrodynamic vibration systems to identify sources of squeaks and rattles (S&R's). Their successes led to demands to test more IP's, i.e., to increase throughput of IP's to reflect the many design, material, and/or manufacturing process changes that occur, and to do so at any stage of the development, production, or QA process. What is needed is a radically different and portable way to find S&R's in a fraction of the time and at lower capital cost without compromising S&R detection results.