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Atlas Material Testing Technology, in partnership with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the Institute of Laser Technology (ILOT), received the R&D 100 award for its work in developing the Ultra-Accelerated Weathering System (UAWS).
This new system advances beyond the company's moderately accelerated EMMA technology, by tracking the sun while concentrating reflected sunlight on test specimens mounted in a target area. The new mirror system has very high reflectance in the UV and near-visible wavelength ranges, while attenuating reflectance in the longer wavelength-visible and IR portions of the solar spectrum. This technology allows for very high concentrations of UV energy without excessive heating of test samples, overcoming this common drawback.
"Atlas' partnership with NREL and ILOT has allowed us to evolve the science of weathering to new levels, not only with this application, but also a host of related ideas conceived during this project," notes Henry K. Hardcastle, lead Atlas researcher on this project. "These achievements would not have been possible without bringing together the theoretical expertise, manufacturing excellence and application skills represented by the partnership with NREL and ILOT."
The UAWS was selected by an independent panel of judges and editors of R&D Magazine. The winners will be honored at a Gala Awards Banquetin November 2009 in Orlando, Florida.
