Low-Temperature Salt Spray Chambers: Simulate Cold Coastal Corrosion Environments

Shanghai – TOBO GROUP, a leader in material-specific testing solutions, is proud to launch the FlexMat Test Pro Salt Spray Tester—a specialized system engineered to safely and accurately test corrosion resistance in flexible, elastomeric, and deformable materials, addressing a critical gap in traditional testers that damage or distort soft materials during testing. Unlike standard salt spray testers, which use rigid clamps (risking tears in flexible films) and harsh fog delivery (degrading elastomeric coatings) that render results unreliable, this platform combines gentle sample handling, tailored salt 雾 conditions, and 同步柔性性能 monitoring—essential for industries developing flexible electronics (e.g., foldable phone components), wearable medical devices (e.g., silicone glucose sensors), and elastomeric industrial parts (e.g., flexible gaskets for marine equipment).
At the core of the FlexMat Test Pro is its Flexible Sample Handling System, designed to secure soft materials without causing mechanical damage or altering their natural properties. The system includes a set of interchangeable, pressure-adjustable silicone 夹具 (instead of metal clamps) that distribute force evenly across samples—users can set clamp pressure between 0.5–5 psi, ideal for delicate films (0.1mm thick) to thicker elastomers (5mm thick). For samples that need to mimic real-world deformation (e.g., foldable phone hinges, wearable straps), the system also features a motorized “Flex Cycle Module” that bends or stretches samples at programmable intervals (e.g., 10° bends every 30 minutes) during salt spray exposure—this reveals how corrosion interacts with mechanical stress, a factor traditional testers ignore. A wearable tech manufacturer used this module to test silicone glucose sensor patches: the FlexMat Test Pro cycled the patch through 1,000 gentle stretches (mimicking daily wear) while exposing it to salt spray, uncovering that corrosion accelerated 2x at the patch’s stretch points—information they used to reinforce those areas with a thinner, more flexible coating. The handling system also includes non-stick, corrosion-resistant sample trays that prevent soft materials from adhering to surfaces during long-term tests (e.g., 1000-hour exposure for industrial gaskets).
Complementing the handling system is its Tailored Salt Fog Environment for Soft Materials, which avoids the harsh conditions that degrade flexible substrates. Traditional testers use 10–15μm salt 雾 droplets, which can penetrate and weaken elastomeric bonds; the FlexMat Test Pro uses a specialized “Micro-Fog Nozzle” that generates smaller, gentler 3–5μm droplets, reducing surface impact while maintaining ASTM B117/ISO 9227 compliance. The chamber also maintains a narrower temperature range (35°C ±0.3°C vs. ±0.5°C in standard models) and controlled humidity (95% ±1% RH) to prevent premature drying or swelling of hydrophilic materials like hydrogel-based medical patches. A flexible electronics firm testing foldable display frames (made of flexible metal-polymer composites) found that the tailored fog reduced false failures by 40%—traditional testers’ harsh droplets had previously caused delamination of the polymer layer, while the FlexMat Test Pro’s gentle fog only targeted corrosion of the metal component. The monitoring data is automatically synced to the system’s software, which generates a “Corrosion-Flexibility Correlation Report” showing how corrosion progression impacts performance—this helps engineers define not just when a material corrodes, but when it stops functioning for its intended use.
Real-world applications across flexible material sectors highlight the system’s value: A foldable phone maker used the FlexMat Test Pro to validate flexible metal hinges, ensuring they resisted salt spray (from sweat) while maintaining 100,000+ fold cycles. A medical device firm tested hydrogel-coated flexible catheters, using the Low-Concentration Mode to avoid damaging the hydrogel while confirming the metal core’s corrosion resistance. An industrial seal manufacturer optimized their elastomeric O-rings for coastal factories, using the Flex Cycle Module to show that the O-rings retained 85% of their flexibility after 1,000 hours of salt spray exposure.
“FlexMat Test Pro was built because flexible materials need flexible testing—not the one-size-fits-all harshness of traditional testers,” said TOBO GROUP’s Material-Specific Testing Director. “For industries pushing the boundaries of soft, deformable tech, corrosion testing can’t just check for rust—it has to protect the material’s unique properties while delivering accurate results. This system does exactly that.”
For more information about the FlexMat Test Pro Salt Spray Tester, including sample size compatibility, flex cycle parameters, and performance monitoring metrics, visit Info@botomachine.com.