Welcome to Vitrek’s Electrical Safety Testing Blog!
Welcome to Vitrek’s Electrical Test & Safety Blog
Welcome to Vitrek’s Electrical Test & Safety Blog Page!
Welcome to the all-new Vitrek Electrical Test & Safety Blog! When you visit this page, you will find information related to the electrical test & safety industry and Vitrek products.. This includes industry updates & events, Vitrek product features, new product launches, and many other helpful topics – all brought to you by the Vitrek team.
This new industry feature is designed to allow more communication between Vitrek and our consumers, so you can stay up to date with everything that is happening within our company and the electrical test and safety industry. New posts will be on a regular basis, so be sure to check in regularly and see what’s new with Vitrek products and the latest industry trends.
“As a world leader in high voltage test and measurement solutions since 1990, Vitrek provides new and innovative products and solutions on a regular basis. Having a blog where we can update our partners and customers about the latest news and industry happenings will be a great resource for anyone who performs electrical safety testing.” Said Don Millstein, Vitrek’s President.
Along with our informative blog posts, you will find other types of information as well, including brief videos with more information on a given topic. In other posts, we might include infographics, so you can have a visual representation of the effect a product may have or its benefits. For example, in our first blog, we have an infographic comparing our latest product, the PA920 Ultra-High Accuracy Multi-Channel Power Analyzer, to its competitors so you can see its advantages.
We have plenty of big things in store for our blog, so we hope that you will follow along with us every step of the way. Thank you for choosing Vitrek, and we hope you enjoy the blog!
If you are interested in learning more about the company and the topics discussed in any of our blogs, contact us, and we’ll be happy to give you more information.
The Basics of Insulation Resistance Testing and Why It’s So Important
An insulating material is one that resists electricity trying to flow through it. Insulators help resist shock and short circuits, making electrical insulation one of the most critical components in any building or system. This also means that measuring resistance is especially important, and you must have a clear understanding of the resistance levels to take adequate precautions. Let’s take a look at the basics of resistance testing, what makes it so important, and how the right equipment can help.
What Occurs During Insulation Resistance Measurement
The insulation resistance test was developed in the 20th century and is one of the oldest methods for assessing insulation quality. During the test, the device in question is measured while the phase and neutral are short-circuited together. Essentially, you’re applying a highly regulated voltage across a dielectric, measuring the amount of leakage current flowing through, and calculating the resistance level with this information. Stable voltages generally include 50, 100, 250, 500, or 1000 VDC. However, based on specific standards, insulation resistance measurement tests may be performed up to 1500 VDC.
Insulation Resistance (IR) Testing Equipment — Which Ones Should I Use?
Choosing the best insulation resistance test equipment comes down to a few factors — safety, accuracy, and repeatability. Your equipment must match the required test voltage levels. Also, ask yourself what equipment you’re testing or where the tests will take place? Additionally, you shouldn’t ignore safety. Keep in mind the importance of partnering with a provider of safe and reliable equipment. Choosing equipment you can count on ensures a smooth and stable testing process.
The Purpose Behind Resistance Testing
Insulation resistance testing is essential to prevent shocks, short circuits, and other dangerous outcomes that risk workers’ safety and equipment longevity. Insulation is applied to products in various industries, from industrial plants to standard multifamily property homes. So resistance testing has a significant impact on plenty of people.
In fact, insulation resistance testing is so necessary that almost 80% of electrical maintenance and tests involve evaluating the integrity of electrical systems. Insulation begins to age as soon as it’s developed, leading to reliability and performance issues that worsen over time. Some of the factors that lead to aging include:
- Electrical Stress
- Mechanical Stress
- Chemical Stress
- Temperature Variation Stress
- Oxidation
- Humidity/Water
Measuring IR can help you decipher the impact of this stress and will help you create a more controlled environment for your current appliances. Testing should also periodically be done on new equipment to know when to perform maintenance and maximize the system’s longevity. You can ensure safety in all locations by relying on accurate electrical resistance tests.
Receive Accurate Results From Your Insulation Resistance Tester by Vitrek
IR testing requires equipment capable of the job. A good insulator will leak very few electrons. The better the insulator, the […]
Safety Recommendations for Setting Up a Hipot Testing Workstation
Hipot testing is necessary for ensuring the electrical safety compliance of electronic equipment. However, testing the voltage on commercial equipment can result in errors and even death if the operators have not been properly trained on the importance of establishing a safe testing environment. Before any tests are performed, operators should be thoroughly trained on the effects of electrical currents on the human body, the importance of safety interlocks, and how to program the necessary tests and store them in memory. If operators lack the appropriate training, setting up a safe hipot testing workstation would be for naught. After prioritizing safety training, use these recommendations to create a safe testing area. […]
Ensuring Your LED Lighting Products Remain Compliant
LED lighting products and fixtures have helped countless facilities improve their energy efficiency. The lighting and energy industry has done much to improve the overall quality of these products but ensuring that each new iteration meets these new safety and energy standards can prove challenging for engineers and technicians alike. […]
Vitrek Returns to the APEC Conference This March
In the world of power electronics, one event has defined the industry for the last 35+ years, setting expectations, introducing new technologies, and providing networking opportunities. The Applied Power Electronics Conference — APEC — has brought together generations of power electronic professionals from across multiple industries to learn and grow their knowledge base. Vitrek is proud to announce our return to the APEC conference in Houston, TX, this year! […]
Time for a New Webinar — New Virtual Product Training Coming for Our Ultra-Portable RF Recording Solutions
When it comes to using the Vitrek family of products, knowing how to properly implement and understand the data they provide is of the utmost importance. While some people have prior knowledge of our products, it’s not out of the question that you might need a refresher course or a deeper dive into what makes these products tick. Our online training webinars provide our customers with the ability to speak with our industry experts and acquire the product knowledge training they need. […]
Vitrek Power Analyzers — Key Takeaways From Our Webinar
Power analyzers are a critical component of knowing the energy output of a given device once it’s turned on. Understanding the power consumption of specific units with a high degree of accuracy can help assess their overall performance and whether you need to perform a more in-depth maintenance check. […]
Get More Out Of Your Military & Aerospace Applications
When testing the electrical systems for your military and aerospace applications, you need to ensure they are ready for the job and meet all the necessary standards. These specialized systems work to keep the highly sophisticated and advanced technology housed in these applications running at full strength, which requires the right amount of power to do their jobs effectively. Having the right electrical safety and performance testing equipment on hand can help determine the overall effectiveness of your applications.
Webinar Recap: Vitrek Electrical Safety Testing for the Automotive Industry
Vitrek is a leading provider of testing solutions for electrical safety across multiple industries. Headquartered in San Diego, CA, and in business for over three decades, Vitrek has established itself as one of the premier electrical safety testing companies on the market. They serve over 30 different countries and provide electrical safety testing equipment that can be utilized in countless applications.
Webinar Recap: Electrical Safety Testing for the Appliance & Consumer Product Industries
Vitrek is proud to hold educational webinars for our customers in various industries with information and products that are relevant to their applications. One such industry that relies on some of the technology that we offer is the appliance and consumer products industry, which requires extensive electrical safety testing in order to bring their products to market. All products that will be sold to consumers need to be tested by a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) in order to earn the proper safety certification.
Check Out Vitrek’s Available Education and Product Training Resources
At Vitrek, we do more than just design and build high-quality electrical testing equipment — we ensure that our customers have all of the tools that they need to succeed when using our products. Here, we offer an overview of the plethora of educational resources that we have available on our website.
Vitrek’s Latest Product Catalog Is Now Available
Vitrek is pleased to announce that our 2020 product catalog is now available to our customers across industries, including manufacturing, calibration and testing labs, medical and healthcare, aerospace and military, and other industries that require electrical testing and safety products of uncompromising quality. We provide high voltage measurement equipment, electrical safety (hipot) testing instruments, power analyzers, and other products, including our newest series of DC loads, that stand up to some of the most demanding environments.
Vitrek to Launch New DL Series of DC Loads
This month, Vitrek introduced a new product to our ever-expanding catalog of high-voltage testing and measurement equipment. Our latest product, the DL Series Electronic DC Load, is intended to improve testing for a series of power supplies, testers, and drivers. The new device is designed to be accurate, flexible, and easy-to-use, rivaling all other similar DC loads on the market with superior performance and results. […]
Join Vitrek at Booth #3478 at the ATX Trade Show!
We are incredibly excited to announce that Vitrek will be attending the ATX West Expo in Anaheim, California! The nation’s largest annual automation technology event is going to be taking place from February 11th-13th at the Anaheim Convention Center. Be sure to stop by and visit us at booth #3478 to network with our team about how our selection of high-voltage test and measurement equipment can help your operations. […]