After a very busy end to 2021, we are back and have hit the ground running for 2022.

Work on the latest TVAC#3 chamber system has unfortunately been delayed over past year due to the demand of test work and simulator builds (it has been a nice problem to have!). Most of the power electronics have been complete with the remaining parts in stock ready for assembly. We have the shroud system machined and ready for building and integration, with the final machining of the thermal interface plate beginning this week. 

We will be closing for the Christmas holidays from 23/12/21 to 03/01/22. We will be back from the 04/01/22.

We would like to thank all of our regular customers and those who found us for the first time in 2021 for their custom. We appreciate it has been a difficult 18 months for most industries and we thank you for your understanding as we've worked with supply issues and difficult working conditions.

We are pleased to announce that the thermal shroud system has been fully installed and tested for our TVAC#2 vacuum chamber.

​Previously the system could be configured with a passive baffle unit with infrared tubes for elevated temperatures (for thermal cycling or monitored thermal vacuum bakeout) but this was limiting for cold temperatures where the system relied on conduction via the thermal interface plate and the item under test.

The shroud system consists of four independently controllable banks of IR heaters (allowing asymmetric heating of an item under test) with fluid lines coupled to the back of the tooling plates which can take either coolant from our chiller circulator systems or LN2 for cryogenic temperatures (an automated fill system maintains the LN2 level within the shroud plates).

​This not only improves the performance of our TVAC#2 thermal vacuum chamber in terms of thermal cycling, but also reduces down time between tests as no reconfiguration is required.

Having delivered a large, advanced 4-zone close match solar simulator to one of our existing customers at the end of 2020 we have since seen a considerable increase in inquiries for solar simulators from the very start of 2021.

We have not been resting on our laurels in terms of leading the world in advanced, multi-zone solar simulators; we have developed the LED boost systems we use to take advantage of the latest developments in the LED market. As such we can build a Unisim 300 solar simulator to operate under our N-zone technique. This essentially reduces the footprint and electrical requirement to achieve a 4-zone Unisim 300 (previously quite a large instrument) down to what is a 2-zone system with LED units.

As always, if you are interested in what we can achieve with our close match solar simulators (or any of our products or services) please get in touch.

A very Happy New Year from all of us at TS-Space Systems and best wishes for your 2021.

We are open as usual (due to our size we are able to continue working within the government lockdown regulations) and are already underway with work for 2021. Despite the current situation we are looking forward to a busy and productive year.

As always, please feel free to contact us with your test or product enquiries and we will be happy to provide quotes or discuss your test requirement with you.

As part of the MiB application and renewal process a manufacturer must demonstrate that the majority of their product is manufactured in the UK and we thought it would be useful to share some of those details here. Supporting and promoting British manufacturing is something TS-Space Systems has held as a core value since the company was started over 35 years ago. As you will see from the mark displayed on our site and our products, we are members of the 'Made in Britain' group (MiB) which is is a protected, collective mark exclusively for the British manufacturing community. 

​Our work at TS-Space Systems can be broadly divided into two categories; manufacturing of world leading, close match solar simulators for photovoltaic testing and the operation of our various thermal vacuum test chambers and services. Across both of these activities we prioritise using UK companies and products wherever possible.

Our outgassing (ECSS-Q-ST-70-02) test facility has seen increasing demand over the past few years and 2020 it seems is no different. The facility is currently booked until the second half of January 2021. If you are looking to book an outgassing test please contact us sooner rather than later to avoid disappointment.

Similarly our vacuum test chambers seeing an increase in demand towards the end of the year, so if you are looking to make an enquiry for an urgent test or looking to book a test for next year this is worth keeping in mind.

As our customers will know, our thermal vacuum chambers are very flexible in terms of temperature ranges, thermal exchange plates and instrumentation they can be fitted with. We design and build our chamber systems ourselves so we are able to break them down and re-configure or upgrade them when required.

Since we commissioned TVAC#2  in 2018 we have been planning to install a custom shroud to improve thermal performance for larger items under test (both monitored vacuum bakeout and thermal vacuum cycling tests). Due to demand for the vacuum chamber we have had to delay this work until now. Final fitting and testing will take place over the next few weeks.

We are currently underway with several close match solar simulator builds. It's always great when we are contacted by new customers who want to buy our solar simulators, but we are also very appreciative of our repeat customers and we are extremely pleased to be building systems for both situations right now.

Our standard range of Unisim solar simulators can be built with varying number of spectral zones and beam configurations. Our smaller Unisim Compact solar simulator can also be built with various aspects included/excluded to the customer's specification. Infrared boost zones, SMU and AM1.5 filter units can all be easily fitted at a later date if required.

Update: 05/05/20

We continue to be open as normal. Please see the previous updates below for details.

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Update: 17/04/20

We hope all of our customers and colleagues are safe and well at this time.

With the UK COVID-19 lockdown being extended for a further 3 weeks we wanted to let our customers know we are still operating our test house and continuing our solar simulator builds. As mentioned previously, due to our company's size we are able to continue work while maintaining an effective "social distancing" protocol where, with the exception of courier deliveries, we can continue in isolation from the public and in compliance with the government's instructions.

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Update: 25/03/20

We are still operating our test house and continuing our solar simulator builds. Due to our company's size we are able to continue work while maintaining an effective "social distancing" protocol where, with the exception of courier deliveries, we can continue in isolation from the public and in compliance with the government's instructions.

Our 3D printer is currently dedicated to making visors/PPE for health workers as part of a coordinated effort by the National 3D Printing Society. If you have a 3D printer and want to help out sign up here.

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Update: 23/03/20

We continue to monitor and follow the government's advice for  COVID-19.

Due to our company's size we are able to continue work while maintaining an effective "social distancing" protocol where, with the exception of courier deliveries, we can continue in isolation. Our test work and simulator manufacturing is proceeding as scheduled until government advice or regulation means we must stop.

We wish all of our customers well and hope you are staying safe during this time.
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Update: 13/03/20

We are monitoring the government's advice for  COVID-19. Currently we are still in full operation and normal business hours pertain. If this changes we will provide notification via our website and social media.

One advantage we have in being a small business is a minimal exposure that can be managed to reduce any risk even further. However, if future government advice means we have to pause work, we will inform any customers affected by the delay as soon as possible. 

We thank you for your understanding.

So far 2020 has seen our test house facilities in fairly constant use. We are also planning improvements to our laboratory space along with the movement of some equipment and tooling facilities to another unit. As such we are currently booked out to the end of May for longer term testing, with some short-term availability at the beginning of April.

For our outgassing customers, our dedicated outgassing testing facility will not be disrupted by the planned facility works.

At the end of 2019 we took delivery of a new chamber which is to become TVAC#3. We are expecting delivery of the pumps and other hardware in the coming weeks (the pumping system will be the same as TVAC#1 and #2 i.e. oil free). We had planned to begin work on setting up the chamber at the start of 2020 but our test house has had a rather busy start to the year so it has, frustratingly, had to wait.

We are also about to start, in the coming month, upgrading our lab facility. A new floor will be poured and laid as well as an overhaul to the power distribution and facilities within the lab. As with all big projects, we plan for everything to go to schedule and be back up and running within 1-2 weeks but there is the possibility of delays getting our chambers re-commissioned and ready.