We’ve recently completed the installation and commissioning of a new climatic rig in Metier’s test cell — and it’s an exciting addition to our in-house testing capability.
In practical terms, it means we can now test components under controlled environmental conditions, helping us understand how parts behave when temperature, humidity and other climatic factors change around them.
Why climatic testing matters?
For many engineered products, laboratory performance is only one part of the story. Components can go on to work in vehicles, energy systems or outdoor installations — places where conditions are rarely neat, stable or predictable. A part that seals, flexes or functions perfectly well at room temperature may respond very differently when it is exposed to cold starts, higher temperatures, condensation, humidity or repeated changes in climate.
That is where climatic testing becomes so useful. Rather than waiting to see how a component performs in service, engineers can recreate specific environmental conditions in a controlled and repeatable way. This helps build a clearer picture of how a part may behave before it reaches the field, and gives customers better evidence to support design, development and validation decisions.
What the climatic rig can do
At its simplest, the climatic rig allows us to control the environment around a test specimen and assess how materials, components or small assemblies respond to defined test profiles. These might include steady temperature exposure, temperature cycling, humidity conditioning or environmental testing alongside other functional checks.
Rig Specifications:
Testing Capability:
Temperature range: -40°C to 120°C
Pressure: 0 to 1000 bar
The rig can attain a vacuum of 1 bar which becomes useful to detect any leak in gas during testing with the help of a gas detector.
Tests carried out:
- Functional Test
- Performance Test
- Leakage test for H2 fuel system components
- Gases used: Nitrogen and Helium
Why this is important for hydrogen components?
This capability is especially relevant for hydrogen-related components. Hydrogen systems place high demands on materials, seals and assemblies, particularly where parts need to maintain integrity across changing pressures, temperatures and operating cycles. Small components can have a big job to do and their performance has a direct impact on reliability and safety.
O-rings are a good example. They may look simple, but they play a critical role in preventing leakage and maintaining system performance. Their behaviour can be affected by material selection, compression, exposure conditions, cycling and the surrounding environment.
In hydrogen applications, it is particularly important to understand how elastomer seals respond under realistic conditions, because temperature changes, humidity, ageing and repeated cycling can all influence how a sealing material performs over time.
Looking beyond room-temperature performance
Temperature can have a significant effect on component behaviour. Low temperatures may reduce flexibility in certain materials, while elevated temperatures can accelerate ageing or change mechanical properties. Humidity and condensation may introduce further variables, particularly in assemblies that include metals, electronics or mixed-material interfaces.
By bringing climatic testing into the test cell, we can help customers explore these questions much earlier in the development process. Instead of relying only on theoretical predictions or waiting for long-term field feedback, components can be exposed to planned environmental profiles and monitored in a structured way. This can help identify potential weaknesses before they become more costly problems in production or service.
Supporting better design decisions
The new climatic capability is not limited to O-rings. It can support testing across a range of components and assemblies where environmental resilience matters — including seals, valves, fittings, housings, connectors, test pieces and sub-assemblies used in hydrogen systems and other demanding engineering applications.
For product development teams, this can shorten the feedback loop between design, test and improvement. If a seal material shows reduced performance after cold exposure, if a housing expands differently under heat or if a component behaves inconsistently after repeated temperature cycles, those findings can be fed-back into the design process quickly. Climatic testing is therefore not just a final hurdle before approval; it is a practical tool for improving robustness throughout development.
A useful step forward for Metier and our customers
As hydrogen technologies continue to develop across transport, industrial and energy applications, there is growing demand for testing that reflects the realities of operation. Components need to be safe, reliable and durable not only when new, but after exposure to repeated use and changing environmental conditions. Metier’s new climatic rig gives us another way to support that work, helping customers understand how their parts perform when conditions become more challenging.
It is a valuable addition to our test cell because it allows us to ask better questions, capture more meaningful data and support the development of components that are ready for the environments they are designed to work in. Whether we are assessing O-rings for hydrogen applications or looking more broadly at temperature and humidity effects on component performance, climatic testing gives us a clearer view of reliability, durability and real-world readiness.
Advancing our in-house component testing
The new climatic rig strengthens our ability to develop and validate Metier’s own components in-house under controlled environmental conditions.
By generating clearer evidence of how our parts respond to temperature, humidity and repeated climatic changes, we can use the findings to refine designs, improve robustness and support reliable performance in demanding applications.
Helping H2 ICE go the distance.
