KVH opens state-of-the-art testing facility

KVH INDUSTRIES has built a new testing facility at its Middletown headquarters that will allow it to simulate the effects of the most difficult natural conditions on its communications products. / COURTESY KVH INDUSTRIES
KVH INDUSTRIES has built a new testing facility at its Middletown headquarters that will allow it to simulate the effects of the most difficult natural conditions on its communications products. / COURTESY KVH INDUSTRIES

MIDDLETOWN – KVH Industries Inc. has opened a product testing facility that houses a custom-made hexapod motion simulator.

The facility – located adjacent to KVH’s world headquarters in Middletown – creates a dedicated space for advanced motion testing with a clear view of satellites. This allows KVH to test its products off satellites that broadcast television and communications signals from 22,500 miles above the equator in the Clarke Belt.

“The design and location of the building allow KVH engineers to test products efficiently and thoroughly in a controlled environment,” Jeffrey Greer, vice president of operations at KVH said in prepared remarks. “The rectangular shape of the building, with its arced radius of windows, provides a full, clear view of the Clarke Belt.”

The hexapod motion simulator – used to test vibration, humidity and motion simulation – was built for KVH by Hampton, N.H.-based Mikrolar.

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“This motion simulator was specifically designed for KVH and it is especially unique because its six legs change length, unlike any other hexapod,” said Robert Balog, senior vice president of engineering at KVH.

The hexapod lets engineers simulate “realistic, tumultuous movements like those experienced on yachts and commercial vessels, especially during bad weather.”

The testing process helps ensure that fielded antennas are capable of maintaining a lock on satellites without any malfunctions because of storms or other unexpected movements.

KVH’s TracPhone and TracVision products will all undergo tests at the new facility.

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