Product Overview
The MicroClimate is Cincinnati Sub-Zero’s compact chamber — a small-footprint temperature or temperature/humidity box for testing small components and products where lab space is tight. It comes in two sizes: a 1.2 cu ft benchtop (MCB-1.2) that stacks for manual thermal-shock work, and a 3 cu ft upright on casters (MC-3). Single-stage or cascade refrigeration takes it to −68°C, and 115 V models plug straight into a standard lab outlet. Choose the MicroClimate when the load is small and the bench space matters; step up to the Z-Plus reach-in for larger articles.
Other CSZ chamber families
Z-Plus Reach-In — general-purpose reach-in, 8 to 96 cu ft
Walk-In Chambers — modular & welded rooms, 200 to 8,000+ cu ft
Thermal Shock — automated hot↔cold transitions in seconds
Benchtop Vibration — compact all-axis repetitive-shock table
Battery Test Chambers — temp/humidity with thermal-runaway safety
Key Features & Benefits
- Built by the largest environmental-simulation manufacturer — Cincinnati Sub-Zero is a brand of Weiss Technik — over 80 years of environmental-simulation experience behind every chamber, from a benchtop reach-in to a full drive-in. The chamber is a reference platform, not a one-off.
- Configured to the test, not sold off a shelf — temperature range, refrigeration tier, humidity, size, controls, and combined environments are each specified to your standard and article, so you buy the capability the test needs and not a wider, costlier envelope. You pay for the cold you use, not the cold on the spec sheet.
- Fully welded, vapor-tight, built to last — fully welded ports and seams, double gasketing, and stainless interiors keep the workspace sealed against the leaks that wreck uniformity and shorten chamber life. The chamber outlasts several generations of the products tested in it.
- One touchscreen controller, remote access built in — the EZT touchscreen stores multi-step profiles, logs data with an audit trail, and sends email and text alarms — reachable from any device on the network with no extra software. Run, monitor, and pull data from your desk or your phone.
- A single source for the whole test floor — because the same controls, software, and engineering span reach-in, walk-in, drive-in, and custom builds, one CSZ relationship covers a lab that grows from a benchtop to a vehicle chamber. The chamber you add next speaks the same language as the one you have.
Specifications
- Chamber type
- Compact benchtop and small reach-in temperature (MC) or temperature/humidity (MCH) chamber — for temperature cycling and steady-state conditioning of small components and products where lab floor space is at a premium.
- Workspace volume / size class
- Two sizes: 1.2 cu ft (34 L) benchtop (MCB-1.2) and 3 cu ft (85 L) upright on casters (MC-3). Benchtop models stack to save floor space and to run manual thermal-shock tests.
- Cabinet / construction
- Fully welded seams and ports to prolong chamber life; each unit is inspected through production and fully tested before shipment. Benchtop and 115 V upright models install easily at any bench or location.
- Access & loading
- Front reach-in door; 2″ access port with plug on the MCB-1.2, 3″ on the MC-3; optional viewing window with interior light; shelf supports standard, extra shelves optional.
- Temperature range
- Up to +190°C (+375°F). Low end by build: single-stage −30°C, cascade −68°C (the smallest MC-3 cascade package, MC(H)-3-.33-.33, is rated to −65°C).
- Humidity range
- Optional humidity 10% to 95% RH on both sizes (MCH models), with a solid-state humidity sensor and water demineralizer filter. Temperature-only MC models omit the water system.
- Refrigeration system / tier
- Single-stage or cascade mechanical refrigeration with zero-ODP refrigerant, service taps, and high-temperature protection. The MC-3 offers 0.33, 0.50, 1, and 1.5 HP cascade performance packages for faster ramp rates; LN2 boost is optional.
- Ramp / change rate
- Choice of 115 V or 230 V for faster heating and cooling; the rapid-cycling MC-3 configuration reaches a cooling transition rate of 5°C/min (rated +85°C to −40°C).
- Uniformity & control tolerance
- Maintains precise, accurate temperature and humidity control across the small workspace throughout the test; the per-model control tolerance is given in the quotation.
- Controller
- EZT-430S touchscreen — programmable profiles, data logging with custom file names, batch/lot and operator events, audit trail and digital signatures, and email/text alarm notification. (An optional Watlow F4 controller is available.)
- PC software
- Optional Windows software package monitors and controls up to 31 chambers from one PC.
- Data & communications
- Ethernet (wired, wireless, LAN, or WAN) for anytime/anywhere remote monitor and control; RS-232 computer interface; optional IEEE-488. Email of data files and automated Ethernet backup; USB download in .CSV format.
- Electrical
- 115 V or 230 V single-phase base units — 115 V models plug into a standard laboratory outlet; 50 Hz operation optional.
- Safety devices
- Refrigeration high-temperature protection standard; over-temperature limit and alarm with a digital display optional.
- Options & accessories
- Extra shelves, access ports, viewing window with interior light, optional cart with casters (MCB), LN2 boost, recirculating water, dry-air purge (MC-3), IEEE-488 interface, chart recorder, digital temperature limit / alarm display, 50 Hz operation, Watlow F4 controller, and the Windows software package.
- Build & lead time
- Configured / custom build; quote-only (no published price list). Compact, plug-in-and-go 115 V models install with no special site preparation.
Common Applications
- Cycling and soak of small electronic components, devices, and modules on the lab bench
- Humidity / moisture-resistance testing of small assemblies (MCH humidity models)
- Manual thermal-shock testing by transferring product between stacked benchtop units
- Bench-side qualification and incoming inspection where floor space is limited
- R&D and university lab work needing a plug-in 115 V chamber
Fit limit: the MicroClimate is a small-volume chamber — keep the article and fixturing to about a third of the 1.2 or 3 cu ft workspace. For larger hand-loaded articles step up to the Z-Plus reach-in; for combined vibration or full-vehicle scale see the HALT/HASS and walk-in / drive-in families.
Design & Selection Considerations
- Size the load to about a third of the workspace — the chamber conditions the air, and the air has to reach every surface — a load packed wall-to-wall starves the airflow and breaks uniformity. A common guideline is to keep the test article (plus fixturing and cabling) under roughly a third of the workspace volume. Oversize wastes energy and slows ramps; undersize crowds the airflow.
- Specify the cold you actually need — each tier down costs more — reaching deeper cold is the single biggest cost and energy driver. Single-stage covers most ambient-band work; Tundra, Tundra II, and cascade buy progressively colder lows; LN2 boost buys the deepest cold and the fastest ramps. Match the refrigeration tier to the standard’s required extreme, not to the widest range available. Do not buy −70°C to run a −20°C test.
- Match the ramp rate to the thermal mass — a heavy or powered load slows the temperature change the chamber can deliver and may demand a larger refrigeration package and extra-heat option to hit your transition times. A live load (a powered DUT) dissipates heat the chamber has to remove on top of everything else. Use the input form to give us the article weight and powered heat load so the ramp spec is real, not nominal.
- Confirm the article — and the chamber — fit the site — check the doorway and ceiling clearance to get the chamber in, the floor loading for a heavy or loaded chamber, and the access to load the article (a reach-in door versus a walk-in entry versus a drive-in ramp). A heavy battery pack or vehicle assembly can exceed a standard reach-in and points to a reinforced-floor or walk-in build. Plan the site before the chamber arrives.
- Plan utilities and condensate up front — size the electrical service to the refrigeration and heater load (often three-phase), provide cooling water or airflow for the condenser, a floor drain for humidity condensate, and — where LN2 or CO2 boost is used — a bulk supply with safe venting and oxygen monitoring for personnel. The chamber is only as good as the services feeding it.
- Pick the humidity and dew-point range deliberately — a humidity system adds and removes moisture down to a low-RH floor; marginal dew-point control near the cold limit can call for a dry-air purge or GN2 to prevent condensation and frost flash. Only the humidity builds carry the water system, demineralizer, and drain. Specify the RH band the test needs — a temperature-only build skips the whole water system.
To configure the right CSZ MicroClimate chamber:
Use the input form to send the test standard you are working to, the article size and weight, the temperature and humidity range, any combined environments (vibration, altitude, light), and the controller, software, and documentation you need. We size the chamber, refrigeration tier, and controls to the application and return a configured quote.
Environmental Test Application Sheet ›Talk to an engineer directly — Scott Prater, Principal · 917-580-0878 · scott@pratertechnical.com
Specifications compiled by Prater Technical Partners from Cincinnati Sub-Zero published product specifications.