As the testing and certification industry continues to consolidate, many independent laboratories have merged with larger corporations and multinational testing networks.
More than 70 years since our founding, Elite has thrived as a 100% family-owned, American-operated testing laboratory. Our facilities, equipment, technical teams, and leadership are together in one location in the United States, giving our customers direct access to the people and resources supporting their testing programs.
For U.S. manufacturers, working with Elite offers practical advantages, including easier communication and coordination, clear visibility to testing locations, and certainty that our high-quality results are accepted in the U.S. and worldwide.
This can be particularly important for manufacturers supporting critical U.S. industries, including aerospace, military, and defense programs, where the ownership and location of testing partners factors into supplier and program requirements.
For Elite, remaining family-owned and independent supports a long-term approach to our customer relationships and allows us to continually invest in the people, equipment, and capabilities that are most important to our customers.
When you choose Elite, you choose a proven testing partner committed to your success.
Looking for an independent U.S. testing partner? Contact Elite to discuss your next program.
Solar radiation testing evaluates how products perform when exposed to prolonged sunlight, heat, and UV radiation. By combining controlled thermal heat loads with specific ultraviolet (UV), visible, and infrared light spectrums, laboratory solar simulation reproduces years of outdoor weathering in just days or weeks.
Unlike standard temperature-only tests, solar radiation testing simulates both photochemical effects (UV degradation, fading, brittleness) and thermal effects (heat buildup, warping, expansion).
By capturing both stress factors at once, manufacturers can assess product durability, identify potential design weaknesses, and verify performance before products are exposed to real-world outdoor conditions.
Why is Solar Radiation Testing Important?
Solar radiation testing recreates the effects of sunlight in a controlled laboratory environment by exposing products to carefully defined levels of light and heat. Test profiles can be customized to match specific product requirements, including irradiance (light intensity), temperature, cycling, and exposure duration. By simulating years of outdoor conditions, manufacturers can evaluate how their products will withstand long-term sun exposure and identify potential issues early in the design process.
What Products Benefit from Solar Radiation Testing?
Any product intended for outdoor deployment, high-altitude operations, or exposure to sunlight through window glass requires solar qualification.
Common Applications
Digital displays and signage
Outdoor electronics
Transportation equipment
Military and defense systems
Aerospace components
Renewable energy equipment
Enclosures and housings
Plastics, coatings, and adhesives
Testing can reveal problems such as fading, discoloration, material degradation, cracking, adhesive failure, or overheating before products are deployed.
Elite’s Solar Radiation Testing Capabilities
Elite Electronic Engineering’s solar radiation testing capabilities are backed by experienced engineers and a full suite of environmental testing services. By offering multiple environmental tests on one campus, we help customers simplify project coordination and streamline product qualification.
Whether you need to meet MIL-STD-810 military specs or custom commercial standards, our team delivers reliable data tailored to your design requirements.
Need to verify your product can withstand years of outdoor exposure? Contact Elite Electronic Engineering to learn how our custom solar radiation testing capabilities can support your next project.
In aerospace, defense, and other high-reliability industries, products must be able to withstand extreme mechanical shock events without compromising performance. Shock Response Spectrum (SRS) Testing is a specialized mechanical shock testing method designed to simulate the high-frequency shock environments components may encounter during launch, deployment, transportation, and other mission-critical events.
At Elite Electronic Engineering, Inc., our SRS testing services help manufacturers verify that their products can endure these demanding conditions before they reach the field. As an experienced shock testing laboratory, we recreate real-world shock profiles in a controlled laboratory environment, we help identify potential weaknesses early in the development process—reducing risk, improving reliability, and supporting compliance with customer and industry requirements.
Whether you’re qualifying a new design or validating product durability, our experienced test engineers work with you to develop SRS testing solutions that meet your specific program requirements.
Support aerospace, defense, and other stringent qualification requirements
Contact Elite for Shock Response Spectrum Testing
Ready to validate your product’s performance under high-frequency shock conditions? Contact Elite Electronic Engineering to discuss your SRS testing requirements and learn how our team can support your qualification program.
At Elite Electronic Engineering, we’re always looking for ways to improve the quality, efficiency, and responsiveness of the services we provide. One of the latest investments in our in-house machine facility is helping us do exactly that.
We’re excited to introduce our new Haas VF-6 CNC Milling Machine to our fabrication capabilities.
Enhancing Custom Fixture Fabrication for Vibration & Shock Testing
This new addition significantly enhances our ability to design and fabricate custom fixtures that support our vibration and shock testing services. With a machining travel of 64″ x 32″ x 30″, the Haas VF-6 allows us to machine base plates up to 36″ x 36″ in a single setup. Reducing the number of setups required not only improves machining efficiency but also helps maintain precision throughout the manufacturing process.
What Our Expanded CNC Milling Capabilities Mean for You
By upgrading our in-house machining technology, we can offer direct benefits to our testing customers, including:
Faster Turnaround Times: Accelerated production for custom test fixtures keeps your project on schedule.
Increased Flexibility: Greater capacity for larger and more complex fixture designs.
Unmatched Precision: Improved manufacturing efficiency and machining accuracy.
Expanded Testing Support: Enhanced capabilities to support the most demanding vibration and shock testing applications.
Having these capabilities in-house allows our engineering and machining teams to collaborate closely throughout the fixture design and fabrication process. This streamlined workflow enables us to respond quickly to unique testing requirements while maintaining the high quality our customers expect.
Investments like the Haas VF-6 are part of our ongoing commitment to providing comprehensive testing solutions backed by modern equipment and experienced technical staff.
Whether your project requires a standard fixture or a fully customized solution, our expanded machining capabilities help us deliver the precision and performance needed to support successful testing outcomes.
Elite Electronic Engineering is now fully recognized to perform all test methods within the latest General Motors GMW3097 (2025) EMC specification.
Elite is currently the only laboratory in North America recognized for all methods to the 2025 revision, providing automotive suppliers with a single-source solution for General Motors (GM) EMC validation and automotive EMC testing.
GMW3097 defines electromagnetic compatibility requirements and aligns with key automotive EMC standards for electrical and electronic components used in GM vehicles. This includes testing for emissions, immunity, transients, and electrostatic discharge (ESD) to ensure reliable performance in real-world vehicle environments.
What This Means for Your Program
Recognition to GMW3097 (2025) confirms that Elite’s facilities, equipment, and procedures meet GM requirements for complete EMC validation and compliance with modern automotive EMC standards.
For engineering teams, this delivers clear advantages:
All GMW3097 methods in one location– no need to coordinate multiple test facilities
Testing to the latest 2025 specification – aligned with current GM requirements
Recognized results – accepted by GM for EMC validation programs
Support for DV and PV testing – from early design through final validation
Supporting Advanced Automotive Electronics
Elite supports EMC validation for a wide range of components, including:
ECUs and sensors
Power electronics and battery systems
Electric drive and high-voltage platforms
By working with a fully recognized automotive EMC test lab, teams can reduce program risk, avoid retesting, and accelerate time to market.
Ensuring Product Reliability Under Extreme Environmental Conditions
When product reliability is critical, testing under extreme environmental conditions is essential. At Elite, our Thermotron Walk-In Temperature Chamber testing services provide manufacturers with the ability to evaluate product performance under controlled temperature and humidity extremes. From automotive components to multiple product assemblies, our testing helps ensure your products perform safely, reliably, and consistently, even in the harshest environments.
Purpose & Capabilities
The Thermotron Walk-In Test Chamber creates a controlled environment that simulates everything from extreme cold to high heat, dry to humid conditions, and rapid temperature cycling. Its spacious interior accommodates full-size products and systems allowing for comprehensive environmental stress testing that mirrors real-world conditions.
Key Specifications
Manufacturer: Thermotron
Chamber Size: 11’ W × 9’ 9” H × 18’ 6” D — accommodates large components or multiple products
Temperature Range: -68 °C to 85 °C — simulates real-world extremes *contact Elite for any specific temperature requirements
Temperature Change Rate: 2 °C/min — quick ramp rate relative to the chamber size
Cooling Type: Compressor — standard for precise, reliable cooling
Humidity Range: 5% to 95% RH — tests from dry to very humid environments
Applications & Industries Served
Elite’s walk-in test chamber is ideal for testing large electronics alone or multiple units together, and any products that require environmental validation. These capabilities benefit a wide range of industries including:
Automotive
Aerospace
Military
Consumer and Commercial products
Any industry requiring temperature and humidity testing for quality assurance
Benefits of Elite Testing Services
By leveraging Elite’s environmental testing capabilities, manufacturers can:
Test large products without chamber size constraints
Ensure products are reliable, safe, and high-performing under real-world conditions
Take the Next Step
Elite’s Thermotron Walk-In Temperature Environmental Chamber provides the control and versatility necessary for thorough environmental testing. Contact us today to learn how our testing services can help ensure your products stand up to real-world conditions.
I was given a book “The 50 Greatest Engineers – The people whose innovations have shaped the world” by Paul Virr and William Potter. As engineers, we sometimes do not realize the impact we have on our world. Engineers are a tremendous group that have a life changing effect on everyone. The technologies that engineers have invented help to change and guide the course of human events.
The authors listed many well-known engineers in their list of the 50 greatest engineers. These great engineers are responsible for many of the items that we count on every day.
Thomas Edison: Incandescent Light Bulb, Stock Ticker, First Voice Recording
“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”
Alexander Graham Bell: Telephone
“I then shouted … The following sentence: ‘Mr. Watson come here. I want to see you.’ To my delight, he came and declared that he has heard and understood what I said.”
Wilbur and Orville Wright: First Powered Airplane
“The desire to fly is an idea handed down to us by our ancestors who, in their grueling travels across trackless lands in prehistoric times, looked enviously on the birds soaring freely through space, at full speed, above all obstacles, on the infinite highway of the air.”
Other lesser known of the great engineers are listed whose work also had a great influence on humanity.
Michael Faraday: Electric Motors, Carbon Arc Lighthouse Lamps, Faraday Cage
“Nothing is too wonderful to be true, if it be consistent with the laws of nature and in such things as these experiments is the best test of such consistency.”
“Every day sees humanity more victorious in the struggle with space and time”
Granville Woods: Automatic Air brake for trains, “Telegraphony” (combined the principles of telegraphy and telephones, allowing a single wire to carry either voice or telegraph-style Morse code messages).
“His many inventions have shown an amount of skill and dexterity in dealing with the most potent and mysterious of all forces, which places him in the front rank of inventors also.”
Lillian Moller Gilbreth: America’s First Lady of Engineering, The Psychology of Management
“The mental health of the worker not only controls … his physical health but also his desire to work.”
Frank Whittle: Jet Engine
“I’d come to the conclusion that if you wanted to go both fast and far, you’d need to go very high, to heights where the piston engine wouldn’t work and at speeds where the propeller would be very inefficient.”
The authors’ list is limited to 50 but there are countless engineers who fit the category and define what is takes to “Be Great”. Their innovations and contributions have helped mankind by providing practical solutions to real world problems. Behind each of them was an expert team dedicated to a common goal.
At Elite, we strive to “Be Great”. It is not acceptable to be just “OK” or “good enough”. We work hard to provide our customer service at the highest possible level. We pride ourselves on our expert engineering skills and teamwork to provide a testing experience second to none. And we continuously invest in our people and facilities to be our customers’ most trusted and capable partner.
Happy Holidays from the entire Elite team – and we look forward to serving you in 2026.
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For over 32 years, Kathy Barri has been Elite’s receptionist and office assistant. In June, Kathy will finish her career with Elite and start a well-deserved retirement.
Although we don’t keep statistics on such matters, Kathy is our Elite person who nearly every visitor over the past 32 years has seen, met, or spoken with, which totals an impressive number of personal connections. However, her importance to Elite extends beyond our reception desk. Kathy is a hard-working, reliable, and caring person who consistently offers her assistance and lends support whenever and wherever it is needed.
In addition to answering incoming phone calls and registering visitors, she is the administrative assistant to our finance department and handles a wide range of front-office support tasks. Kathy helps ensure bills are paid, collates labor data, processes a wide range of business documents, and completes many other tasks as needed. For years she assisted the sales department by preparing proposals. She also managed registration and logistics for tradeshows where Elite was an exhibitor.
Kathy is the safety team secretary and has served as our back-up for shipping and report processing. She initiated and organized first aid and CPR training as well as on-site hearing test programs. She even helped to wind inductor coils used in customized RF filters that Elite built in the early years.
She is our go-to person for supporting a positive company culture. Kathy is our summer picnic organizer, plans the holiday parties, and is instrumental in hosting all the IEEE/SAE corporate events held at our Downers Grove laboratory. Whenever there was an administrative need, Kathy was always there to take on the task.
When asked, Kathy remarks with pride on Elite’s growth and her appreciation of the family culture espoused by the Klouda family. She has cherished watching colleagues grow their families, then seeing their sons and daughters mature over time into new employees. Kathy appreciates the company embrace of hiring siblings, relatives, and trusted friends who join and find meaningful productive careers at Elite. For Kathy and as with Elite, family is incredibly important, so this part of retiring will be bittersweet for both.
From all of us, we congratulate Kathy on a career well done. We will miss our great front-office ambassador, her warm smile, cheerful disposition, and welcoming character. Best wishes to you and enjoy retirement Kathy!
