Author: Unloked Digital

Partner Spotlight: Kinectrics (ArcWear) PPE Testing – Thermetrics

ArcWear PPE Testing Powered by Thermetrics

When the ArcWear PPE Testing Division of Kinectrics, a BWXT company, first partnered with Thermetrics in 2019 the objective was clear: Expand beyond arc flash testing into flash fire evaluation. That effort began with the acquisition of a Thermal Protective Performance (TPP) system, but quickly grew into something more.

Supporting PPE testing from R&D through certification

As Kinectrics expanded its capabilities as an ISO 17025/IEC-accredited, third-party testing lab for PPE, the relationship with Thermetrics evolved alongside it. What started as a single system became an ongoing technical collaboration—supporting not only certification testing, but also the development of new methods, capabilities, and applications.

Today, Kinectrics operates a robust suite of Thermetrics systems spanning thermal and arc flash testing—enabling expanded evaluation of flame exposure applications alongside certification work. This integrated setup enables their team to support manufacturers across the full product lifecycle under the same roof—from early-stage R&D through final certification—while maintaining alignment with key standards including ASTM, NFPA, and IEC.

Photo of Thermetrics Flash Fire Hand system installed at the ArcWear lab for PPE testing
Inside the ArcWear PPE testing facility with the Thermetrics Flash Fire Hand System.

Developing new testing methods for extreme heat PPE

Recently, Kinectrics partnered with Thermetrics to support the development of a high-performance glove for extreme foundry applications. Using contact heat testing as a starting point, the teams worked together to explore how testing approaches could be adapted to evaluate protection at significantly higher temperature ranges than typical applications require. This kind of work reflects a broader approach both organizations embody—bridging the gap between laboratory testing and real-world performance, where safety depends on data that is accurate, repeatable, and defensible.

This kind of collaborative effort and mindset reflects how Kinectrics views the relationship with Thermetrics. As Brian Shiels, service line manager for the ArcWear division of Kinectrics, explains: “We are technical experts—not just button-pushers. When we need to develop something but don’t know what it should look like, we know exactly who to call.” Whether sourcing specialized manikin components or working through entirely new testing challenges, Kinectrics relies on Thermetrics as a trusted engineering partner—helping turn concepts into real-world capability, grounded in trusted data.

picture of Thermetrics flash fire hand system on fire

The Thermetrics Flash Fire Hand System during active exposure testing at ArcWear’s PPE testing lab.

Across industries where protective performance matters most, Kinectrics—through its ArcWear PPE testing division—leads with deep standards expertise and advanced testing, partnering with Thermetrics to help manufacturers meet evolving requirements with confidence.

To learn more about Kinectrics’ testing and certification capabilities, visit Kinectrics, or connect directly with their ArcWear PPE testing team here.

About the Partner Spotlight. Partner Spotlight is a fun opportunity for us to highlight the capabilities and accomplishments of one of our client-partners each quarter. As an industry-leading manufacturer of thermal manikin systems and other thermal testing equipment, we learn and grow best through partnerships with test labs across the U.S. and worldwide, in addition to collaborations with government and research organizations in need of thermal testing equipment for their innovative research projects. If you can imagine it, Thermetrics can design and build a system to test it!

Partner Spotlight: ThermoAnalytics (TAI)

Question: What do you get when you combine a high-fidelity human thermal model with a thermal manikin? Answer: You get the most accurate tool available for replicating human thermal response.

Starting in 2009, Thermetrics and ThermoAnalytics (TAI) recognized this potential and the inherent strengths of each company. Given Thermetrics’ focus on designing precision thermal manikins, and ThermoAnalytics’ established thermal solver products and expertise with human thermal physiology, it was only natural—perhaps even inevitable—for the two organizations to work together.

Fifteen years ago, Thermetrics and TAI began joint development to combine TAI’s thermoregulation model TAITherm, with the Newton sweating thermal manikin. The result was ManikinPC manikin software and the world’s first commercially available adaptive manikin in January 2010. 

Since that introduction, advances in TAI’s technology have made ManikinPC increasingly more robust, improving the accuracy of human thermal-physiology modeling, solver speed, and user customizations. Joint collaboration has also extended ManikinPC compatibility across the Thermetrics product line to include Liz, child and baby models, and HVAC/ACE sensor manikins.

ManikinPC Software with real-time physiology and thermal comfort for the Liz female manikin.
ManikinPC Software with real-time physiology and thermal comfort for the Liz female manikin.

Founded in 1996, ThermoAnalytics has long specialized in advanced thermal simulation and EO/IR signature prediction. At the core of TAI’s success is TAITherm, the company’s premier thermal simulation package. While it serves as the “brains” behind ManikinPC, TAITherm is a comprehensive computational tool in its own right, enabling engineers to predict, optimize, and validate thermal behavior across complex environments. TAITherm’s applications span a wide spectrum—from automotive thermal management and aerospace signature—to electronics cooling, building performance, and textile thermal behavior.

In addition to the collaboration for product development and validation, engineers from both companies often collaborate on-site to support customer testing—Thermetrics from the hardware perspective and TAI on simulation. This offers OEMs a comprehensive team for benchmarking and optimizing existing products.The joint TAI-Thermetrics expertise and tools can also help companies expand virtual design processes to accelerate and test new development. Using both a thermal manikin and TAI’s stellar modeling capabilities, new designs can be accurately tested before ever reaching the human subject testing phase, saving both money and time.

Joint ThermoAnalytics-Thermetrics truck cabin comfort evaluation project. Front view of truck cab
Joint ThermoAnalytics-Thermetrics truck cabin comfort evaluation project.
Joint ThermoAnalytics-Thermetrics truck cabin comfort evaluation project -- ACE in the truck cabin

When asked about the working relationship between Thermetrics and ThermoAnalytics, TAI’s VP of Business Development Craig Makens explained, “Our joint clients push the boundaries of what ‘s possible, challenging us to constantly elevate ManikinPC. This collaboration drives innovation, ensuring our technology evolves alongside their most advanced needs.”

If your organization is interested in leveraging world-class human thermal comfort and thermal simulation modeling capabilities to cut down on cost and design time, consider working with ThermoAnalytics. They also happen to be hosting their next Global User Forum in Munich, June 16-17, 2026 where Thermetrics will be presenting. We’d love to see you there!

About the Partner Spotlight. Partner Spotlight is a fun opportunity for us to highlight the capabilities and accomplishments of one of our client-partners each quarter. As an industry-leading manufacturer of thermal manikin systems and other thermal testing equipment, we learn and grow best through partnerships with test labs across the U.S. and worldwide, in addition to collaborations with government and research organizations in need of thermal testing equipment for their innovative research projects. If you can imagine it, Thermetrics can design and build a system to test it!

Thermetrics: Reflections on 2025 and excitement for 2026

A re-print of the Letter from the President in the Winter 2025-26 edition of the Thermetrics quarterly newsletter…

There’s something about the calendar rolling over to a new year that motivates us to reflect on the past and pontificate on the future. Cliché? Yes, but I can’t resist the urge myself.

2025 goes into my history books as a year to remember but not repeat. Tensions and human suffering are on the rise around the world and the rapid growth in technology and wealth are showing little promise for reversing that trend, instead benefiting only a small number of people. In the Themetrics ecosystem, many of our clients experienced funding challenges in 2025 and had to make do with less to deliver on their goals.

Thermetrics also did a lot of stretching last year. Our commitment to helping clients succeed is unwavering, and 2025 really put us to the test. I’m insanely proud of our team for their work last year, building around 40 precision instruments in 2025. Hotplates and ANDI manikins were the most popular, but Newton, head, foot, and STAN manikins were also on the menu—and even a Burnie flame manikin and NEMO immersion manikin. Our Service and Support team completed dozens of calibration and service trips and resolved hundreds of technical support and training inquiries. We consider ourselves extremely fortunate to be able to serve our clients across their entire range of technical needs—from consulting services to rental or purchase of equipment, through long-term product service and calibration.

Last year also marked the formation of Thermetrics Europe, our EU subsidiary in Porvoo, Finland. With this new office in full operation, Thermetrics is able to offer more timezone-friendly sales and service interaction for local clients. We can also offer a limited number of Thermetrics products with EU origin, and plan to expand the number of models which can be manufactured in the Finland facility.

One last exciting souvenir from 2025 was our ACE manikin—built and developed only last year and already a frequent flyer. He has been shown at commercial exhibits in Detroit and Stuttgart, travelled to the UK for some vehicle testing, and shared with clients in USA, Japan, and China. Feedback from our automotive community is that this manikin product really hits a home run with the ability to separately measure convective and radiant boundary conditions, plus conductive heat transfer at the seat and steering wheel interfaces. ACE’s lightweight, no need for heatup time or stabilization, real-time integration of human comfort model, and digital twin capability for virtual design processes makes him ideal for all stages of vehicle development.

Looking forward to 2026, Thermetrics is taking the opportunity to pause, tidy, renew, and better-align ourselves to support our valued client-partners. We have launched a business infrastructure project to replace and consolidate multiple outdated software tools into a central company-wide system. This project won’t be as fun as designing a new manikin, but is needed to maintain product and service quality for our clients in the long term.

We have identified a few key 2026 events that Thermetrics plans to attend and hope to meet up with more folks in person. We also expect ACE to earn more stamps in his passport, based on the high interest level he’s getting. Our wishlist of Thermetrics product ideas and improvements is loaded with innovative things that I have to keep under wraps for now, but will be sharing more about if they reach daylight in 2026. And most importantly, we look forward to more interesting projects, challenging applications, and good laughs with our customers and partners. That’s what really fuels the Thermetrics team.

Wishing you all a year filled with bold innovation and progress in your testing and research endeavors! I look forward to collaborating to help make it so. 

Warm regards,

Rick Burke,

Thermetrics President

Selfie of ACE manikin and Rick Burke

Rick and ACE taking a break in Manikin Land, Thermetrics’ hub for manikin final assembly.

Partner Spotlight: NCState’s TPACC

The Milliken Textile Protection and Comfort Center (TPACC) at North Carolina State University has been a valued Thermetrics client-partner since the early 2000s. In the true spirit of collaboration, they were instrumental partners in the development of several early Thermetrics projects. TPACC also helped validate the ManikinPC comfort model software using data they collected from human trials.

For more than 30 years, TPACC’s impressive workload has run the gamut from testing textiles to full garments and everything in between, with an emphasis on both thermal protection and comfort. On the research side, the lab has run countless turnout gear tests for firefighters across the country and around the world. And, in truth, there really is no “normal” or “regular” thing TPACC tests, because their capabilities are so wide and varied. Recent testing includes personal protective equipment (PPE) and a cold-weather immersion suit.

Not only does TPACC specialize in testing and research, they continually develop and refine new test protocols to evaluate textile performance which often lead to the creation of, or updates to ASTM standards for textiles. For example, TPACC developed a standardized test method to measure the evaporative cooling efficiency of activewear fabric, designated as ASTM F3628. 

From hotplates to thermal manikins and manikin body parts, TPACC has one of the largest Thermetrics equipment footprints. The lab is also home to a Thermetrics Liz female manikin—incidentally, the only commercial test lab with a Liz. They are well-equipped to take on most testing needs!

People working on a manikin at TPACC - Credit = NCState
Thermetrics’ Newton manikin preparing to test a garment at TPACC. Photo courtesy of NCState University.

When asked about the working relationship between the two organizations, TPACC Deputy Director Shawn Deaton said, “When people come to us with crazy research or testing asks, we have zero qualms about going to the folks at Thermetrics and collaborating to come up with a way to make it happen.” 

There’s definitely plenty of envelope-pushing that happens between the two orgs. In fact, TPACC is one of the first labs Thermetrics thinks of when a unique testing or research challenge pops up. “They’re so adept at handling such a wide range of testing scenarios,” explains Thermetrics Director of Business Development, Kevin Bengston. 

So, if you’re looking for an organization that can handle your unique testing needs, look no further! We’d be happy to put you in touch with someone at TPACC. Reach out today!

Hand manikin at TPACC. Photo credit = NCState
Fitting a glove on the Thermetics hand manikin at TPACC. Photo courtesy of NCState University.

About the Partner Spotlight. Partner Spotlight is a fun opportunity for us to highlight the capabilities and accomplishments of one of our client-partners each quarter. As an industry-leading manufacturer of thermal manikin systems and other thermal testing equipment, we learn and grow best through partnerships with test labs across the U.S. and worldwide, in addition to collaborations with government and research organizations in need of thermal testing equipment for their innovative research projects. If you can imagine it, Thermetrics can design and build a system to test it!

Partner Spotlight: Central Michigan University’s CMDT

Since 2015, Thermetrics has been collaborating with Central Michigan University’s Center for Merchandising and Design Technology (CMDT) to support their thermal testing needs. The first piece of equipment CMDT ordered from Thermetrics was a customized Newton thermal manikin with a breastplate to conduct testing on garments for the female form. This was, of course, before we designed our Liz female thermal manikin. CMDT affectionately refers to their Newton as Norman or Norma, depending on the testing scenario.

The center provides a unique offering and perspective in that its focus is on bringing students into the lab to help conduct testing to research important, everyday problems. Oftentimes, students are the ones closest to the end-use case scenario being tested for. Students and faculty work side-by-side at CMDT to support client testing needs, in addition to testing scenarios of their own design. In fact, several theses have come out of the lab. 

A picture of Lauren Agnew, Laboratory Coordinator and Instructor of Fashion, Interior Design & Merchandising posing with a Thermetrics-made baby thermal manikin, affectionately named Lumi and an adult thermal manikin, dubbed Norman.
Lauren Agnew, Laboratory Coordinator and Instructor of Fashion, Interior Design & Merchandising poses with thermal manikin testing equipment.

One of the test lab’s primary focuses is on infant-related testing of car seats, strollers, bedding, and other gear and clothing designed for babies. As an example, CMDT recently provided testing for, and contributed to a Global Innovation Award for wool-core diapers through New Zealand-based company, Woolchemy. Testing was done on a Thermetrics-made baby Ruth thermal manikin which the lab affectionately named, Lumi. 

When asked about the working relationship between Thermetrics and CMDT, Lauren Agnew, Laboratory Coordinator and Instructor of Fashion, Interior Design & Merchandising said: “It’s a very collaborative relationship; they’re [Thermetrics] very willing to explore and go on the journey together to figure out the best-possible way to test something… Even when things don’t work out as expected, it’s all in the name of science and the inquisitive spirit is very much alive in the collaboration.” And the feeling is mutual! We really enjoy working with CMDT!

If you’re looking for a test lab, especially for infant-related clothing and gear, consider working with CMDT. We can confidently say they have a stellar track-record of keeping their test instruments in excellent working condition, following maintenance guidelines to a T.

Picture of Lauren Agnew, Laboratory Coordinator and Instructor of Fashion, Interior Design & Merchandising plus two students working on one of the thermal manikins in their test lab.
Students and staff working with a thermal test manikin at CMDT.

About the Partner Spotlight. Partner Spotlight is a fun opportunity for us to highlight the capabilities and accomplishments of one of our client-partners each quarter. As an industry-leading manufacturer of thermal manikin systems and other thermal testing equipment, we learn and grow best through partnerships with test labs across the U.S. and worldwide, in addition to collaborations with government and research organizations in need of thermal testing equipment for their innovative research projects. If you can imagine it, Thermetrics can design and build a system to test it!

World-class precision test instruments for spacesuit testing

Precision systems built to test the limits of equipment built for the extreme conditions in space


At Thermetrics, we love collaborating with clients to help identify—or design, if a custom solution is needed—just the right precision equipment to meet their spacesuit testing needs. We’ve been thoroughly enjoying working with NASA in support of the Artemis missions, which have been using our thermal hand manikin and thermal foot manikin to test protective gear astronauts will need to survive on the dark side of the moon where temps are lower than -300 degrees Fahrenheit. 



Do you have testing needs for a spacesuit or other equipment being designed to withstand the extreme conditions of the Moon, Mars, or beyond? We’d love to hear from you and discuss how we might be able to help! You can reach us any time by sending email to [email protected]. 



For more information about how NASA is using Thermetrics test systems: 
Lending NASA a Hand in Preparation for the Artemis Missions
NASA Tests Key Spacesuit Parts Inside This Icy Chamber – NASA
Advancing Human Spaceflight Safety – NASA



Thermetrics is now open for business in Finland!

After two years of careful planning and navigating logistics, we are excited to share that we have opened a new Europe-based Thermetrics office in Finland! As the European market continues to grow, it was clear we needed to do the same. 

Our new office—Thermetrics Europe Oy—established to better-cater to the needs of our customers as a sales, support, and manikin service center is located in the picturesque village of Porvoo, Finland. Thermetrics Europe Oy will be headed by Global Sales Manager Aki Sirkkola, while Kristin Sirkkola will be handling the business aspects of running the new Europe office. 

Aki and Kristin are no strangers to the area, as they moved to Finland in 2021 after Aki worked 8 years at Thermetrics headquarters in Seattle, handling manikins sales and service. Kristin has been with Thermetrics for the past two years, helping lay the foundation for our new office. 

We plan to maintain a close collaboration between our U.S. and Finland-based engineering and service teams to ensure the world-class quality and precision our customers have come to expect from our thermal measurement test systems. 

For questions and to connect with our new office, please reach out to [email protected].

Picture of Aki and Kristin with thermetrics logo sign

Lending NASA a Hand in Preparation for the Artemis Missions

NASA’s Artemis missions are sending astronauts back to the moon, and the team at Thermetrics has been given the opportunity to lend them a hand – literally!

The dark side of the moon is incredibly cold, with temperatures lower than -300 degrees Fahrenheit. With these extremely frigid conditions in mind, it is critical that astronauts have the proper equipment to keep every inch of their bodies safe and warm. But if you think they are just planning on adding a few extra layers to their space suits, think again. 

While we can’t speak to the spacesuits in their entirety, we can speak to the gloves, as we’ve created technology to help test their resilience against triple-digit negative temperatures. 

Testing the gloves for Artemis

A glove hand hand is sitting on a little metal box. In the background you can see wires, metal, and what looks like aluminum foil.

A single glove is placed on a manikin hand before it enters into a vacuum chamber that’s cooled with liquid nitrogen. The glove-covered hand is meticulously transferred from the loading chamber into the main chamber, which is incredibly cold, mimicking moon-like temperatures.

Once the glove-covered hand is in the freezing main chamber, measurements are taken. The glove is then pressed against a contact block, the equivalent of touching a cold surface, and measurements are again taken.Prior to working with Thermetrics, the testing consisted of people placing their own hand, covered in temperature sensors, in a glove and touching an object within the chamber. The measurements from the Thermetrics tests will be run against the measurements from old tests using human subjects to compare results. 

The new testing will reduce the potential risk factors for humans by using quantitative instruments instead of human hands. 

While testing is still in its early phases, we can’t wait to learn the impacts this technology will make within the worlds of science and space exploration.

Learn more about the work our team does here.

NC State Creates New Textile Test with Help from Thermetrics’ Hotplate Technology

We’ve all been there. You’re in the air-conditioned car on the way home from the gym or a long practice, and your once hot and sweaty clothes are now cold, clingy, and uncomfortable.  Researchers at NC State’s Wilson College of Textiles’ Textile Protection and Comfort Center (TPACC) are making efforts to remedy that discomfort and have made significant strides in doing so with the help of Thermetrics’ hotplate technology.

Recently, ASTM International, the globally recognized consensus standards organization, adopted a standardized test created by TPACC, designed to measure a fabric’s evaporative cooling efficiency. It’s likely this test, developed in part with the Sweating Dynamic Hotplate could soon be a go-to testing option for the activewear industry.

While other testing methods are available, they only measure certain factors regarding a product’s cooling capacity, as noted by NC State’s Shawn Deaton and Roger Barker in a journal article from “Medical and Science Technology.”

Want to learn more our Sweating Dynamic Hotplate? Check it out here.  

Improving Infant Safety with the Baby Thermal Manikin

Belmont Medical Technologies, a medical device company that provides leading patient temperature management solutions, and ThermoAnalytics, a thermal software company, know a mother will do anything to protect their baby, including reducing their infant’s body temperature to a hypothermic level to keep them safe when necessary. 

While this may sound counterintuitive and borderline frightening, we’re honored to have partnered with both organizations in creating a human surrogate measurement device for testing infants undergoing therapeutic hypothermia. 

Keep reading to learn more about this one-of-a-kind Baby Thermal Manikin.

Developing the Baby Thermal Manikin

In medical device development, bench models that can simulate in-vivo research (research done on a living organism) are preferable as they reduce cost and variables and can be completed more quickly than in-vivo studies. Previously, developers of patient temperature management systems that incorporate warming and cooling garments did not have a bench model that could simulate in-vivo studies due to the complex nature of human thermal physiology – until now.

While traditional thermal medical devices typically control the patient’s core temperature during operating procedures or in intensive care, a smaller field of patient temperature management called therapeutic hypothermia (TH) has a growing interest, especially in neonates with moderate to severe hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), a type of brain damage caused by a lack of oxygen before or shortly after birth.

By combining our Baby Thermal Manikin with ThermoAnalytics’ customized thermal software, we were able to create a thermal model to assist Belmont in its TH research.

Temperature management products are used to induce TH in neonates by reducing the core temperature as low as 33⁰C (91.4⁰F), which has shown to have therapeutic benefits on cardia and patients with brain injury [ 1 , 2 ]. For neonatal patients, TH improves survival and neurodevelopment in neonates [ 3 ].

During temperature management, it is critical to maintain temperature to deliver the correct therapy while cooling to therapeutic temperatures and rewarming to normothermic temperatures. The device is controlled by a human thermal model, and can simulate thermoregulation to predict core temperature – helping to more safely study the impacts of TH in infants.

So, whether you’re a medical device engineer, thermal scientist, or loving mother, we can all appreciate the impact the Baby Thermal Manikin will make on science, medicine, and our littlest loved ones.

1. Papile, Lu-Ann, Jill E. Baley, William Benitz, James Cummings, Waldemar A. Carlo, Eric Eichenwald, Praveen Kumar, Richard A. Polin, Rosemarie C. Tan, and Kasper S. Wang. "Hypothermia and neonatal encephalopathy." Pediatrics 133, no. 6 (2014): 1146-1150.

2. Holzer, Michael, Stephen A. Bernard, Said Hachimi-Idrissi, Risto O. Roine, Fritz Sterz, Marcus Müllner, and Collaborative Group on Induced Hypothermia for Neuroprotection After Cardiac Arrest. "Hypothermia for neuroprotection after cardiac arrest: systematic review and individual patient data meta-analysis." Critical care medicine 33, no. 2 (2005): 414-418.

3. Azzopardi, Denis, Brenda Strohm, Neil Marlow, Peter Brocklehurst, Aniko Deierl, Oya Eddama, Julia Goodwin et al. "Effects of hypothermia for perinatal asphyxia on childhood outcomes." New England Journal of Medicine 371, no. 2 (2014): 140-149.