DIAMOND BAR, Calif. (July 16, 2013) — The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) opened phase two of its SEMA Garage automotive innovation facility in conjunction with Collector Car Appreciation Day on July 12.
Located at SEMA headquarters near Los Angeles, SEMA Garage gives more than 6,000 businesses across the country access to high-tech tools and equipment they need to get their products off the drawing board and into customer hands, according to the Diamond Bar-based association.
The 15,000-sq.-ft. facility houses nearly $2 million of equipment, including two vehicle lifts, a portable coordinate measuring machine (CMM) for 3D scanning, a 3D printer for fast prototyping, digital race car scales for the vehicle weight measurements and a dynamometer for power output measurements.
The facility also features a fully certified Executive Order (EO) aftermarket-part certification lab to provide the required certification for any company planning to sell aftermarket powertrain parts in the California market. The temperature-controlled test cell can simulate weather conditions ranging from winter in the mountains, summer in the desert, according to SEMA.
Testing meets all federal Environmental Protection Agency and California Air Resources Boards (CARB) standards with capabilities that include emissions, fuel economy, acceleration, brake stopping distance, interior/exterior noise levels and handling, SEMA said.
"SEMA is in a unique position to provide members with a reliable and affordable way to develop and test their products, thereby helping them get their products to market quickly," said Mike Spagnola, SEMA vice president of the product development center.
The SEMA Garage originally opened May 9 when the aftermarket-part certification lab was first made available to members. A suite of marketing support tools will be added in the next several months to complete the three-phase opening, in the form of a media center with a photo cove, photography center and media coordination services.