Episode
Rockets, Race Cars, and Roller Coasters: Inside Pittsburgh's Ultimate Testing Lab
- Podcast
- TechVibe Pittsburgh
- Published
- Apr 17, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 654
- Processing state
not_requested
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Summary
What if you could simulate five years of wear and tear in a single afternoon? You're about to step inside one of Pittsburgh's most quietly powerful innovation hubs -- Clark Testing -- where products are pushed to their limits before they ever hit the real world. From rocket components heading into deep space to roller coasters at Disney and Universal from IndyCar racing systems to critical infrastructure inside nuclear power plants, Clark Testing is where performance gets proven. In this episode, CEO Paul Heffernan takes us behind the scenes of a facility drawing engineers and companies from around the globe to Pittsburgh. We explore their brand-new, largest-in-the-East-Coast shaker table, capable of simulating extreme vibration, shock, and environmental stress at massive scale. Key Takeaways: Why "we test everything from rockets to rollercoasters" isn't hype—it's reality How Clark compresses years of stress into hours of testing Why Pittsburgh is a global hub for rail, energy, and advanced testing Hit play to see what happens when innovation gets shaken… literally. The Pittsburgh Technology Council Produces Techvibe Radio to explore Pittsburgh's technology and innovation ecosystem.