The Importance of  Vibration Test Fixtures For most projects, the design of vibration test fixtures is often left to the last minute.  Regardless of your industry, vibration testing is one of the most important tools in product test and evaluation.  A well designed fixture will provide ample rigidity to prevent resonances that can result in

Water is a Major Concern in Product Ruggedness Testing Water is part of many test methods when evaluating product ruggedness. We live in a world that is predominated by the substance, and its effects on products for any application are severe. Because of this, products must be evaluated for their abilities to endure exposure to

Test requirements for equipment designed for use on military platforms include a number of power quality standards.  These standards evaluate the equipment’s ability to operate normally when subjected to disturbances characteristically found on their platform of intended use.  They also place limits on the level of disturbance the equipment can contribute to the voltage distribution

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has completed guidance for medical equipment Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) information to be submitted before an electrical medical device that is manufactured in the United States is marketed.  This guidance updates previous submission recommendations released in 2016.  Its intent is to provide clarification of what the FDA will consider in

EMI emission test failures for compliance testing are a major cause of product development delays because most products fail in their first trip to the lab.  Radiated Emissions is the most common problem for developmental electronic products and one that is often difficult to mitigate.  This holds true for both military and commercial products. Radiated

Defining MIL-STD-810 MIL-STD-810H – Environmental Engineering Considerations and Laboratory Tests is a Department of Defense (DoD) test standard to evaluate the effects of environmental stresses on materiel that are likely to occur during all phases of service life.  Using MIL-STD-810 effectively in product development is of great importance to developers of military equipment. Over and

AIAA S-121A-2017 is a test standard based on military standards MIL-STD-461 and MIL-STD-464 that addresses EMC for space system requirements.  This standard relies heavily upon appropriate tailoring in the development of a test plan. EMC and Space System Applications The burgeoning New Space Economy is providing opportunities for a wide array of product developers to

The United States Standards Strategy (USSS) supports the development of economic growth through the development of standards.  This development is open to participation by U.S. companies in their respective sectors.  Originally published in 2000, the USSS was formerly the National Standards Strategy for the United States (NSS).  It coordinates the efforts of industry stakeholders in

MIL-STD-810 Shock Methods and Procedures MIL-STD-810 contains numerous shock methods and procedures that provide laboratory simulations of real world events.  Mechanical shock can adversely effect the integrity of a component, especially if the resonances of the shock harmonize with natural frequencies of that component. To ensure effective developmental test and evaluation of a product it

Preventing Product Damage Due to Shipping Utilizing packaged products methods of evaluation can greatly reduce losses due to shipping damage and increase customer satisfaction.  According to Packing Digest, between 2 to 11 percent of packaged products arrive at a distribution with some damage.  In many cases this damage could be avoided by ensuring that packaging

What is EMI Susceptibility? EMI/EMC susceptibility is the vulnerability of an electronic device to electromagnetic energy that can result in disruptions to that device’s normal operation.  These disruptions can result in physical damage of the device, or unwanted operational events that can lead to property damage, injury, or death. This is of special concern where

What is Developmental Test and Evaluation? Developmental Test & Evaluation (DT&E) refers to testing performed on components and subsystems designed for use on U.S. defense platforms.  This testing is conducted at various stages in the development and acquisition process to verify that the product meets specified levels of performance. DT&E is normally conducted by the

EMI/EMC Test Plans EMI/EMC Test Plans are important in preparing for your trip to the lab.  The test plan should communicate all relevant information about testing requirements and the nature of the system to be tested.  This will allow the test laboratory to sufficiently assess the requirements needed to complete testing.  These requirements include: size

Using Product Test Standards to Develop a Test and Evaluation Program There is a seemingly endless amount of product test standards and specifications.   These documents set criteria for compliance, provide guidance for evaluation, and sometimes assist in the development of analysis and test programs of both consumer products and military products.  They are all constantly evolving

The Evolution of the Tailoring Process in MIL-STD-810 MIL-STD-810 Environmental Engineering Considerations and Laboratory Tests is a standard for environmental developmental test and evaluation.  Its purpose is to provide guidance for the development of analysis and test criteria to evaluate materiel, identify deficiencies and defects, and demonstrate compliance.  The tailoring process develops valid test criteria

Test and Evaluation for Robustness Test and Evaluation for robustness of a product is an involved process.  For electrical and electronic equipment an evolution of design engineering evaluation has been required to meet acceptable failure rates for fielded product.  Instituting these test methodologies requires looking beyond a test to pass approach. Robustness in Military Applications