Businesses not only need to recognize common leak testing mistakes, but they also need to know how to avoid them!
The Zaxis team is proud to be some of the top experts within the leak testing industry, and we understand just how important it is to share our expertise with businesses around the United States and the entire world.
Leak testing is required for countless industries, including:
- Automotive
- Consumer goods
- Electronics
- Industrial
- Medical
- Packaging
- And many others!
Because so many industries require leak testing, it’s normal for businesses to make mistakes—even while using state-of-the-art testing equipment. There are actually many crucial mistakes that businesses often make that compromise their entire leak testing process, and we’re always here to help you recognize these common mistakes and subsequently avoid them in the future.
Below are some of the most common leak testing mistakes that we hear about, as well as tips to avoid them!
Leak Testing Mistake #1: Using Unfiltered Air
It’s absolutely critical to use clean and dry air while pressurizing your company’s parts and components for leak testing. A lot of people don’t quite realize just how dirty their facility’s air actually is, and even less people realize how dirty air can damage leak testers.
Things like precision valves and sensitive transducers are also susceptible to indoor air quality and metal particulates that are often found in manufacturing settings. This is why it’s incredibly important for business leaders to understand the need for clean, dry air while they’re initially planning out their leak testing requirements—because this preemptive planning can help you save money on potential repair and replacement expenses.
Leak Testing Mistake #2: Not Using The Correct Leak Testing Technology For Your Unique Applications
A variety of factors will dictate your company’s preferred leak testing technology, including:
- Ideal test pressure
- Acceptable leak rates
- Your part’s size and functionality
- Your facility’s testing environment
- And much more
This is why it’s important for business leaders to understand that not all leak testers are created equally. There are many leak testing techniques that businesses can choose between, and absolutely no one wants to release defective products simply because they used the wrong leak testing technology during their manufacturing processes!
Here’s a brief overview detailing how to best use the most common leak testing options:
Pressure Decay Leak Testing
Pressure decay leak testing is widely known for being efficient and accurate, and this test measures pressure drops over a specified amount of time in correlation to an air flow rate.
This leak testing option is relatively easy for helping businesses recognize accept and reject parts, but it doesn’t always pinpoint the exact source of a leak. This means that pressure decay testing isn’t always the best option for large parts that have low leak rates, but there’s absolutely no denying how pressure leak testing is incredibly popular for countless businesses!
Vacuum Decay Leak Testing
Vacuum decay leak testing is somewhat similar to pressure decay testing, except it’ll evacuate air from a part in order to detect leaks. This type of leak testing is particularly useful when it’s possible for leaks to occur from external sources, which commonly include things like pipes, underwater sensors and outdoor electrical housings.
Vacuum decay leak testing is also less susceptible to issues like temperature effects, but it’s important to note that temperature changes and other environmental conditions can still potentially impact these tests within certain scenarios.
Mass Flow Leak Testing
Mass flow leak testing is a great option for applications like tubes or medical catheters, and this is because it measures flow volumes to detect potential blockages or leaks.
This test is known for being highly sensitive, which means it’s not always the best option for detecting very small leaks. The accuracy of these leak test readings also depend highly upon factors like air temperature, flow meters and system pressure readings.
Leak Testing Mistake #3: Lacking Technical Capabilities For Your Leak Tests
Effective leak tests require much more than proper testing technologies and environments, because your leak testing technology must have the proper capabilities to match your company’s unique needs.
Some basic requirements to keep in mind include your leak tester being fully equipped with digital gauges and sensors that provide a minimum of 100 times the resolution with which your unique test measurements require. It’s also important to not only be able to detect leaks, because you also need to pinpoint and filter out any variables that might impact the accuracy of your tests—which includes things like humidity, temperature, volume contaminants and volume differences.
Pairing your company’s applications with the correct type of leak testing technology is absolutely critical for managing the many variables and conditions that potentially impact test speed and accuracy!
Leak Testing Mistake #4: Failing To Take Care of The Test Surroundings
Failing to pay attention to a leak testing environment can often cause things to go horribly wrong.
This can include often overlooked factors like changes in ambient temperature, and this can be difficult to control when your facility is based in an area that experiences rapid temperature fluctuations.
This is why it’s very important for business leaders to pay close attention to their leak test surroundings!
Leak Testing Mistake #5: Improper Connections & Seals
Choosing the correct connectors and seals is another important step within the leak testing process that a lot of businesses neglect, because if you can’t seal a part to your leak tester, you’ll likely end up with erratic test results.
Connectors and seals need to remain firmly in place throughout the course of a leak test cycle, and your leak testing technology should let you know when you’ve achieved proper orientation and seating during the initial preparation stages of your test cycle. This type of indication typically comes from electronic sensors, pressure switches and proximity switches.
Your leak testing seals also need to be durable enough to account for factors like part types, test pressures and necessary test cycles.
Leak Testing Mistake #6: Not Understanding Test Cycle Times
Leak test cycle times depend upon factors like your desired rate of production and the amount of test cycles that you want to finalize within a single production shift. Cycle time is also an incredibly important factor that coincides with leak rate and test pressure, and most businesses want to minimize their test cycles without jeopardizing test reliability.
Depending upon your company’s unique circumstances, it’s possible for cycle times and testing methods to not coincide with your team’s necessary production pace. This could mean that you’ll need to install more leak testing stations in order to maintain the type of efficiency that you’ll ultimately need!
Contact The Zaxis Team To Learn More About Avoiding Common Leak Testing Mistakes!
Zaxis is a worldwide leader in leak testing technologies that has supported companies around the world with top-quality products and services. Our team of specialists has decades of experience supporting companies in the automotive, electronics, medical, industrial, packaging and consumer goods industries with their leak testing applications.
We’ve helped countless businesses in the past, and we’re here to guide you and your team toward a brighter, more efficient future. Reach out to us online or give us a call at 801-264-1000 today to learn more about how we can help optimize your company’s leak testing strategies!
