The role vibration and shock play in product malfunction or failure is often underestimated. Most manufacturers aim to protect their products from structural damage; while damage caused to components or sub-assemblies may not be visible, it can drastically affect the performance of a product or system over time.
Mechanical testing is crucial to the manufacturing process. Regardless of the product or its intended use, mechanical testing offers valuable insights that help designers and engineers refine prototypes while also providing a deep understanding of the product’s performance, typical maintenance requirements, and failure rate.
Shock and vibration testing is a crucial part of the mechanical testing process, optimizing product performance, assessing durability and contributing to the longevity and overall effectiveness of a product.
While adequate testing is essential for any product, it is especially important to ensure product safety for industries like oil and gas, transportation, energy, and aerospace. By identifying unforeseen failure potentials in post-production, testing mechanical components provides essential data to enhance the safe use of products.
Shock and vibration can lead to a variety of mechanical malfunctions, either permanent or temporary. They can also create weaknesses that don't immediately affect the product but will later prevent it from functioning properly under stress; for example, vibration can cause unwanted noise or resonances which make a product unusable. These issues can often be fixed with small modifications to the design in the development stages.
Shock and vibration testing systems are crucial for optimizing product performance. By understanding how products respond to different vibration levels, manufacturers can make informed design adjustments. This process leads to the development of high-quality products that perform reliably under various conditions.
Manufactured products encounter various environments during their service life that can degrade their integrity and eventually cause them to break down. During development, products must be tested for real-world conditions like shock, vibration, and temperature to ensure they can function correctly and meet performance requirements. Ultimately, products must be engineered to withstand the environmental stresses they will encounter in their intended use.
Manufacturers can identify potential design issues early by conducting vibration qualification testing. This improves the overall performance of products and leads to better product quality, increased reliability, reduced costs, and enhanced customer satisfaction.
More specifically, shock and vibration testing can provide engineers with deeper insights into various aspects of product development, including:
In today’s competitive market, ensuring product performance and reliability is crucial to maintaining customer satisfaction and brand reputation.
Imagine launching a highly-anticipated, high-end refrigerator model only to receive complaints about faulty components within weeks of its release. This situation not only results in costly recalls but can also tarnish your brand's reputation.
Conducting different types of tests, such as stress testing, durability testing, or functional testing, allows businesses to detect issues and make improvements before products reach the market.
By understanding the potential weaknesses and stresses your products might face, you can fix these issues before they reach your customers. This saves your company from costly recalls and repairs while also boosting customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Partnering with a reputable and reliable mechanical testing laboratory is crucial. Contact us today to discover how Nemko can help optimize your product development and enhance performance, making it possible for you to bring a better product to market more quickly.
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