Thermal shock testing

Find potential design and production faults within a product that would be caused by expansion and contractions of parts and components due to temperature variations. When done in the development phase of a product it will be cost effective while improving its durability and robustness, and help you deliver a more reliable end product and can help maintain compliance.

At Nemko, we have extensive experience for performing thermal shock testing.

Thermal shock testing exposes your products to two extreme air temperatures with a rapid transition between. Such exposure will test the expansion rates of parts and components, the bonding strength of various materials. Repeated exposure can lead to material fatigue, weaken of bonds, cracks, ruptures, peeling of coating.

Thermal shock testing is used commonly to evaluate and check the following:

• Evaluate PCB mounting reliability after a change in lead-free solder or another connection material
• Evaluate reliability after a change in mounting format such as BGA or CSP
• Evaluate connection resistance by connector temperature variation
• Check for cracks by thermal deformation of molded plastic parts
• Check for cracking, peeling or seal leaks in bonded materials
• Evaluate combinations of different material types such as plastic with inserted nuts
• Screen processes before product shipment

During thermal shock testing it is possible to change temperatures at rate of more than 100°C in seconds. The test chamber’s extreme temperatures can range from -80°C to +200°C. It is essential to set up testing using the proper conditions, including choosing the correct maximum and minimum temperatures, to avoid invalid results.

Nemko uses both single and multiple chamber to perform the thermal shock tests, depending on the size of the product. Small and medium sized products are tested in multiple chambers, with separate hot and cold chambers and an elevator between them, which results in more rapid rate of temperature changes.