Manufacturers take millions of leak tests on critical components, however a number of factors affect its positive outcome. A tiny leak in the component can ruin the reputation of a manufacturing company by compromised performance of the product. The product integrity is a fundamental portion of every organisation who wish to offer good quality, reliable and safe products to its clients.
This process of leak detection must not be taken lightly, and the companies should look for expert agencies with right leak detector equipment. Repeatability and reliability of process needs to be considered along with capital expenditures and operating costs, which are all depend upon the usage of a particular test method.
The top mistakes that can hinder successful product leak testing are:
Wrong test-detection method
A wrong leak detection method if used by an organisation can turn out to be disastrous. For instance, the bubble test method has always proven to show false results for leak detection because it is assumed that there are no leaks when the bubble doesn’t notice any bubbles. A sniffer method should be used by industries in such cases to yield better results. The leak rate should be used to determine whether a leak detection method is suitable for a specific application. For instance, the pressure decay method is used to test for leaks in plastic parts.
Temperature-change ignorance
Pressure decay or differential pressure measurement methods of leak detection are affected by temperature fluctuations because they are a manifestation of grave problems.
Especially minor temperature changes can affect the measurable leak rate by considerable numbers. Other factors that affect the size of a leak, include expansion behaviour of the material being tested and its temperature. As a result of this, some industries carry out leak detection tests in climatic chambers.
Use of contaminated parts
An important pre-requisite for a leak detection test is the usage of unused and non-contaminated pieces. The risks of involved in small leaks clogging in components that are filled with water or oil or those already in operation are high because of the contamination.
Industries should ensure that they clean the test piece before conducting a leak test. After you clean it, ensure that you dry the piece to prevent clogging potential leaks in the cleaning fluid.
Testing at a wrong point in a production process
One needs to be aware regarding the choice of the most preferred point in the production process where you want to take a leak test. It is advisable to test individual subcomponents for possible leaks before you assemble the components. For example, you should test the transmission’s tightness before gathering the transmission.
Fluctuating pressure during test
The pressure of the test piece must be the same constantly during leak testing, principally in tracer gas method to be able to determine leak rates reliably and reproducibly. Sometimes an evacuation is carried out before filling the test pieces to enables the tracer gas to reach every possible leak. A proper distribution of the tracer gas is very crucial.
Neglecting system maintenance
If the testing system has not been used for a longer time to measure any leak rates, then it could mean that the quality of production is excellent or the test system is not functional. Industries should ensure that they check on all the inter-connect points, test piece brackets, and hoses to make sure that they are functioning as required.
Doing it yourself
Industrial leak testing is not a trivial task and requires to be taken under expert supervision. It is critically important to analyse various aspects of a certain test performed and choose a correct test method for it.
Conclusion
Selecting the best test method, configuring the test system properly and designing the test process as reliably as possible is an essential part of leak testing. Mikro Innotech Pvt. Ltd. is a leading leak testing organisation in India, providing solutions to the leading manufacturing industries in various sectors. Choose them for error free and reliable testing solutions.
