Environmental Reliability Testing for Electronics, Cameras & Lenses

Environmental reliability testing is a suite of controlled stress tests that validate whether your products can withstand real-world conditions including temperature extremes, moisture, dust, vibration, and corrosive environments.

Our San Diego facility provides product reliability testing services for electronics, sensors, enclosures, camera modules, and optical assemblies. From ingress protection testing (IP67 under IEC 60529, IPX9K under ISO 20653) to rapid temperature change and salt spray corrosion, our in-house equipment delivers traceable results with full documentation. Customers are welcome to visit our facility to observe testing in progress.

Environmental reliability testing chambers at Commonlands San Diego facility

Product Reliability Testing Capabilities

Our San Diego testing lab offers environmental reliability testing equipment for validating product durability. From thermal shock testing to ingress protection testing, it supports automotive, industrial, robotics, and consumer electronics applications.

IPX9K High-Pressure Water

Ingress protection test lab rated for 80°C water at 80–100 bar pressure per ISO 20653

IP6X Dust Ingress

Dust-tight validation at our ingress protection test lab per IEC 60529

Thermal Shock Testing

Two-chamber thermal shock testing from -40°C to +85°C with <10 sec transfer

Salt Spray Corrosion

ASTM B117 / ISO 9227 capability, 24–1000+ hours

Vibration Testing

Electrodynamic shaker, 5–2000 Hz range

Xenon UV Exposure

Full-spectrum accelerated weathering

Temperature Cycling

-40°C to +125°C constant temperature chamber

Wear & Hardness Testing

Linear abrasion, plus ASTM D3363 pencil hardness for coating film hardness

Air Tightness Leak Screening

Pressure decay leak screening for end-of-line seal checks, not an IEC 60529 immersion test

Environmental Reliability Testing Process

From initial consultation to final report, our testing lab delivers traceable results. Whether you need thermal shock testing, ingress protection testing, or corrosion evaluation, our process delivers full documentation.

Requirements Review

Define test standards, acceptance criteria, and sample quantities with our engineering team. Specify thermal shock testing parameters, ingress protection test requirements, or other environmental tests.

Baseline Testing

Functional, dimensional, or optical inspection before environmental exposure establishes a performance baseline.

Environmental Exposure

Samples undergo specified test conditions, such as thermal shock, ingress protection, salt spray, or other environmental stresses, with real-time monitoring.

Post-Test Verification

Repeat functional and visual testing to quantify any degradation. Deliver a test report with photos and data.

Product Reliability Testing Quotes

Environmental reliability testing is a paid contract service. Pricing is customized based on your specific requirements:

Test type and standards
Number of samples
Test duration and cycles
Pre/post measurements

We provide detailed quotes with clear pricing and no hidden fees. Facility tours are available to observe equipment and discuss your project in person.

Get a Custom Quote

IPX9K Ingress Protection Testing

The IPX9K designation comes from ISO 20653, the road-vehicle enclosure standard, and the K belongs to that standard alone; a road-vehicle enclosure that is dust-tight and also passes the close-range jet is coded IP6K9K there. IEC 60529 specifies its own close-range jet separately, as IPX9, with no K in the code. Both direct heated liquid water at the enclosure, and neither one sprays steam. Our chamber runs jets at 80°C and up to 100 bar, an exposure that loads seals differently from the still-water immersion behind IP67 rather than sitting above it on one scale.

For electronics and sensors in automotive, agricultural equipment, outdoor robotics, and industrial machinery, IPX9K testing verifies that seals withstand high-pressure, high-temperature water jets representative of industrial cleaning, so moisture ingress failure modes such as corrosion, component failure, and optical fogging can be caught before deployment. ISO 20653:2023 is the current edition and the one we quote against unless your test plan names a different one, and the report states which edition was run. The sample is fixed to a turntable rotating at about 5 revolutions per minute and takes the jet from four elevations, 0, 30, 60, and 90 degrees, for 30 seconds at each. The result applies to the sample as submitted, in the mounting configuration tested, and pass or fail is judged against the acceptance wording of the edition cited in the test plan.

ParameterSpecification
Water Temperature80°C ± 5°C
Water Pressure8–10 MPa (80–100 bar)
Flow Rate14–16 L/min
Nozzle Distance10–15 cm
Spray Duration30 sec per angle
MountingTurntable at approximately 5 r/min, jets at 0, 30, 60, and 90 degrees
AcceptanceJudged per the acceptance wording of the cited edition, for the sample as mounted
StandardsISO 20653:2023 (IP6K9K and IPX9K, road vehicles); IEC 60529 (IPX9), cited separately
IPX9K high-pressure water jet testing chamber

Two-Chamber Thermal Shock Testing

Rapid temperature change reveals weaknesses in assemblies that gradual cycling cannot detect. Our lab transfers samples between -40°C and +85°C air chambers in under 10 seconds, creating differential thermal expansion that stresses solder joints, adhesive bonds, seals, and material interfaces. An air-to-air transfer of this kind is the rapid change-of-temperature procedure of IEC 60068-2-14 Test Na. It is not JEDEC JESD22-A106, the liquid-to-liquid thermal shock method, and JESD22-A104 is temperature cycling rather than shock, so name the method and condition your specification calls for and we will run to it.

Typical failures discovered during thermal shock testing include solder crack propagation, seal compression set, plastic warping, and delamination. For optical components, it also reveals coating separation and cement failure in bonded elements. Our lab can include functional verification before and after exposure, which feeds the data package an automotive customer assembles. AEC documents are written per component class, such as AEC-Q104 for multichip modules, and the qualification itself belongs to the component or module maker rather than to a test house.

ParameterSpecification
Cold Chamber-40°C
Hot Chamber+85°C
Transfer Time<10 seconds
Dwell Time15 min to 2 hr (programmable)
Cycle CountUp to 1000+ cycles
StandardsIEC 60068-2-14 Test Na (rapid change of temperature); JEDEC JESD22-A104 (temperature cycling)

Salt Spray Corrosion Testing

Salt spray testing accelerates corrosion processes to evaluate protective coatings, anodization quality, and material compatibility in marine or road-salt environments. The continuous salt fog environment rapidly reveals coating defects, galvanic corrosion, and substrate degradation.

This test is essential for automotive exterior components, outdoor enclosures, and any products deployed in coastal or winter road environments. We evaluate samples at intervals throughout the test duration and document progression with photography.

ParameterSpecification
Salt Solution5% NaCl (sodium chloride)
Chamber Temperature35°C ± 2°C
Exposure Duration24 to 1000+ hours
Spray ModeContinuous fog
StandardsASTM B117, ISO 9227

IP6X Dust Ingress Protection Testing

IP6X dust ingress protection testing checks that dust cannot enter an enclosure. IEC 60529 sets the conditions by enclosure category: a category 1 enclosure, whose duty cycle draws air inward, is tested inside the dust chamber with a vacuum applied to it, while a category 2 enclosure is tested in the same chamber without extraction. We run the clause that matches your enclosure category rather than a fixed house recipe.

Ingress protection testing for dust matters for electronics deployed in dusty industrial environments, construction sites, agricultural applications, and desert climates. IP6X passes only when no dust has entered the enclosure, judged against the acceptance wording of the standard for the category tested.

ParameterSpecification
Test MediumTalcum powder per IEC 60529
Exposure DurationPer the IEC 60529 clause for the category, up to 8 hours
Pressure DifferentialVacuum applied for category 1 enclosures; none for category 2
Pass CriteriaNo dust ingress, judged per IEC 60529
StandardsIEC 60529 (IP6X)
IP6X dust ingress testing chamber

Vibration Testing

Vibration testing evaluates mechanical durability under simulated transportation and operational conditions. Our electrodynamic shaker system supports both sinusoidal sweep and random vibration profiles to replicate automotive, shipping, and industrial vibration environments. Sinusoidal sweeps follow IEC 60068-2-6. Broadband random profiles follow IEC 60068-2-64, the separate standard for random excitation.

Testing reveals resonant frequencies, mechanical fatigue, connector reliability, and mounting integrity. For optical components, vibration can cause element decentration, focus shift, or coating damage that degrades image quality.

ParameterSpecification
Frequency Range5–2000 Hz
Vibration TypeSine sweep, random
AxesThree-axis (sequential)
Shaker TypeElectrodynamic
StandardsIEC 60068-2-6 (sine), IEC 60068-2-64 (random), MIL-STD-810 Method 514

Xenon Arc UV Exposure Testing

Xenon arc weathering accelerates the effects of sunlight exposure on plastics, coatings, and adhesives. The full-spectrum xenon lamp closely simulates natural sunlight including UV-A and UV-B wavelengths that cause material degradation.

Testing reveals yellowing, chalking, cracking, and adhesion loss in housing materials and optical coatings. Combined with humidity and temperature cycling, xenon exposure compresses the timeline, but accelerated weathering has no universal conversion to outdoor years. The factor depends on the filter set, irradiance, spectral match, the temperature and humidity cycle, the material, and the failure mode. Reading test hours as service years takes a correlation established for your material against field or reference data.

ParameterSpecification
Light SourceXenon arc lamp
SpectrumFull spectrum (UV-A, UV-B, visible)
Temperature ControlYes
Humidity ControlYes
StandardsASTM G155, ISO 4892-2

Temperature Cycling & Constant Temperature

Temperature cycling and soak testing validates product performance across the full operating temperature range. Unlike thermal shock, temperature cycling uses controlled ramp rates that allow thermal equilibration, revealing different failure modes related to material property changes.

Extended high-temperature soak accelerates outgassing, adhesive curing, and seal aging. Low-temperature testing validates operation with stiffened seals and thermally-contracted materials. For optics, we measure focus shift across the temperature range.

ParameterSpecification
Temperature Range-40°C to +125°C
Ramp RateProgrammable
Soak Duration1 to 1000+ hours
Chamber TypeSingle-zone environmental
StandardsIEC 60068-2-1, IEC 60068-2-2
Environmental temperature test chamber

Environmental Reliability Testing Equipment

Our San Diego testing lab houses environmental test equipment including thermal shock testing chambers, ingress protection test systems, and optical metrology. Schedule a tour to see our capabilities firsthand.

IPX9K Chamber

Ingress protection test lab: high-pressure water jet per ISO 20653

Dust Chamber

Ingress protection test lab: IP6X dust-tight per IEC 60529

Thermal Shock Chamber

Thermal shock testing: two-chamber hot-cold transfer

Temperature Chamber

-40°C to +125°C constant temperature chamber

Salt Spray Cabinet

Corrosion cabinet: ASTM B117 / ISO 9227

Vibration Table

Vibration table: electrodynamic 5–2000 Hz

Xenon UV Chamber

UV chamber: accelerated weathering

Wear & Hardness

Linear abrasion rig; ASTM D3363 pencil hardness for film hardness

Air Tightness Tester

Pressure decay leak screen; IPX7 immersion is a separate test

Trioptics HR2

Optical bench: MTF measurement

eSFR Test Station

ISO 12233 resolution testing

Colorimetry Setup

VIS / 850nm / 940nm testing

Dynamic Range

Stepped density target testing

Stray Light Bench

Ghost and flare analysis testing

Want to see our equipment in action?

Discuss Your Requirements

Test Standards We Support

Testing performed to international and industry-specific standards with full documentation.

IP / Ingress Protection

  • IEC 60529 (IP ratings)
  • ISO 20653 (IPX9K automotive)
  • DIN 40050-9 (superseded by ISO 20653)

Thermal Testing

  • IEC 60068-2-14 Test Na (rapid temperature change)
  • JEDEC JESD22-A104 (temperature cycling)
  • IEC 60068-2-1 (cold)
  • IEC 60068-2-2 (dry heat)

Corrosion Testing

  • ASTM B117 (salt spray)
  • ISO 9227 (salt spray)

Vibration Testing

  • MIL-STD-810 Method 514
  • IEC 60068-2-6 (sinusoidal)
  • IEC 60068-2-64 (random)

UV / Weathering

  • ASTM G155 (xenon arc)
  • ISO 4892-2 (xenon arc)

Image Quality

  • ISO 12233 (resolution)
  • IEEE P1858 (camera phone)
  • ISO 8980-5 (abrasion)

Why Choose Commonlands for Product Reliability Testing?

Our lab offers transparent pricing, specialized camera and lens expertise, and environmental test capabilities including thermal shock testing and ingress protection testing.

Visit Our Testing Lab

Schedule a tour to see our thermal shock testing chambers, ingress protection test equipment, and other environmental test systems in action. We welcome customers to our lab to observe testing and build confidence in our capabilities.

Camera & Lens Expertise

Our lab specializes in cameras and lenses with MTF, resolution, and image quality verification before and after environmental exposure.

Traceable Results

Test reports from our lab with documented procedures, calibrated equipment certificates, and traceable results per your required standards.

Transparent Pricing

Custom quotes from our lab based on your requirements. Clear pricing with no hidden fees. Know exactly what you're paying for.

Environmental Reliability Testing FAQ

Common questions about our services including thermal shock testing, ingress protection testing, and other environmental reliability tests for electronics, cameras, and lenses.

What is the difference between IP67 and IPX9K ingress protection testing?
IP67 ingress protection testing verifies dust-tight sealing (6) and protection against temporary immersion in water up to 1 meter for 30 minutes (7) under IEC 60529. The IPX9K designation comes from ISO 20653, the road-vehicle standard, while IEC 60529 defines its own close-range jet as IPX9. Both use heated liquid water rather than steam. Our lab runs the jets at 80°C and 8–10 MPa (80–100 bar), the exposure behind industrial pressure washing. A part can pass IP67 and fail IPX9K, or the reverse, because jets and immersion are different exposure types rather than steps on one ladder.
What temperature range does your thermal shock testing cover?
Our lab performs thermal shock testing from -40°C to +85°C for standard automotive applications, with extended-range capability for military and aerospace requirements. Transfer times between chambers are under 10 seconds. The procedure is the air-to-air rapid change of temperature of IEC 60068-2-14 Test Na; JEDEC JESD22-A106 is the liquid-to-liquid thermal shock method and JESD22-A104 is temperature cycling, so name the method and condition your specification calls for. The -40°C to +85°C span is the range many automotive programs ask for, though AEC qualification documents are component-class specific, such as AEC-Q104 for multichip modules, and the qualification belongs to the component maker rather than to a temperature range. The exposure drives rapid temperature transitions that can cause optical element delamination, coating failure, or mechanical stress fractures in lens assemblies.
How long does salt spray corrosion testing take?
Salt spray testing duration depends on your specification requirements. Standard automotive tests typically run 24–96 hours for initial qualification, while extended durability tests may run 240–1000+ hours. Testing follows ASTM B117 or ISO 9227 standards using 5% NaCl solution at 35°C with continuous spray exposure. Our lab evaluates samples at specified intervals for coating adhesion, surface corrosion, and seal integrity.
What standards do your environmental reliability tests follow?
Our lab performs environmental reliability testing per IEC 60529 for ingress protection testing and IP ratings, ISO 20653 for automotive IPX9K, MIL-STD-810H for military specifications, ASTM B117 and ISO 9227 for salt spray, IEC 60068-2-14 Test Na for rapid change of temperature, and various automotive OEM specifications. We provide full test reports with pass/fail criteria documentation per your required standards, including calibration certificates for our equipment.
Can you test optical performance before and after environmental exposure?
Yes. For optical components such as camera lenses and imaging modules, we offer MTF (Modulation Transfer Function) testing before and after environmental exposure using our Trioptics HR2 equipment. This quantifies resolution and contrast degradation from environmental stress, measured at on-axis and off-axis field positions across multiple spatial frequencies. This specialized capability is particularly valuable for automotive camera, robotics, and machine vision applications where image quality is critical.
What sample quantities are needed for testing?
Sample quantities depend on your test plan and statistical requirements. For development testing, 3–5 samples per test condition is typical. For qualification to automotive or military standards, sample sizes may be specified in the standard (often 10–22 samples). We can advise on sample planning during the requirements review phase. Keep in mind that environmental testing is often destructive or degrades samples, so plan for sufficient quantities.

Start Your Environmental Reliability Testing

Our lab offers thermal shock testing, ingress protection testing, and environmental reliability testing as a paid service. Contact our engineering team to discuss your project at our San Diego facility.

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