Sciemetric

Why is my leak rate repeatability so poor?

Ron Pawulski - Account Manager

Contributed by: Ron Pawulski - Account Manager

In a follow-up to our “How to conduct a leak test trial you can stake your job on” post, the topic today is one of the most overlooked causes of poor repeatability in leak test results.

Achieving leak rate repeatability is a common challenge with leak testing. Changes in test results can cause a customer to mistrust their leak test and even lead an operator to throw out test results altogether.

In that previous post, we addressed some of the key variables that must be managed to ensure a reliable and consistent leak test. A number of factors can cause poor repeatability. Many of these are external, such as temperature changes, poor fixturing, and damage to connection points and plugs. There are also internal factors, such as the condition of the part as well as its internal makeup and structure.

But one of the most overlooked causes is poor control of test pressure. 

The key is ensuring consistent test pressure 

Variances in pressure that could impact your test cycle can be caused by anything from someone stepping on a hose or pinching it under a box, to a faulty coupling. Another common cause is the test station being starved because its source of compressed air is shared with another station.

To achieve repeatability from test to test, it is very important that test pressure be the same every time. Even slight changes in pressure can lead you to have wildly different results when nothing else about the part has changed.

How can you ensure consistent test pressure? By equipping the leak test station with the software and smart sensors that can constantly monitor and adjust the pressure to compensate for any variations.

Our 3520 Series Leak Tester can regulate test pressure to a millionth of a psi, ensuring that every test is run at exactly the same pressure. This eliminates variation and helps build trust in the results of your leak test.

Click here to view the short video from our Ask The Experts series of Ron explaining the answer.

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