How to Conduct Effective Drop Tests: A Step by Step Guide

Drop testing is also known as dynamic impact testing, and is crucial for testing how durable and reliable products are. Used in various industry applications, learning how to conduct effective testing is essential for evaluating products during manufacturing.

What is drop testing?

Drop testing is designed to simulate what would happen to a product in a real world environment during its life cycle. Usually tests are conducted where you intentionally drop a product from a predetermined height. This is intended to test potential damage, which is particularly important during shipping and handling, and for overall product quality.

Whether it’s an electronic, consumer good, or a more complex item like an aerospace component, conducting effective drop testing is a key part of ensuring product quality.

Controlling the experiment helps to:

Identify any weakness in the structure of the product - These may not always be detected from other tests such as shock or vibration testing.
Establish the effectiveness of the packaging
Minimise warranty claims

If there is poor packaging or the handling instructions are incorrect, then there could potentially be warranty issues. Testing the packaging and handling limitations correctly could help to identify these.

How to conduct effective drop tests

1. Determine your objectives:

Make sure you are clear on the purposes of the test, specifically what you are trying to evaluate, and what the potential points of failure are.

2. Decide on test parameters:

Drop height
Number of drops
Drop surfaces
Orientations
Temperature

3. Prepare the set up

Construct a fixture for the drop so you can repeat the drop heights at a consistent height level
Prepare a data collection system to accurately record the drop height, and any impact or damage

4. Actually conduct the tests

Make sure this is in a controlled environment and minimise factors that could influence the results. Ensure your procedure is standard, well documented, and consistent each time.

5. Analyse the results

The data analysis will comprise of identifying patterns, trends, and any issues. If there are damaged products, conduct a failure analysis to understand what caused the failure. Finally, produce a comprehensive report of your findings.

6. The iteration phase

The results will tell you what to do next. It may be that you need to modify the product design or packaging and retest, or it may be that there was a failure in your testing methodology that needs to be refined and redone.

At Astech, we understand the critical role of drop testing as well as general product quality assurance in manufacturing. We can assist with manufacturing automation to ensure that your products are robust and reliable. Contact our experts today to learn more.