Environmental Testing for Electronics & Embedded Devices
Measured impact on environmental reliability
Environmental reliability should be measured against the conditions the product is expected to meet. Useful indicators include pass/fail results at defined exposure levels, functional drift during testing, the point at which damage occurs, repeat failures across samples, and successful verification after design changes.
This gives development teams evidence for risk mitigation rather than a simple record that a test was performed. It can also reduce the risk of product failures, costly redesigns, and recalls after market release.
How we qualify electronics for harsh environments
Environmental testing starts with the intended use case, not with a generic chamber profile. We define the stresses the equipment can realistically encounter and then use that profile to plan engineering tests and formal qualification.
Build the environmental profile
- We translate operational, transport, and storage conditions into defined temperature, humidity, pressure, vibration, corrosion, and exposure requirements.
- We evaluate sensitive components, materials, enclosure design, connectors, seals, coatings, power electronics, and battery systems against the expected conditions.
- We select relevant standards and test methods based on the product, industry, customer requirements, and purpose of the test.
Pre-qualify and support formal testing
- In-house engineering tests help identify weak points during the development phase, when design changes are still practical and less costly.
- Failed tests are analyzed so the physical mechanism can be corrected before the next test cycle.
- When accredited testing is required, we help define the test plan, prepare the equipment, and support the formal campaign at the selected facility.
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What defines an environment-ready design
Environmental resistance depends on more than passing one chamber test. A defensible qualification case connects realistic environmental conditions, design margins, documented test results, and manufacturing controls.
Testing should simulate the challenging conditions the device will experience in service, transport, or storage. The profile must reflect actual temperature, humidity, altitude, corrosion, vibration, and operating states rather than arbitrary extremes.
Pre-compliance testing checks whether the design is likely to meet relevant standards before certification testing begins. Finding weaknesses earlier gives engineers time to correct them without repeating an expensive formal qualification process.
A qualified design also needs a manufacturing process capable of reproducing its environmental resistance. Materials, sealing, assembly quality, component substitutions, inspection, and process control can all affect the performance of production units.
In-house scope vs. accredited laboratory
Environmental qualification often combines engineering work performed during product development with formal testing performed by an accredited laboratory. The right split depends on certification requirements, customer specifications, test purpose, and the evidence required.
What InTechHouse does in-house
What an accredited laboratory does
Environmental test types and the standards that define them
Environmental test selection depends on the device and its intended conditions. IEC 60068 provides methods and severities for environmental testing and supports tailoring a test specification to expected transport, storage, and operational use.
Operation, storage, and material behavior under dry heat. IEC 60068-2-2:2025 defines dry-heat methods for heat-dissipating and non-heat-dissipating equipment (IEC, 2025).
Function and resistance under cold operating or storage conditions. IEC 60068-2-1:2025 covers cold testing (IEC, 2025).
Effects caused by repeated or rapid temperature changes, including expansion and contraction. IEC 60068-2-14:2023 covers change-of-temperature tests (IEC, 2023).
Resistance to sustained high humidity without condensation. IEC 60068-2-78:2025 defines the method (IEC, 2025).
Effects of humidity combined with cyclic temperature changes and condensation. IEC 60068-2-30:2025 covers this test (IEC, 2025).
Corrosion resistance of components, equipment, coatings, and materials exposed to saline conditions. IEC 60068-2-11:2021 and IEC 60068-2-52:2017 cover salt mist methods (IEC, 2021; IEC, 2017).
Function during transport, storage, or use at reduced air pressure. IEC 60068-2-13:2021 defines low-pressure test methods (IEC, 2021).
Controlled environmental stresses used to expose latent manufacturing and workmanship defects. Temperature cycling and random vibration are common ESS stimuli.
Typical failure modes and the design fixes that prevent them
Environmental tests are most useful when a failed result can be linked to a physical mechanism and a concrete design correction.
Symptom on test: intermittent function or an open circuit appears after temperature cycling.
Physical mechanism: repeated thermal expansion and contraction create mechanical strain in solder joints, vias, connectors, or interfaces between different materials.
Design fix: adjust PCB layout, mechanical support, materials, solder-joint geometry, or component mounting and repeat the relevant cycling test.
Symptom on test: current leakage, sensor errors, corrosion, or unstable function appears during humidity exposure.
Physical mechanism: moisture reaches sensitive conductors or components through inadequate sealing, condensation, contamination, or insufficient coating.
Design fix: improve enclosure sealing, drainage, conformal coating, PCB spacing, contamination control, or moisture protection.
Symptom on test: contacts, fasteners, coatings, or conductive surfaces show corrosion or increased resistance.
Physical mechanism: saline exposure attacks unsuitable materials or weak points in protective finishes.
Design fix: change materials, coatings, plating, sealing, drainage, or galvanic material combinations according to the identified corrosion mechanism.
Symptom on test: the device does not start, resets, loses capacity, or moves outside its performance specification at temperature extremes.
Physical mechanism: component characteristics, battery behavior, timing, power margins, lubrication, mechanical fit, or thermal management change with temperature.
Design fix: select components for the required range, revise power and thermal margins, and verify operation at the defined extremes.
Use Cases
We design and develop embedded systems for UAV platforms, integrating sensors, communication modules, and control logic for real-time operation. Our solutions are engineered for mission-critical environments, ensuring reliable performance, low latency, and seamless system integration. Each design supports stable operation under dynamic conditions while maintaining data integrity and operational efficiency.
We design and develop firmware for industrial equipment, enabling reliable communication, data acquisition, and system control under real operating conditions. We focus on robustness, real-time performance, and seamless integration with hardware and higher-level systems. Each implementation provides stability, scalability, and long-term maintainability in demanding industrial environments. We als optimize for resource efficiency and compliance with industry protocols.
We design and develop firmware for subsea systems focusing on predictable real-time operation, fault tolerance, and robust communication in harsh underwater environments. Each implementation allows consistent performance under pressure, limited accessibility, and long-term deployment conditions. We also support integration with monitoring and diagnostic systems to enable remote operation and maintenance.
We design and implement advanced embedded software for imaging systems, including real-time processing, camera control, and data integration. Our solutions are optimized for high performance, low latency, and seamless interaction with hardware components. Each implementation ensures stable operation, high data throughput, and reliable system behavior. We also support integration with higher-level systems and data pipelines for end-to-end functionality.
Industries We Serve
Our engineering capabilities are deployed across regulated, mission-critical and industrial sectors.
Subsea electronics, downhole systems and harsh-environment hardware for offshore and onshore operations.
Mission-critical embedded systems and real-time firmware for UAV platforms and defence electronics.
Real-time embedded firmware for gas detection, environmental sensing and worker alert systems.
Embedded systems and real-time firmware for industrial automation,
machine control and IoT data acquisition.
Technologies we use
The exact equipment and chamber capacity depend on the DUT, exposure profile, required standard, and available test facility. Our expertise focuses on defining the right test conditions, monitoring device function, interpreting failures, and converting results into design changes.
FAQs
If you have additional questions or would like to discuss your requirements, feel free to get in touch with our team.
Environmental testing for electronics evaluates whether hardware can operate, survive, or remain within specification when exposed to defined environmental conditions. These can include temperature, humidity, thermal cycling, salt mist, low pressure, vibration, shock, and combinations of stresses.
The scope depends on the product and its use case. Common tests include high and low temperature, temperature cycling, thermal shock, damp heat, salt mist, altitude or low pressure, vibration, and environmental stress screening.
IEC 60068 is a series of environmental testing standards for electrotechnical products and other equipment. It provides test methods, severities, atmospheric conditions, and guidance for selecting tests based on expected transportation, storage, and operational conditions.
There is no universal thermal-cycling duration. Test time depends on the required temperature extremes, rate of change, stabilization or dwell time, specimen behavior, and number of cycles specified by the applicable method or product requirement.
IEC 60068-2-14:2023 defines change-of-temperature test methods and associated severities rather than one duration for every product (IEC, 2023).
ESS is a screening process that applies controlled environmental stresses to electronic equipment to expose latent defects associated with workmanship, manufacturing variation, or marginal parts. Temperature cycling and random vibration are among the commonly used stimuli.
Both ESS and HASS are used to expose latent production defects, but HASS uses a highly accelerated screening profile typically derived using knowledge gained during HALT. Its stresses may exceed normal product specification limits while remaining controlled to avoid unacceptable life consumption.
IEC 60068-2-14:2023 is a key international standard for change-of-temperature testing of components and equipment (IEC, 2023). The required standard can differ for automotive, aerospace, military, medical, or customer-specific applications.
The test program should be based on actual environmental exposure, failure risk, applicable standards, customer requirements, and the product’s intended use. Engineers first define the conditions the device must meet, then select tests and severities that represent those conditions without adding unnecessary testing and costs.
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