Countless manufacturing businesses rely upon high-quality leak testing to protect their devices and safeguard their customer satisfaction, and there are two popular leak test method options to choose from: pressure decay and vacuum decay leak testing.
Both options offer their own unique pros and cons that business leaders should know about, and it’s now becoming essential for manufacturers to understand the Difference between vacuum and pressure decay leak testing more than ever before.
Below we’re providing a comprehensive overview detailing the advantages and limitations associated with both pressure decay and vacuum decay leak testing, which will give your business a better understanding as to which option is best for your unique needs!
Understanding The Fundamentals of Pressure Decay Leak Testing
Pressure decay leak testing involves pressurizing a product or component with a gas or dry air, and then monitoring the internal pressure decreases over a pre-established test period.
If a pressure drop is indicated during the test period, it’s a sign that the product has a leak. Pressure decay testing also helps businesses by determining specific leak rates as well.
Common Advantages of Pressure Decay Leak Testing
There are many advantages of utilizing pressure decay leak testing during manufacturing, including the following:
- Ease Of Use & Simplicity: Businesses love pressure decay leak testing because it’s relatively easy to use and offers compact testing equipment that isn’t too complex for manufacturing teams to learn.
- Cost-Effective: Pressure decay testing is also known for being cost-effective and affordable for manufacturers to operate. There are no expensive operational costs or necessary equipment involved with this leak testing, so it’s a great option for small and medium-sized businesses.
- Dry Testing: Pressure decay leak testing is known as a dry method, which means that businesses won’t need to dry components and products after the leak testing has completed.
Common Disadvantages of Pressure Decay Leak Testing
There are also some limitations associated with pressure decay leak testing that business teams should know about, including:
- Minimal Sensitivity: Pressure decay testing is known for a relatively low sensitivity rating, which makes it a less optimal option for detecting very small leaks.
- Prolonged Stabilization: Pressure decay leak testing also requires enough time for the internal pressure of a product to stabilize, which slows down the testing process and makes the testing period more time-consuming for large components.
- Environmental Testing Issues: Pressure decay leak testing is also susceptible to temperature changes and other environmental changes during the testing period. This can sometimes lead to false readings and inaccurate results.
- Inability To Pinpoint Leak Location: Although pressure decay testing is great at detecting the general presence of product leaks, it can’t let manufacturing teams know where the leaks are precisely located.
Understanding The Fundamentals of Vacuum Decay Leak Testing
Vacuum decay leak testing is another very popular method for countless manufacturing teams, and it essentially utilizes the exact opposite principle in comparison to pressure decay testing.
In vacuum decay testing, the device/component is evacuated of air using a high-pressure vacuum. The tested part is then measured for any pressure increases during the testing period, which would subsequently indicate the presence of a leak.
Common Advantages of Vacuum Decay Leak Testing
There are many different advantages associated with vacuum decay leak testing, including:
- Less Environmental Testing Issues: Because the external atmosphere pressure will be greater than the internal testing pressure, this leak testing method isn’t potentially impacted by temperature changes and other environmental issues around the testing area—which can lead to more reliable test results.
- Improved Test Results For Thin Parts & Components: This leak testing method is also a more suitable option for components and parts that won’t collapse when imposed by vacuum conditions. Vacuum decay testing ends up stressing the tested component in a way that’s more realistic to its operational environment.
- Better Sensitivity: Although the sensitivity associated with vacuum decay testing is similar to pressure decay leak testing, it’s widely known that vacuum decay offers more accurate results due to not being quite as sensitive to external influences.
Common Disadvantages of Vacuum Decay Leak Testing
There are also some limitations connected to vacuum decay leak testing that business teams need to understand, including:
- Liquid Evaporation & Surface Out-Gassing: Vacuum decay testing can sometimes be detrimentally impacted by liquid evaporation and surface out-gassing. Even slight humidity traces can increase a tested product’s internal pressure, which could lead to false readings and test results.
- Pressure Difference Limitations: When a product or component’s operating pressure exceeds a certain amount, it won’t be reliably tested using vacuum decay testing.
- Abnormal Stress Directions: Your products will be leak tested in the exact opposite direction to its usual operational conditions, and this can cause existing leaks to contract—as opposed to open. This leads to inaccurate leak testing results.
How Your Business Can Choose Between Pressure Decay & Vacuum Decay Leak Testing
There are several factors that should determine which leak testing method your business chooses, including:
- Your leak testing sensitivity requirements
- Your manufacturing facility’s environmental conditions
- Your unique component characteristics
- Your product’s operational considerations
Reach Out To Zaxis, Inc. To Learn More About The Difference Between Vacuum And Pressure Decay Leak Testing!
Every business has unique leak testing needs and requirements, so it’s normal if you’re a bit confused about what your best test methods are.
Although we’ve detailed some important information that you should know about the differences between vacuum and pressure decay leak testing, there’s still so much that might only apply to your unique manufacturing processes. That’s why it’s typically best to collaborate with experienced leak testing specialists when making these types of investment decisions.
One of the top-rated leak testing companies in America is Utah-based Zaxis, Inc., and you can speak directly with their industry experts today when you check out their website by going to the link located at the top of this article!
