Environmental testing services

Demonstrate that your products have the quality to withstand extreme conditions.

What is environmental testing?

Environmental testing simulates the various climatic conditions and mechanical stresses to which products are exposed during their lifetime. Under these controlled environmental conditions, it is to be shown that your products have the build quality to perform perfectly in all conditions. The environmental tests evaluate the performance, durability and reliability of your products, materials or systems. Environmental testing covers conditions such as temperature, humidity, vibration, shock and altitude.

TÜV SÜD's environmental testing services help you uncover weaknesses in your product's design or performance that may occur in service, particularly at extreme levels. We support you in demonstrating compliance of your products with international regulations, making it easier to access global markets.

Why environmental testing is important

Environmental tests demonstrate that your products have the build quality to work perfectly, no matter what the climatic or mechanical conditions are. Through thorough environmental testing, you can identify possible design or performance weaknesses and initiate product design improvements at an early stage.

Furthermore, to access global markets, you need to ensure product compliance according to international regulations and standards. These standards may vary across markets, making it a challenge to adhere to relevant regulations in every business relevant market.

When you work with us as your reliable partner, we can support you in identifying the right regulations to get access to your desired market easily and quickly. By demonstrating compliance to safety and quality standards you can also increase consumer satisfaction and trust in your products.

How TÜV SÜD can help you with environmental testing

With TÜV SÜD as your partner, you can be confident that your testing needs are covered, no matter how complex your product is or to which industry sector it belongs. In our globally accredited environmental testing laboratories (DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025), we thoroughly test your components, technical equipment and products under extreme environmental conditions for their fitness for use. Our facilities can simulate either single or multiple environmental conditions simultaneously. Every effort has been made to make the testing process easier for our customers with 60 Hz, 400 Hz, 415 V and generator fed outlets available throughout the laboratory.

We monitor the tests continuously through independent computer-controlled data collection systems. During the test phases, we ensure proper storage and handling of your test samples to prevent contamination or degradation.

Our climatic chambers cover the extremes of temperature, altitude, humidity, temperature cycling, solar heating and corrosive atmospheres which are monitored continuously. Our climatic chambers can fit items up to 6 m x 5 m x 4 m with a temperature range of -65 ⁰C to +200 ⁰C and a rate of change of up to 10 ⁰C per minute. Our chambers are capable of controlling humidity between 5 % and saturation.

Our vibration shakers produce a range of profiles including sinusoidal, random, sine on random, gunfire and bump among others. We control and monitor them using state-of-the-art equipment and software.

Using our global laboratory network and expertise, we can offer you simultaneous environmental testing, utilising synergies to minimise set-up times and eliminate the need to switch between chambers for different tests. This allows us to optimise test schedules and to include complex or specialised tests.

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What our environmental testing services include

We provide a comprehensive range of environmental testing services during design and development to ensure compliance with relevant standards and regulations.

Types of tests	Test description
Climatic testing	These tests simulate the environments and conditions encountered by a product throughout its lifecycle that may affect its performance, to test that the product can perform satisfactorily in its intended environments and even under extreme conditions. TÜV SÜD’s climatic tests cover temperature, humidity, overpressure, thermal shock, water resistance, ice-water shock and other climatic influences. Our facilities help us to meet the requirements of international standards and regulations including MIL STD 810, DEF STAN 00-35, RTCA DO160, BS EN 60068 and more.
Corrosion testing	We offer various tests to evaluate the resistance of materials and coatings to corrosion and to assess their suitability for use in specific environments. These tests include salt-spray testing, harmful gas testing, humidity testing and accelerated corrosion testing.
Vibration testing	We offer vibration testing for all types of technical products, including laser vibrometry. Our vibration tests are run under thermal and climatic stress conditions.
Shock testing	We evaluate how your products respond to sudden shocks or impacts, such as those experienced during shipping or handling. This includes transport simulation testing and stone impact testing.
Chemical resistance testing	Our chemical resistance testing services assess how your products withstand exposure to various chemicals, such as solvents, cleaners and industrial fluids.
Ingress protection (IP) testing	We assess the protection provided by enclosures for electrical or electronic equipment against ingress of foreign matters (such as dust and debris) and moisture (such as water and other liquids). This includes dust chamber testing, water ingress testing, mechanical shock testing and temperature cycling testing.
Accelerated aging testing	This form of testing simulates the effects of long-term exposure to environmental factors over a shorter period, allowing manufacturers to predict product lifespan and durability.
Highly Accelerated Life Testing (HALT) and Highly Accelerated Stress Screening (HASS) testing	Our HALT testing services focus on uncovering design weaknesses early in the development process, while the HASS tests screen out manufacturing defects to ensure that only products meeting quality standards are delivered to customers.

How environmental testing applies to different industries

Environmental testing for consumer products and retail

Consumer products such as appliances, outdoor equipment, and packaging materials are often used in extreme climatic conditions and under mechanical stress. Manufacturers have the responsibility to ensure that those products can maintain their quality under tough conditions. Our environmental testing services support you by putting your product through stringent tests and identifying any weaknesses that your business can then remedy.

Environmental testing for manufacturing

Industrial manufacturers need to ensure that their products and components can withstand various environmental conditions to be safe and to comply with international regulations. This requires certifications that validate their reliability and market readiness.

Environmental testing for automotive

Environmental testing of automotive components and vehicles measures their resistance to extreme temperature, humidity, vibration and other environmental factors to ensure reliability and durability. Especially, vehicle batteries need to be carefully tested for a variety of conditions such as heat, cold, corrosion and vibrations.

Environmental testing for rail

Environmental testing is crucial for the rail industry to ensure the safety, reliability and performance of railway equipment and infrastructure under various environmental conditions. This will enhance the overall efficiency and sustainability of the rail industry.

Environmental testing for medical devices

Medical devices and equipment need to withstand sterilisation processes, temperature variations and other environmental factors. Environmental testing is necessary to ensure their safety and effectiveness.

Environmental testing for energy and power systems

Environmental tests for equipment used in the energy sector, such as solar panels, wind turbines and batteries, is vital to ensure performance and durability in various environmental conditions.