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Before a product is brought to market, it must be ready to face the demands of the real world. Electronic devices are dropped, shaken, exposed to extreme temperatures, and even submerged in water as part of everyday wear. Design Validation Testing (DVT) replicates these sorts of conditions to identify and address potential issues early, saving time, reducing costs, improving safety, and building more dependable products.
To better understand the critical role DVT plays in product quality, let’s explore its significance in the manufacturing process along with some of the common tests performed during the design validation phase.
10 Common Design Validation Tests for High-Quality Electronics Manufacturing
DVT is vital in the New Product Introduction (NPI) process. It confirms that a product’s design performs as intended and can withstand practical usage conditions. Meticulous testing prevents costly errors, ensuring that products meet customer expectations and industry standards throughout their lifecycle.
DVT also verifies compliance with regulatory requirements, including safety certifications and industry-specific standards. For electronic products, this means complying with industry standards and certifications, such as FCC approvals for wireless devices and safety testing for consumer products. These validations reduce the risk of non-compliance which could lead to expensive and reputation-damaging product recalls.
Additionally, DVT accelerates time-to-market by detecting design flaws quickly during product development. Early validation resolves issues promptly, reducing the need for expensive redesigns and delays—saving money and keeping launch timelines on schedule.
The Role of Design Validation Testing in the Product Development Journey
Design Validation Testing acts as a bridge between the prototyping stage and full-scale production. By identifying potential issues early, DVT helps refine product designs and production tooling, ensuring that molds, dyes, and assembly equipment are optimized before mass production begins. This early validation minimizes the risk of costly production delays or redesigns, saving time and resources while laying a solid foundation for scaling.
DVT plays a critical role in identifying design flaws early, helping manufacturers address potential issues that could lead to defects or performance problems later on. Through targeted testing, manufacturers can catch design inconsistencies or weaknesses before scaling production. By resolving these issues now, DVT reduces the need for costly redesigns or fixes once full-scale manufacturing begins, preventing delays and safeguarding product quality and consistency as production ramps up.
Validating electronic product design through testing is integral to meeting regulatory requirements. Compliance testing—such as safety certifications, electromagnetic interference (EMI) testing, and environmental testing—validates that the product meets regulatory standards, including those set by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), before launch. DVT also reduces warranty claims and boosts customer satisfaction by tackling potential issues early. This proactive approach helps maintain a product’s durability, reliability, and performance downstream, supporting its long-term success in the market.
By ensuring products meet design specifications and regulatory standards, DVT helps manufacturers scale confidently, knowing the product is ready to be produced at volume and meets customer expectations for safety, durability, and performance.
10 Common Design Validation Tests Before Scaling Electronic Product Manufacturing
The specific design validation tests a product will undergo depend on various factors, such as its functionality, intended use, environmental exposure, and regulatory requirements.
A qualified contract manufacturing partner specializing in electronic product manufacturing can offer invaluable guidance on which DVTs are most relevant for your product. They will help assess the specific needs of your product development journey and identify which tests are necessary to determine that your product meets both performance standards and industry regulations.
Below, we’ve listed 10 common design validation tests, though many others may be required based on your product’s unique specifications and regulatory needs.
Drop Testing
Evaluates a product’s resistance to physical impacts by dropping it from various heights to simulate real-life situations where a product might be accidentally dropped or mishandled. This is crucial for testing the product's durability and confirming that it won't malfunction or break under typical consumer use.
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Testing
This vital test for consumer electronics verifies that the wireless communication technologies within a product meet the FCC standards. It ensures the safe operation of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth features, preventing harmful interference with other devices and networks.
Insertion Testing
Assesses the durability of connectors and ports by performing repeated insertion and removal cycles of cables, plugs, or other connectors. The goal of this test is to confirm connectors and ports can withstand the stress of regular use without degradation or failure.
Abrasion Testing
Evaluates a product’s resistance to wear and tear caused by friction or environmental factors such as dirt, dust, or regular handling. This is crucial for products exposed to high physical contact, confirming they will retain their functionality and appearance over time.
Temperature Testing
Subjects a product to both high and low temperatures to determine how well it performs under thermal stress. This is especially important for electronics used across diverse climates, as extreme heat or cold can impact their functionality.
Shock Testing
Checks how well a product can handle sudden, intense forces, like bumps, jolts, or impacts that might happen during shipping or daily use. This test helps verify whether a product can survive these shocks without losing functionality.
Vibration Testing
Exposes a product to continuous vibrations, simulating the conditions it may encounter during transport or operation in vibrating environments. This validation helps verify that the product won’t develop faults due to mechanical stress, making it essential for electronics used in high-movement environments.
Push/Pull Force Testing
Evaluates the strength of components like buttons, ports, and connectors by applying tension to test how well they withstand forceful physical stress. For devices such as remote controls, push/pull force testing guarantees components won’t wear out or fail due to continuous use, preserving the integrity of the product and the user's experience.
Salt Spray Testing
Subjects the product to a corrosive salt spray to simulate coastal air and water exposure. This ensures the product won’t suffer from rust or degradation, maintaining its longevity and reliability in harsh environments. Products like marine electronics, outdoor equipment, and anything else exposed to humid, salty conditions can benefit from this testing.
Waterproofing for IPx7 Ratings
This involves submerging a product in water for a specific period to check its resistance to water penetration. The test verifies the product will survive in wet conditions, such as being briefly submerged or exposed to rain. Assessing waterproof capabilities is vital for electronics frequently used in outdoor or aquatic environments.
How Design Validation Testing Powered Vakaros' Launch of a Sailing Tablet
Vakaros faced significant challenges when developing a sailing tablet to endure harsh marine environments. Sailors' equipment is often exposed to extreme conditions, including saltwater, high temperatures, and intense UV rays. The tablet needed to be resilient against these elements while remaining fully functional navigating in tough sailing conditions.
To tackle these challenges, they partnered with SEACOMP to validate and refine their product design through rigorous testing. Our team evaluated its resistance to saltwater corrosion, tested its performance under extreme temperature shifts, and assessed its durability against surface abrasions through curated DVT tests.
By harnessing SEACOMP’s DVT expertise, Vakaros launched a sailing tablet—the Atlas 2—that delivered reliable performance sailors could count on, even in the demanding conditions of the open sea.
Create Reliable Products at Scale with Design Validation Testing
DVT plays a critical role in NPI by addressing design flaws early to reduce risks, meet regulatory standards, and speed up time-to-market. As production scales, DVT ensures consistent durability and functionality across all units, helping manufacturers maintain reliability and compliance.
At SEACOMP, we integrate DVT into our NPI process, creating a scalable framework that helps your product smoothly transition from prototype to production. You’ll launch with confidence knowing that your product is ready for mass-market success.
