Why do not you try dry Leak test!. Pressurize casting with shop air and monitor decreasing in pressure inside casting over a period of time. If you interested in, I can give more details. Regards, Mohammed A. Al-Ajaji MFG Engineer Advanced Electronics Company e-mail [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> -----Original Message----- From: bbarr [SMTP:[log in to unmask]] Sent: Friday, February 16, 2001 8:12 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: [TN] Method of Leak Testing We do something similar to what Bill is describing. We have an aluminum enclosure that contains 4 disk drives. It is a hermetic sealed enclosure (airborne application - apparently disk drives stop functioning around 15,000 feet in an unpressurized environment.) To check that the box is not leaking around the covers or connectors, we pressurized the box to 4 psi and immerse it to look for air bubbles. We do not use water, however. If water got into the box it would ruin the drives. We immerse it in Fluorinert which will not affect electronics should it leak into the box. In fact, we perform pre-potting tests on high voltage power supplies while they are immersed in Fluorinert to prevent arcing. Yes, Fluorinert is expensive (about $1,400 for a 3 gallon container), but if you need a benign fluid to test in I don't know of any other alternatives. (The MSDS says this material can be ingested without any need for first aid!! Not sure what it tastes like though.) We had a ss sink with a lid fabricated just a bit larger than the box and I have only gone through one 3 gallon container in a year. Your mileage may vary depending on the size of your box. Most of the losses are through drag out. Bob Robert Barr Manufacturing Engineering Formation, Inc. Voice: 856-234-5020 x3035 Fax: 856-234-6679 email: [log in to unmask] -----Original Message----- From: TechNet [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Campbell, William (wcampbel) Sent: Friday, February 16, 2001 10:59 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: [TN] Method of Leak Testing You might try pressurizing your enclosure slightly with shop air (maybe 2 psi or so) and dunking under water- the stream of bubbles out tell quite a story. Definitely not the best way, as the pressure applied here is opposite real life in most situations, but good for troubleshooting, and you won't get water inside. Good luck, and think of a good story for the dishpan hands. -----Original Message----- From: Steffen, Don E [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Sent: Thursday, February 15, 2001 8:34 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: [TN] Method of Leak Testing Technetters I am a Quality Engineer on a Safety Product that has a Leak Test requirement. We are using a die cast aluminum housing that has a porosity issue. I want to find out if there are any one in the TECH NET world that might have some experience in leak detection methods. Water is out of the picture. Because of the vertura effect, water can be sucked into a housing. I am presently using water for troubleshooting purposes, but everything that is applied to water is scrap. I have tried Helium gas but this is not always reliable and repeatable. Is there anyone out there that can help me out in this dilemma? ----------------------------------------------------------- This Mail has been checked for Viruses Attention: Encrypted Mails can NOT be checked ! *** Diese Mail wurde auf Viren ueberprueft Hinweis: Verschluesselte Mails koennen NICHT geprueft werden! ------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- Technet Mail List provided as a free service by IPC using LISTSERV 1.8d To unsubscribe, send a message to [log in to unmask] with following text in the BODY (NOT the subject field): SIGNOFF Technet To temporarily halt delivery of Technet send the following message: SET Technet NOMAIL Search previous postings at: www.ipc.org > On-Line Resources & Databases > E-mail Archives Please visit IPC web site (http://www.ipc.org/html/forum.htm) for additional information, or contact Keach Sasamori at [log in to unmask] or 847-509-9700 ext.5315 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- Technet Mail List provided as a free service by IPC using LISTSERV 1.8d To unsubscribe, send a message to [log in to unmask] with following text in the BODY (NOT the subject field): SIGNOFF Technet To temporarily halt delivery of Technet send the following message: SET Technet NOMAIL Search previous postings at: www.ipc.org > On-Line Resources & Databases > E-mail Archives Please visit IPC web site (http://www.ipc.org/html/forum.htm) for additional information, or contact Keach Sasamori at [log in to unmask] or 847-509-9700 ext.5315 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Technet Mail List provided as a free service by IPC using LISTSERV 1.8d To unsubscribe, send a message to [log in to unmask] with following text in the BODY (NOT the subject field): SIGNOFF Technet To temporarily halt delivery of Technet send the following message: SET Technet NOMAIL Search previous postings at: www.ipc.org > On-Line Resources & Databases > E-mail Archives Please visit IPC web site (http://www.ipc.org/html/forum.htm) for additional information, or contact Keach Sasamori at [log in to unmask] or 847-509-9700 ext.5315 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------