Environmental Testing
At ALTER, we provide comprehensive environmental testing to evaluate the durability and reliability of electronic components, materials, and systems under extreme environmental conditions. Our state-of-the-art laboratories simulate critical stress factors such as temperature fluctuations, humidity, mechanical stress, and radiation exposure to ensure compliance with international standards.
What is Environmental testing?
Environmental testing involves subjecting electronic devices to controlled environmental conditions—such as extreme temperatures, thermal cycling, humidity, vibration, and radiation—to assess their performance, longevity, and compliance with industry regulations.
These tests help determine whether operational deviations are due to external environmental conditions or the device’s intrinsic thermal and mechanical behavior.
Environmental test reports
Each environmental test includes a detailed report with the following:
- Device Under Test (DUT) positioning within the climatic chamber.
- Graphical test condition reports for full traceability.
- High-resolution images of the DUT before and after testing to document any changes.
- Detailed identification of anomalies, even if they don’t constitute a failure.
- Thermal mapping with temperature readings from different DUT locations.
Environmental testing across the semiconductor product lifecycle
The same environmental testing capabilities can also be used to increase confidence in commercial, stored or previously unqualified components. This application forms part of ALTER’s Product Enhancement activities, which combine testing, screening and qualification to verify component suitability for specific operating conditions. The results can be incorporated into broader component qualification and COTS qualification flows.
Our capabilities
We offer an extensive range of environmental testing services, including:
Thermal & climatic stress testing
- Accelerated Bias Aging – Simulating long-term operational stress.
- Cryogenic temperature – Evaluating performance under extremely low temperatures.
- Extreme temperature testing – Assessing functionality in harsh thermal environments.
- Highly Accelerated Stress Test (HAST) – Simulating rapid aging under high humidity and pressure.
- Humidity test – Measuring the impact of moisture exposure.
- Temperature cycling testing – Repeated exposure to high and low temperatures.
- Thermal shock testing – Evaluating resistance to sudden temperature changes.
- Thermal testing – Monitoring heat dissipation and stability under operational conditions.
- Thermal vacuum testing – Simulating space conditions with controlled temperature and pressure.
Mechanical & environmental resistance testing
- Mechanical testing – Evaluating the structural integrity under physical stress.
- Preconditioning testing – Simulating manufacturing and operational stress before reliability assessments.
- Radiation testing – Assessing component durability under radiation exposure.
- Salt atmosphere testing – Simulating corrosive environments for aerospace and marine applications.
IP Protection & EMC Compliance
Our Ingress Protection (IP) testing assesses resistance to dust, water, and foreign objects, ensuring that electronic components meet industrial and regulatory standards.
Additionally, we offer Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) testing for industries such as:
Aerospace & Defense
- Railway & Automotive
- Medical & Security Systems
- Telecommunications & Space Technology
Why choose ALTER?
ENAC accreditation
ENAC accreditation (345/LE 809) for environmental, climatic, and mechanical testing
International recognition
Our EMC laboratory is a Notified Body for EMC Directive 2004/108/EC, recognized by: NIST (USA), RRA (South Korea). NATA (Australia) for EMC and safety testing
Cutting-edge testing equipment
We employ advanced testing chambers, thermal imaging, and electrothermal analysis tools to provide precise, reliable, and repeatable test results.