Engineer-led testing that turns concepts and prototypes into better-informed design decisions.
Build a focused test programme around the questions your development team needs to answer—before committing to formal qualification.
Resonate supports research and development programmes from concept validation through prototype qualification. Mechanical and environmental testing, bespoke fixtures, instrumentation and data acquisition can be brought together around your engineering intent.
Use controlled vibration, shock, temperature, humidity and other environmental stresses to expose weaknesses, compare design options and understand failure modes earlier. Iterative testing and practical engineering feedback help development teams learn quickly, reduce avoidable rework and prepare stronger evidence for later qualification or certification.
R&D testing support uses controlled, measurable experiments to answer development questions before a product reaches formal qualification. The method is tailored to the prototype, its maturity and the evidence the engineering team needs.
Support is available for aerospace, automotive, medical technology, space hardware and emerging technologies. Programmes can begin with exploratory screening and progress through development testing to formally documented qualification or certification activity.
Testing can reproduce relevant in-service stressors such as transport, launch, operational vibration and shock, temperature, humidity and pressure. The aim is to generate useful evidence at the right level of product maturity—not to over-test an early prototype.
Where standard methods do not fit the product, engineers can define a tailored approach with appropriate load paths, boundary conditions, measurements, acceptance criteria, repeatability and traceability.
Need evidence for a design decision? Share your prototype, engineering question, drawings and known risks for a practical review of test strategy, fixtures, instrumentation and outputs.
Early R&D rarely starts with a complete specification. An engineering review can turn an open design question into a proportionate test plan with clear measurements and decision points.
Share the prototype, intended use, known risks and the decision the test must support. Resonate can review feasibility, fixtures, instrumentation, safety constraints, sequencing and reporting before quotation.
R&D work may draw on customer specifications, product requirements and relevant standards, but development tests should be designed around the engineering intent. The team can map requirements, identify gaps and define a staged test cascade.
Planning considers over-test and under-test risk, severity, sequencing and sample allocation. Where a recognised method is useful, it can provide repeatability and a route toward later compliance. Where it is not suitable, a bespoke method can be documented with defined boundary conditions and acceptance criteria.
Potential references vary by sector and may include IEC 60068, MIL-STD-810, RTCA DO-160, UN 38.3, IEC 62133 or customer-specific requirements. Accreditation applies only where the activity is covered by the current accredited scope.
| Standard / Guidance | Primary Focus | Typical Relevance to Testing |
|---|---|---|
| IEC 60068 | Environmental testing | Repeatable methods for developing environmental evidence. |
| MIL-STD-810 | Environmental testing | Tailoring tests to anticipated service environments. |
| RTCA DO-160 | Airborne Equipment | Development evidence for aerospace electronics. |
| UN 38.3 | Lithium battery transport | Requirements context for battery development programmes. |
| IEC 62133 | Portable battery safety | Requirements context for relevant battery products. |
| Customer specifications | Customer specifications Product-specific requirements | Defines intended use, limits and acceptance expectations. |
| Bespoke method | Novel products or questions | Documents load paths, boundaries, measurements and success criteria. |
An effective test strategy provides a structured approach to generating reliable evidence that supports engineering decisions, reduces risk, and builds confidence in product performance throughout development and qualification.
Begin by defining the specific engineering question the team needs to answer. Identify the knowledge required, determine what constitutes a successful outcome, and understand how the results will influence design decisions, risk mitigation efforts, or future development activities. A clearly defined objective ensures testing delivers meaningful insights rather than simply producing data.
Select mechanical, thermal, environmental, and operational conditions that accurately reflect the product’s intended lifecycle. Consider the effects of transportation, handling, installation, launch, routine operation, maintenance activities, and foreseeable misuse. Testing under realistic conditions increases confidence that results will provide an accurate indication of real-world performance.
Carefully document every aspect of the test configuration, including fixtures, interfaces, boundary conditions, instrumentation, measurement locations, and acceptance criteria. Consistent test setups and thorough documentation improve repeatability, simplify interpretation, and enable meaningful comparisons across multiple test campaigns and design iterations.
Align testing activities with the product’s level of maturity and the degree of design confidence. Early development stages may focus on screening, feasibility studies, and development testing, while later phases can incorporate verification and formal qualification testing. Following a structured progression helps ensure resources are used efficiently and that qualification is supported by a comprehensive and credible body of evidence.
Bespoke fixture design and custom rigs can support unconventional prototypes. Instrumentation planning may include accelerometers, thermocouples, strain gauges, electrical continuity and insulation monitoring.
Sensor position, channel count, sampling rate and data format are agreed around the test objective so the resulting evidence can support design decisions and subsequent iterations.
| Specification | Capability |
|---|---|
| Vibration up to 70 kN | Durability, resonance, design comparison and failure-mode work |
| Payloads up to 2 tonnes | Large prototype and assembly testing |
| SRS and percussive shock | Transient response and failure-mode investigation |
| -70°C to +180°C temperature cycling | Thermal stress screening and design validation |
| Humidity, salt spray and ingress protection | Environmental durability and enclosure development |
| High-speed and thermal imaging | Capture fast events and temperature behaviour |
| Custom fixtures and rigs | Representative mounting, loading and interfaces |
| Sensors and DAQ | Traceable measurements matched to engineering intent |
The question or design decision the test is intended to answer.
The mounting, support, loading and environmental constraints that shape how a prototype behaves during a test.
A controlled activity used to learn about a design, compare options or expose weaknesses before formal qualification.
The way a component or system stops meeting its intended function.
A staged sequence of tests derived from product requirements, risks and increasing design maturity.
The sensors, channels, sampling and recording system used to capture measurements during a test.
Early screening can identify weaknesses quickly and economically. As the design matures, test conditions, fixtures, instrumentation and acceptance criteria can become progressively more representative and formally controlled.
This staged approach helps avoid applying qualification severity too early while still building traceable evidence for design reviews, customer discussions and the eventual compliance programme.
Combining vibration, shock and environmental testing can reduce handover friction and keep fixtures, instrumentation, documentation and engineering review connected across the programme.
Development teams can move from one stressor to the next while maintaining a consistent view of the prototype, observed behaviour and emerging design risks.
Outputs are agreed before testing so the evidence supports the intended engineering decision. A package may include:
Share the prototype, engineering question, drawings, known risks and required evidence. The team can review feasibility, test strategy, fixtures, instrumentation and the most useful next step.
Whether you’re looking to contact us for the first time or have another testing requirement, we’d love to hear from you.
