Leak Testing Airbag Components

Airbags are an important safety feature in cars to prevent passengers from being injured during accidents. The proper function of the airbag is mandatory for this safety feature to be effective; and reliable and efficient testing of airbag systems is a critical step in the manufacturing process. Typically gas generators and igniters are tested for leaks and usually they are tested more than once, as some types of leaks – so called "stringer leaks" – take some time for the gas to penetrate through.

Choosing the Right Leak Detector for Your Application

INFICON offers two different leak detector models for leak testing of airbag gas generators and igniter caps: the LDS2010 Component Leak Detector and the Modul1000 Helium Leak Detector. The LDS2010 Component Leak Detector is the most flexible unit, but it is fairly complex to integrate and is often used by machine builders to design the most optimized system. The Modul1000 is a more standardized leak detector and can also be integrated by experienced end-users.

Reliable, Repeatable Results

Both INFICON leak detectors are best suited for leak testing of air bag components as they guarantee the highest throughput and reliability. Rigorous testing of the LDS2010 and Modul1000 leak detectors showed highly repeatable results with no false rejects, proving the reliability of these instruments,

The high throughput is due to several factors:

• The LDS2010 offers the shortest cycle time available today due to the high pumping speed of the system (i.e. the LDS2010 offers a very short signal response time). In one case, for example, a customer could reduce the cycle time for gas generator testing from 19 seconds to 12 seconds by switching to an LDS2010 leak detector, an increase in throughput of 37%.
• The cycle time is independent of the environment, (i.e., changing humidity in the environment).
• High availability of the system as there is no need for frequent recalibration. INFICON leak detectors can run for months without the need for recalibration.
• Drop-in replacement. In the rare case the leak detector breaks down, a replacement unit can be installed without any need for time-consuming adjustments.

Low Maintenance Cost

The cost of operation is significantly lower than that of other leak detectors, as both leak detectors require almost no maintenance. Facilities that replace competitive leak detectors with INFICON equipment often realize a return on their investment in as little as three to six months, based on cost savings resulting from higher throughput and lower maintenance costs.

For more information on choosing the correct leak detector for leak testing air components, contact your local INFICON support center. You can also email us at reachus@inficon.com, or click here to request someone contact you.