Whether traveling over vast mountain ranges or soaring through clear (or sometimes stormy) skies, your product and packaging need to overcome more than just physical distance—they also need to survive changes in atmospheric pressure. High-altitude package testing is a critical, yet often overlooked, step in ensuring your products reach consumers intact. Without it, pressure-related failures can compromise packaging, leading to product damage, customer dissatisfaction, and costly losses. Explore why high-altitude package testing is crucial for product safety, uncover the science behind altitude’s impact on packaging, and discover how proper testing doesn’t only safeguard your product, but your brand reputation as well.
Why Packaging Fails Under Pressure
As packages move through transportation routes involving significant elevation changes, they encounter pressure differentials that can lead to sterile seal breaches, cracks, bursts, and leaks. Products are also subject to internal condition shifts that can impact their functionality or efficacy.
Without proper high-altitude package testing, companies risk compromising product quality and safety. Key risks include:
- Pressure-Related Failures: Plastic and metal containers are particularly vulnerable. 65% of reported failures are attributed to pressure changes during high-altitude transport.
- Seal and Closure Failures: Glass containers are prone to seal integrity issues, accounting for 23% of packaging problems, which can result in contamination or product spoilage.
- Structural Weaknesses: Increased pressure stress can weaken or deform packaging, jeopardizing the protection of contents during transit.
- Impact on Sensitive Products: Pharmaceuticals and medical devices requiring sterile environments or controlled conditions are at high risk of becoming ineffective or unsafe without proper packaging safeguards.
High-altitude package testing helps identify these vulnerabilities, ensuring that products maintain their integrity and arrive safely at their destination.
High-Altitude Package Testing with ASTM D6653
The ASTM D6653 test method is widely recognized as the standard high-altitude package test. This test method uses a vacuum chamber to replicate pressure differentials up to 19,000 feet in elevation. As with all ASTM methods, ASTM D6653 is detailed in its directions and clear in its goals. The test method requires the following steps:
- Select the test specimens (typically three or more)
- Condition samples as necessary
- Place the specimen inside a vacuum chamber
- Adjust the chamber to achieve the desired pressure differential
- Maintain the pressure differential for a predetermined duration
- Monitor the specimen for signs of failure (seal breaches, leaks, or structural deformation)
- Gradually restore atmospheric pressure
- Inspect the packaging for any damage or compromise
- Record findings
ASTM D6653 offers a comprehensive approach to safeguarding product integrity in transit. If paired with related test standards like ASTM D4169 and ASTM D7386, you can achieve additional results specific to your unique distribution cycle.
Protecting Products, Profits, and Customers
High-altitude package testing offers a range of critical benefits that go beyond just ensuring safe transportation—it’s a proactive strategy that:
- Ensures Package Integrity: Through testing, you can identify potential leaks or weaknesses in your packaging or product early on.
- Enhances Product Endurance: Testing provides insights into how packaging performs under real-world conditions, enabling manufacturers to optimize designs and materials.
- Reduces Financial Losses: By preventing packaging failures during transport, high-altitude testing helps avoid costly damages and maintains the company’s reputation.
- Improves Customer Satisfaction: Research indicates that 86% of customers will abandon a brand due to poor experience. Don’t let a damaged parcel ruin a long-standing customer relationship.
A Case Study
Now that we’ve explored what high-altitude package testing looks like, let’s put it into practice.
MountainFresh Beverages (fictional name) is a Colorado-based company specializing in organic fruit juices and sparkling water. They recently expanded their distribution to high-altitude regions and air freight transportation.
However, after several complaints, MountainFresh realized its packaging wasn’t designed to withstand the pressure changes associated with high-altitude environments. This issue not only resulted in product waste but also threatened to damage their brand reputation.
To address this problem, MountainFresh partnered with a certified testing laboratory to conduct high-altitude package testing using the ASTM D6653 protocol. After subjecting several samples to high-altitude pressure, the testing revealed that MountainFresh’s current packaging experienced significant deformation and seal failures at high altitudes.
Based on these findings, MountainFresh worked with packaging engineers to redesign their containers and sealing mechanisms. They implemented stronger materials and pressure-equalizing designs.
After refining its packaging, MountainFresh conducted follow-up tests, which showed a dramatic improvement. Seal integrity was maintained in 99% of the samples.
MountainFresh’s proactive approach not only resolved the brand’s immediate issue but also positioned the company for successful expansion into new markets, ensuring product quality and customer satisfaction across various altitudes.
Product Safety by Land, Sea, & Air with Purple Diamond
Whether your product is navigating mountain roads or flying at high altitudes, ensuring its safe arrival is a testament to the strength and resilience of your packaging. High-altitude package testing is not merely an additional step in the packaging process—it’s a vital safeguard against failures that can compromise product quality, customer satisfaction, and your brand’s reputation.
At Purple Diamond, we understand the critical role high-altitude package testing plays in ensuring product safety and preserving brand integrity. As a leader in comprehensive distribution testing, including ASTM D6653 and other industry-standard methods, we’re committed to helping you deliver products safely by land, sea, or air.
Don’t let packaging failures jeopardize your success. Partner with Purple Diamond to identify vulnerabilities, refine your packaging solutions, and achieve excellence across every mile of your supply chain. Contact our team today to learn more about our high altitude and distribution testing services.
