Drop test simulation before the first prototype hits the floor
See what happens when your product is dropped from a given height onto a hard floor, at the orientation that hurts it most, and fix the weak points before physical drop testing begins.
Physical drop tests are hard to learn from. The impact lasts a few milliseconds, the damage is only visible afterwards and every orientation needs another sample. Several prototypes can be broken without learning why a boss sheared, a clip let go or a display cracked, only that it did.
More about drop test and impact simulation
Drop test simulation treats the impact as a dynamic event. The product starts at the moment of contact with the velocity it would reach from the drop height, v = √(2gh), which is about 4.4 m/s from 1 m and 5.4 m/s from 1.5 m, and the model follows the impact through deformation, contact between internal parts and rebound. It shows peak stress and strain in every part, permanent deformation, whether fixings and snap fits hold, the accelerations passed to sensitive internals and how much energy the housing, ribs or packaging absorb.
The most damaging orientation is rarely obvious in advance, which is why flat, edge and corner cases are worth comparing before any samples are made. SixGate™ is the design-to-manufacture process of F-CAD®, and its engineers turn the result into changes to wall thickness, rib layout, boss design, internal mounting or cushioning.
Typical products: handheld instruments and power tools, battery packs, medical and laboratory devices, consumer electronics housings, protective cases and transit packaging.
What a drop test simulation answers
Will it survive the drop?
Peak stress and strain in housings, frames and internal parts, compared with each material’s strength or elongation at break.
Which orientation is worst?
Flat, edge and corner drops compared, so design and test effort go to the orientation that does the most damage.
What do the internals experience?
Peak acceleration and its duration at circuit boards, batteries, displays and other sensitive components.
Do fixings and snap fits hold?
Whether screws, bosses, clips and latches stay engaged, and where they carry the highest load during the impact.
How much energy is absorbed, and where?
Energy taken up by housing deformation, crush ribs, foam or packaging, compared across design options.
Is any damage permanent?
Residual deformation after impact, such as a dent, a misaligned part or a door that no longer closes.
What we model
Drop from height
Impact at the velocity for any drop height and orientation you specify, onto concrete, steel or a softer surface such as wood.
Impact on the product
Objects striking the product, such as a falling tool or a swinging mass, at the impact energy you specify.
Contact during impact
Contact between floor, housing and internal parts as they collide and separate during the event.
Plastic and permanent deformation
Metals yielding and plastics deforming beyond their elastic range, with the permanent set left afterwards.
Energy absorption
Crush zones, ribs, foams and packaging compared on the energy they absorb and the peak force they pass on.
Internal accelerations
Acceleration over time at mounted components, for comparison with their shock ratings.
Glass and brittle parts
Displays, lenses, windows and ceramic parts assessed on maximum principal stress, where an impact risks cracking rather than bending.
Before you start
What to send us
- CAD of the product, including internal components and fixings
- Total mass and centre of gravity, or the masses of major components
- Drop heights, orientations and target surface from your test standard
- Material grades for housings and key internal parts
- Shock limits for sensitive components, if known
- Any packaging or protective case to be included
Does simulation replace physical drop testing?
No. Your standard or customer will usually require a physical test. Simulation shows where the design is weak and which orientation matters, so the samples you test have already been designed against the impact.
Do plastics behave differently in a drop?
Yes. Many plastics are stiffer and stronger at impact rates than in a slow tensile test, and some turn brittle in the cold. Material data at the relevant rate and temperature gives the most useful results.
What drop heights can you simulate?
Any height, orientation and floor you specify. Impact energy rises in proportion to height, E = mgh, so a 0.5 kg device dropped from 1.5 m arrives with about 7.4 J to absorb.
Can you include packaging?
Foam inserts, cartons and protective cases can all be modelled with their crush properties, showing how far each one reduces the peak acceleration reaching the product.
Why do internal parts fail when the housing survives?
During the impact the housing decelerates the internals, so heavy items such as batteries, magnets and transformers load their own mountings far harder than in normal use. A housing can come through a drop while a component or its fixing inside does not.
Tell us how it gets dropped
