A product does not have to fall to experience a damaging impact.
An ECU bolted inside a vehicle, a controller installed in industrial equipment, or a power module secured inside an enclosure can all experience short, severe mechanical loads during transportation, installation or operation. The enclosure may still look normal afterwards, while a connector has shifted, a solder joint has cracked, or a heavy component has stressed the PCB beneath it.
That is the type of problem a controlled mechanical shock test is intended to investigate.
IEC 60068-2-27 defines Test Ea, a laboratory method for evaluating whether a specimen can withstand specified severities of mechanical shock. Instead of relying on an uncontrolled impact, the specimen is mounted to a shock testing system and subjected to a defined acceleration pulse.
For a test engineer, however, specifying "IEC 60068-2-27" is only the starting point.
The required acceleration, pulse duration, pulse shape, specimen mass, fixture mass and mounting direction all affect the test. A machine capable of generating high acceleration with a light specimen may not necessarily reproduce the same pulse after a large fixture and heavier DUT are installed.
This guide looks at IEC 60068-2-27 shock testing from that practical engineering perspective: what the test does, which products can be evaluated, what commonly goes wrong, and how to select mechanical shock testing equipment around the actual requirement.
What Does IEC 60068-2-27 Actually Test?
IEC 60068-2-27:2008 is titled:
Environmental testing — Part 2-27: Tests — Test Ea and guidance: Shock
The test is intended to determine whether a specimen can withstand specified severities of non-repetitive or repetitive mechanical shock.
Depending on the relevant product specification, the test can help reveal mechanical weakness, deterioration in performance, accumulated shock damage or problems with structural integrity. It may also form part of a quality-control or design-verification program.
There is an important detail here:
During IEC 60068-2-27 testing, the specimen is mounted to the fixture or table of the shock testing machine.
The machine generates a controlled acceleration-time pulse. Instrumentation records the pulse, and the measured result is evaluated against the required test condition.
In practical terms, the mechanical path is:
Shock Machine → Table → Fixture → Specimen
Every part of that path matters.
A capable shock machine can still produce a poor test if the specimen is mounted on an unsuitable fixture.
A Shock Test Cannot Be Defined by "g" Alone
This is one of the first points worth clarifying when selecting a shock test machine.
A customer may send an inquiry saying:
"We need to test at 50 g."
That sounds specific, but it is not yet a complete shock condition.
Consider two hypothetical tests:
| Test Condition | Peak Acceleration | Pulse Duration | Pulse Shape |
|---|---|---|---|
| Condition A | 50 g | 6 ms | Half-sine |
| Condition B | 50 g | 11 ms | Half-sine |
Both reach the same peak acceleration.
They are still different shock events.
The second pulse maintains the acceleration for longer. That changes the velocity change associated with the event and can produce a different dynamic response in the specimen.
The same principle applies when the pulse shape changes. A 50 g half-sine pulse should not automatically be treated as equivalent to another waveform simply because the peak acceleration is identical.
For equipment selection, the useful question is therefore not:
How many g can the machine reach?
It is:
Can the machine reproduce the required acceleration and pulse duration, with the required waveform, while the actual DUT and fixture are installed?
That distinction becomes increasingly important as the specimen and fixture become heavier.
Pulse Shape Changes the Test
The specimen responds to the complete acceleration-time history—not only the highest acceleration value.
The half-sine pulse is one of the most recognizable waveforms used in classical mechanical shock testing. Acceleration rises smoothly from approximately zero to a peak and then decreases again.
Other prescribed pulse profiles produce different acceleration-time histories and therefore different mechanical inputs to the specimen.
This is why waveform capability matters when selecting mechanical shock testing equipment.
Having sufficient payload capacity or maximum acceleration is only part of the specification.
The required pulse shape must come from the applicable test requirement rather than being selected simply because the machine can generate it.
What Products Can Be Tested?
IEC 60068-2-27 is a general environmental test method rather than a standard written for one specific finished product.
That makes its application broad.
A better way to determine whether the method is relevant is to ask:
Can the product experience a short-duration mechanical shock during transportation, installation or operation, and does the applicable specification require that event to be reproduced under controlled laboratory conditions?
For many electrotechnical products and assemblies, this is the relevant engineering question.
Automotive Electronics
Automotive electronics are a natural application because many devices are mechanically fixed into the vehicle while still being exposed to transient mechanical loads.
Typical specimens may include:
ECUs · Vehicle Sensors · Camera Modules · Lighting Electronics · Power Electronics · Control Modules · Connector Assemblies
Consider an ECU.
Its enclosure may be relatively rigid, while the PCB inside carries connectors, relays, capacitors and other components with very different masses.
During a short acceleration pulse, the enclosure may remain intact while a board connector moves, a heavy PCB-mounted component creates local stress, or a mounting bracket deforms.
The test therefore should not stop at:
"Is the housing cracked?"
For some products, electrical continuity or functional monitoring during the shock may provide much more useful information.
Power Adapters, Chargers and Electronic Modules
A power adapter provides another good example.
Externally, the product may be compact. Internally, transformers, inductors, heat sinks and plug structures can introduce concentrated mass.
A controlled mechanical shock may expose movement around these components, damage around PCB mounting points, changes at the AC plug structure or intermittent electrical connection.
This is also where the distinction between shock testing and drop testing becomes important.
If the requirement is:
What happens when the complete charger falls onto a specified surface?
use an appropriate drop-test method.
If the requirement is:
Can the mounted assembly withstand a prescribed acceleration pulse?
a controlled mechanical shock test is the appropriate concept.
Industrial Electronics
PLCs, inverters, power supplies, drive controllers, HMI units and industrial communication modules may spend most of their operating life in fixed installations.
They still need to be transported, installed and sometimes serviced.
Depending on the product, short mechanical events may load:
terminal blocks
DIN-rail interfaces
PCB assemblies
internal brackets
connectors
larger power components
A housing that looks normal after testing does not automatically mean that the complete product has passed.
Electronic Components and Subassemblies
Testing can also be performed earlier in the product hierarchy.
Depending on the applicable specification, specimens may include:
PCB Assemblies · Connectors · Relays · Switches · Sensors · Power Modules · Electronic Modules
At this level, the engineering question is often very specific:
Will the component remain mechanically and electrically stable after the specified acceleration pulse?
Testing a component or subassembly can also make it easier to isolate a weakness before it becomes part of a larger finished product.
Other applications may include transportation electronics, battery-related control assemblies and other high-reliability electronic equipment. The applicable product specification should always determine whether IEC 60068-2-27 is the correct method and what severity is required.
IEC 60068-2-27 Shock Test vs Drop Test
Mechanical shock and drop testing are often confused because both involve impact.
Mechanically, however, they solve different problems.
During an IEC 60068-2-27 shock test, the specimen remains mounted to the test system while a controlled acceleration pulse is generated.
Free-fall and rough-handling tests reproduce different events.
| IEC 60068-2-27 Mechanical Shock | Free Fall / Drop | |
|---|---|---|
| Main Question | Can a mounted specimen withstand a prescribed acceleration pulse? | What happens when the specimen falls and strikes a surface? |
| Main Input | Acceleration, duration, waveform | Height, orientation, impact surface |
| Specimen | Fixed to machine / fixture | Released for the drop |
| Typical Data | Acceleration vs time | Drop condition + post-impact result |
| ITM-LAB Equipment Direction | RS-6150 Series | Appropriate controlled drop tester |
A 50 g / 11 ms mechanical shock and a 1 m free fall should therefore not be described as equivalent simply because both can damage a product.
The mechanics are different.
The input conditions are different.
And the required test equipment is different.
What Should You Look for After the Shock?
One of the easiest mistakes is to inspect only the enclosure.
Imagine an industrial controller after the test.
The front panel is intact. No screws are missing. The housing shows no visible crack.
That looks like a pass.
But an internal board-to-board connector has moved just enough to create an intermittent signal fault.
Visually, the sample looks acceptable.
Functionally, it has failed.
Other shock-induced problems may include PCB cracking, solder-joint damage, loose terminals, displaced components, fastener movement or internal mounting deformation.
For electronic products, post-test evaluation may therefore require a combination of:
visual inspection + electrical measurement + functional verification
The exact acceptance criteria should come from the relevant product specification.
A Practical IEC 60068-2-27 Test Process
The exact severity, number of shocks, directions and acceptance criteria come from the applicable specification. There is no single universal acceleration and pulse duration that represents every IEC 60068-2-27 application.
In practice, the work begins before the specimen reaches the machine.
First, confirm the actual requirement. Record the pulse shape, peak acceleration, duration, test directions and number of shocks. DUT dimensions, mass and mounting points should also be known at this stage.
Next comes the fixture.
The fixture must hold the product securely and transmit the required shock without introducing uncontrolled movement. Its mass also needs to be included in the load assessment.
The specimen and instrumentation are then installed. Before the formal sequence begins, the required pulse should be verified using the relevant loaded configuration rather than assumed from an unloaded machine specification.
Once the pulse is acceptable, the specified shocks can be applied.
After testing, both the measured shock data and the DUT should be evaluated.
Depending on the product, this may involve mechanical inspection, electrical measurement, functional testing or a combination of all three.
The practical sequence is:
Define → Mount → Measure → Verify → Shock → Inspect → Evaluate
Why Fixture and Loaded Performance Matter
This is where equipment selection becomes more complicated than reading maximum values from a catalogue.
Suppose the DUT weighs 30 kg.
A shock machine with a rated load comfortably above 30 kg may initially look suitable.
But the machine does not move the DUT alone.
It moves the DUT together with the fixture and mounting hardware.
If the fixture weighs another 20 kg, the test system is already dealing with approximately 50 kg of moving load before other mounting elements are considered.
A more useful relationship is:
Moving Load = DUT + Fixture + Mounting Hardware
That total load can influence the shock pulse the system is capable of producing.
Fixture stiffness matters as well.
An unnecessarily flexible fixture can introduce its own dynamic response. A poorly restrained specimen may move relative to the table. Excessive fixture mass can reduce the useful test envelope.
Fixture design should therefore not be treated as an accessory decision made after purchasing the shock machine.
It is part of the test system.
The same logic applies to equipment specifications.
A headline value such as maximum acceleration is useful, but it does not answer the customer's actual question.
The more meaningful question is:
Can the required pulse be reproduced with the customer's DUT and fixture installed?
For equipment evaluation, loaded performance matters more than one isolated maximum specification.
Why Mechanical Shock Tests Go Wrong
In practice, unsuccessful shock setups often come from relatively small decisions around the test.
Selecting the machine by maximum g only
Acceleration is checked first; pulse duration, waveform and loaded performance are considered later.
Forgetting fixture mass
The DUT weight is supplied during equipment selection, but a substantial fixture is added after the machine has already been chosen.
Using a fixture that is not stiff enough
The fixture begins contributing its own dynamic behavior instead of providing a stable mechanical connection between the table and DUT.
Treating waveforms as interchangeable
The equipment can generate the required peak acceleration but not necessarily the pulse shape specified for the test.
Verifying performance without the representative load
The final DUT and fixture change the test configuration, but performance is assumed from an unloaded or differently loaded setup.
Stopping at visual inspection
The housing looks normal, while an electrical interruption, solder-joint problem or internal movement remains undetected.
These problems are why a mechanical shock test should be treated as a complete measurement system, not simply an impact machine.
ITM-LAB RS-6150 Series Mechanical Shock Testing Solution
For controlled mechanical impact and shock testing, ITM-LAB offers the RS-6150 Series Vertical Impact Crash Tester.
The series is designed to evaluate the impact resistance, functional reliability and structural integrity of products or assemblies under controlled impact conditions.
Current RS-6150 configurations cover rated loads from 50 kg to 800 kg, allowing the system to support different DUT sizes and payload requirements.
The system can reproduce controlled shock waveforms including:
Half-Sine
Back-Peak Sawtooth
Trapezoidal
For IEC 60068-2-27 applications, however, payload should never be the only model-selection parameter.
Consider two projects.
A small electronic module may be relatively light, but require a demanding acceleration and pulse-duration combination.
A much larger industrial controller may require a lower acceleration but introduce substantial DUT and fixture mass.
They present different requirements to the shock system.
For this reason, the appropriate RS-6150 configuration should be selected according to the complete test envelope:
DUT Mass + Fixture Mass + Acceleration + Pulse Duration + Waveform + Table Requirement
This approach is more reliable than matching one product to one machine simply by weight.
How to Select an IEC 60068-2-27 Shock Test Machine
A better equipment inquiry starts with the DUT.
Start with the specimen
What are its dimensions?
How much does it weigh?
Where can it be mounted?
Does it need to be tested in different orientations?
Define the shock
Confirm:
Peak Acceleration
Pulse Duration
Pulse Shape
Do not select the machine from acceleration alone.
Add the fixture
Estimate:
Fixture Weight
Mounting Hardware
Required Orientation
The combined mass is more useful than DUT weight alone.
Check the shock table
The table needs sufficient mounting area for the fixture while maintaining the required mechanical setup.
Evaluate loaded performance
Finally, determine whether the selected system can reproduce the required pulse with a representative DUT and fixture installed.
For an RS-6150 application, the selection path should therefore look like this:
Typical Applications for the RS-6150 Series
The following table provides a practical starting point.
| Industry / Application | Typical DUT | Main Selection Considerations |
|---|---|---|
| Automotive Electronics | ECU, sensor, camera module, lighting electronics | Pulse, DUT/fixture mass, orientation |
| Consumer / Power Electronics | Adapter, charger assembly, electronic module | Pulse severity, fixture, functional evaluation |
| Electronic Components | Connector, relay, PCB assembly, sensor | Pulse accuracy, mounting, measurement |
| Industrial Electronics | PLC, inverter, controller, power supply | Payload, table size, fixture stiffness |
| Power Electronics | Power module, controller, mounted assembly | Internal mass, loaded performance |
| Larger Assemblies | Industrial parts and mounted assemblies | Total moving load, table size, achievable pulse |
This table intentionally does not assign one RS-6150 model to every product category.
Two ECUs can have very different masses and test severities. A physically large industrial controller may require a moderate shock, while a smaller electronic assembly may require a much higher acceleration.
Select the system from the test requirement—not from the product name.
Mechanical Shock vs Vibration
Shock and vibration may be part of the same reliability program, but they investigate different mechanical stresses.
Vibration repeatedly excites the specimen and can expose resonance, fatigue, progressive loosening and long-term connection problems.
Shock is transient.
A short pulse can create a high instantaneous mechanical load before the product responds in the same way it would under long-duration vibration.
| Mechanical Shock | Vibration |
|---|---|
| Short transient input | Repeated oscillatory input |
| Acceleration + duration + waveform | Frequency + acceleration / displacement / PSD |
| Often millisecond-scale | Longer exposure |
| Sudden impact response | Resonance / fatigue / loosening |
| IEC 60068-2-27 | IEC 60068-2-6 / IEC 60068-2-64 |
Passing vibration testing does not automatically mean a product will pass mechanical shock testing.
The appropriate test should be selected according to the mechanical environment and product requirement.
Before Requesting a Shock Test Machine Quote
A short but complete application description can save several rounds of equipment selection.
For an IEC 60068-2-27 project, provide:
DUT Dimensions
DUT Weight
Required Acceleration (g)
Pulse Duration (ms)
Pulse Shape
Test Directions
Number of Shocks
Expected Fixture Mass
Applicable Standard / Customer Specification
If the fixture has already been designed, providing its dimensions and mounting drawing can also help.
With this information, the engineering discussion changes from:
"Can this machine reach 100 g?"
to:
"Can this configuration reproduce our required shock pulse with our DUT and fixture installed?"
That is the question that should determine the test system.
FAQ
What is IEC 60068-2-27?
IEC 60068-2-27 is Test Ea within the IEC 60068 environmental testing series. It provides a standardized method for evaluating whether a mounted specimen can withstand specified severities of non-repetitive or repetitive mechanical shock.
What products can be tested to IEC 60068-2-27?
Depending on the applicable product specification, examples may include ECUs, sensors, PCB assemblies, connectors, relays, power electronics, industrial controllers, electronic modules and other electrotechnical products.
Is IEC 60068-2-27 a drop test?
No. During IEC 60068-2-27 testing, the specimen is mounted to the shock testing system while a prescribed mechanical shock is applied. A free-fall test releases the specimen and evaluates its response after impact with a defined surface.
What parameters define mechanical shock severity?
Peak acceleration alone is not sufficient. Pulse duration, pulse shape, test direction and number of shocks are also important. DUT and fixture mass become additional considerations when selecting the equipment.
Why does fixture mass matter?
The shock machine moves the specimen and fixture together. Fixture mass therefore contributes to the total moving load. Fixture stiffness and mounting geometry can also influence how the shock is transmitted to the DUT.
Can the ITM-LAB RS-6150 Series be used for IEC 60068-2-27 testing?
The RS-6150 Series is designed for controlled mechanical shock and impact testing and supports waveforms including half-sine, back-peak sawtooth and trapezoidal pulses. ITM-LAB product information lists IEC 68-2-27 among its applicable standards.
The appropriate RS-6150 configuration should still be selected according to the required acceleration, pulse duration, waveform, DUT mass, fixture mass, table size and mounting arrangement.
Configure Your IEC 60068-2-27 Shock Test System
A mechanical shock test machine should not be selected by maximum acceleration alone.
Start with the product. Define the required pulse. Add the fixture and mounting requirements. Then determine whether the complete loaded system can reproduce that condition.
For an IEC 60068-2-27 project, send ITM-LAB your:
DUT dimensions and weight · required acceleration · pulse duration · waveform · test direction · fixture information · applicable specification
Our engineering team can then evaluate the appropriate RS-6150 Series configuration for your mechanical shock testing requirement.
Define the shock first. Select the machine second.
