Telecommunications
Solving Coastal Corrosion: How a Satellite Equipment Manufacturer Eliminated Field Failures
A satellite communications manufacturer was losing customers in coastal Maharashtra to rust failures that standard testing never caught. Salt spray testing identified the root cause in weeks.
A leading satellite communications equipment manufacturer faced mounting warranty claims and field failures across the coastal belt of Maharashtra and Western India. Their products met all conventional durability specs yet failed in the field — pointing to a specific environmental factor their standard testing protocols didn't simulate. Indeecon's salt spray testing capability provided the answer.
Challenge
Products were failing in coastal regions while performing flawlessly elsewhere. High humidity, airborne salt chlorides, and thermal cycling in the coastal belt of Maharashtra created an accelerated corrosion environment that standard temperature and humidity chamber tests completely missed. Warranty claims were spiking, brand reputation was at risk, and the engineering team couldn't identify the root cause through conventional testing.
Solution
The manufacturer implemented ASTM B117 salt spray testing using Indeecon's CCT equipment. They exposed component samples to controlled, accelerated coastal conditions and tested multiple protective coating iterations — measuring time-to-failure at 100, 500, and 1000 hour intervals. A specialized multi-layer coating system with enhanced surface preparation was validated in the chamber before being deployed to the field.
Outcomes
- Coating solutions that failed within 6 months in the field now last 3+ years
- Warranty claim rates in coastal regions dropped by 85%
- Time-to-solution reduced from months of field trial-and-error to 2–4 weeks of lab validation
- Product became the industry benchmark for coastal durability in its segment