Quality Assurance & Testing Quality Assurance & Testing

Quality Assurance & Testing — In-Process Inspection, IP Water Testing & Traceability for Sheet Metal Enclosures

Eterna Global Solutions LLP applies quality controls at every manufacturing stage — not just at final inspection. Our approach is straightforward: catch problems where they happen, fix them before the part moves to the next process, and document everything so that every unit we ship is traceable from raw material to packaged product.

For IP-rated outdoor enclosures — the products where quality failure has the most expensive consequences — we perform 100% water ingress testing on every single cabinet. Not sample-based, not batch-tested: every unit is individually water-tested before it leaves our facility. A single failed gasket on a telecom street cabinet or battery enclosure can cause water damage to electronics worth many times the cabinet’s cost, followed by a site visit, a service outage, and a customer escalation.

Our quality system is built around calibrated measuring instruments, product-specific quality checksheets, material traceability, and serial-number-level documentation. We are not a laboratory — we are a production factory with practical, applied quality controls designed to deliver conforming products consistently.

Need to understand our quality process before placing an order?
We welcome factory visits and quality audits. Contact us to schedule a visit or request our quality documentation.

Our quality approach

Prevent at the source, not sort at the end.

In-process control, not end-of-line sorting

The most expensive way to manage quality is to manufacture an entire batch and then inspect every unit at the end to separate good from bad. By that point, every bad unit has already consumed material, machine time, welding gas, powder coat, and assembly labour. Our approach is different: we inspect at the completion of each manufacturing stage and catch issues before the part accumulates more value. A blank that’s 0.5 mm off-dimension is caught after laser cutting (cost: one blank). If it reaches welding, the cost is an entire welded assembly. If it reaches powder coating, add the coating cost. If it reaches final assembly, the cost is a complete unit plus the time spent disassembling and reworking it.

Product-specific quality plans

Every product manufactured at Eterna has a dedicated quality checksheet that lists the inspection points, acceptance criteria, and sampling rates for each stage of production.

Practical, not performative: We focus our quality effort where it delivers the most value — dimensional checks on critical features, IP seal integrity on outdoor cabinets, earth continuity on electrically integrated units, and coating adhesion on every batch. We don’t generate paperwork for the sake of paperwork; every inspection record we create serves a specific purpose in ensuring the product works when it reaches your site.

Quality capabilities at a glance

Quantified for vendor qualification.
Stage-by-stageQC at every process step
100% IP testedEvery IP-rated cabinet water-tested
Calibrated instrumentsTraceable to national standards
Serial-number trackedEvery unit individually traceable
FAI per productFirst-article before batch production
MTCs retainedIncoming material verified
Product-specific QCDedicated checksheet per product
Audits welcomeOpen-door factory visit policy

Quality checkpoints through production

What we inspect at each stage.
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Incoming material inspection

Grade • thickness • surface • MTC verification

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Raw sheet metal is verified against the purchase specification before it enters production.

  • Material grade: Checked against the Mill Test Certificate (MTC) to confirm the correct grade was supplied (IS 513-D for CRC, IS 277 for GI, AISI 304/316 for SS, etc.)
  • Thickness: Spot-checked with a calibrated micrometer. Indian-mill sheet can vary within the tolerance band — we verify that incoming material is within the range our bend calculations are based on
  • Surface condition: Visual check for rust, pitting, scratches, oil contamination, and zinc coating defects (on GI) that could affect downstream quality
  • MTC retained: Material test certificate filed and linked to production batch for traceability. Available in shipment documentation on request
First-Article Inspection (FAI): Before any product enters batch production, a first-article unit is built and subjected to comprehensive dimensional and functional inspection. The FAI report (every drawing dimension measured, photographed, and recorded) is submitted for your approval. FAI approval is the formal quality gate that authorises batch production.

IP water ingress testing

100% tested • IEC 60529 • every IP-rated cabinet.

Why we test every unit, not a sample

IP ingress protection is a binary pass/fail characteristic. A cabinet either keeps water out, or it doesn’t. There is no “partially IP65” — a single unsealed cable gland, one improperly compressed door gasket, or a tiny gap at a hinge corner compromises the entire enclosure. And because the consequences of IP failure are severe (water-damaged electronics, service outages, expensive site visits), we take the position that sample-based testing is not adequate for IP-rated products. Every single IP-rated cabinet we manufacture is individually water-tested in our in-house test facility before dispatch. If it leaks, it doesn’t ship.

Test methodology

Test standard: IEC 60529, applied at the IP level specified for the product (IP55, IP65, or IP66).

IP55: Low-pressure water jets from all directions — no harmful quantity of water enters the enclosure.

IP65: Same water-jet test as IP55, plus dust-tight seal verified by gasket compression and door seal engagement.

IP66: Powerful water jets from all directions at higher pressure and flow rate than IP65. Requires robust gasket compression and sealed cable entries.

Post-test inspection: Cabinet opened after testing. Interior inspected for any moisture. Result recorded on the unit’s quality checksheet. Any failure investigated, gaskets re-seated or replaced, and the unit re-tested until it passes.

Recyclable water setup: Our test facility collects and recirculates water, minimising waste.

Common failure points we catch: Door corners where gasket joints meet at 90° (mitre joints sealed with sealant), cable glands with insufficient torque or missing sealant at the base, hinge-side gaps from improper hinge adjustment, and loose panel fasteners that reduce gasket compression. These are exactly the kinds of issues that pass visual inspection but fail water testing — which is why water testing on every unit is non-negotiable for outdoor enclosures.

Measuring instruments and testing equipment

Calibrated • traceable • production-floor tools.

Dimensional measurement

Vernier calipers (±0.02 mm): Primary dimensional measurement tool for part dimensions, flange heights, hole positions, and overall enclosure dimensions. Multiple calibrated sets available across the shop floor.

Micrometers (±0.01 mm): For material thickness verification, precision features, and critical dimensions where caliper resolution is insufficient.

Height gauges: For measuring vertical dimensions on a surface plate — rail heights, mounting boss positions, and frame squareness checks.

Steel rules and tape measures: For overall enclosure dimensions (height, width, depth) and quick-reference checks during production.

Go/no-go pin gauges: For verifying hole diameters on stamped and laser-cut parts — fast pass/fail check without measurement interpretation.

Specialised testing

Coating thickness gauge (DFT): Calibrated electronic gauge for measuring dry film thickness of powder coat. Used on every coating batch with random sampling per load.

Cross-cut adhesion test kit (ISO 2409): Lattice cutter and tape for coating adhesion classification. Class 0 or 1 required for acceptance.

Protractor / angle gauge: For verifying bend angles on formed parts.

Multimeter and megger: Continuity testing and insulation resistance testing for electrically integrated cabinets. Earth continuity verified on every wired unit.

IP water test facility: In-house water spray setup for IEC 60529 testing at IP55, IP65, and IP66 levels. Recyclable water system.

Calibration: All measuring instruments calibrated at defined intervals with calibration certificates traceable to national standards. Due dates tracked and instruments removed from service when calibration expires.

Third-party testing: For tests we do not perform in-house — such as salt spray (ISO 9227), impact resistance (ISO 6272), or specific customer-required certifications — we coordinate with accredited third-party laboratories. Test samples can be submitted from production batches on request, and third-party reports are included in the shipment documentation package.

Traceability and documentation

Serial-number level • material to dispatch.

What we trace

Serial number: Every assembled product carries a unique serial number assigned at the start of assembly. This serial links to the production order, BOM revision, material batch, assembler ID, inspector sign-off, IP test result (where applicable), and date of manufacture.

Material batch: Incoming raw material is linked to the supplier’s MTC (material test certificate) recording grade, thickness, chemical composition, and mechanical properties. The material batch number follows the material through production.

Quality records: The signed quality checksheet, any inspection measurements, coating DFT readings, adhesion test results, and IP test result are filed against the unit’s serial number. For multi-site deployments of hundreds of cabinets, any field issue can be traced back to the specific production batch, material, and personnel.

Documentation we provide

The documentation included with each shipment depends on what the customer requires. Typical packages include:

Standard: Packing list with serial numbers, delivery challan, and basic inspection clearance.

Enhanced (common for OEM programs): Packing list, quality certificate, DFT coating report, IP test certificate (for IP-rated products), and material traceability summary.

Full traceability (for critical applications): All of the above plus individual serial-level inspection records, mill test certificates, coating adhesion test results, and photographic documentation of key assembly stages.

Tell us during the quotation stage what documentation level your procurement or quality team requires, and we build it into the production quality plan from day one.

Customer audits: Our facility is open for customer quality audits, process reviews, and factory visits at any time. We consider audits a normal and healthy part of OEM relationships — they give you direct visibility into how your product is made and allow us to demonstrate that our quality system works in practice, not just on paper. Contact us to schedule a visit.

Frequently asked questions

Quality assurance, testing, and compliance.

Want to see our quality process first-hand?

Schedule a factory visit or request our quality documentation package — we’re happy to show how we work.

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