When a Product has to be designed for Military specifications which means it has to abide to MIL-STD. This standard was developed by the United States Military as a means of ensuring a certain level of expectations for the safety, performance, endurance and maintainability of military equipment. These products are designed to perform at expected levels under a variety of harsh environmental conditions both simulated and real-time laboratory tested.
Also military grade designed products are gaining popularity in consumer goods to ensure the endurance and robustness of the design.
What is a US – Military Standard?
It was devised in 1945 and there are different standards that cover everything from handling of digital communications to explosive safety. In this we will refer to MIL spec equipment referring to MIL-STD-810, “Environmental Engineering Considerations and Laboratory Tests.”
MIL-STD-810 covers how different types of equipment should be tested to able to withstand given their various use cases, and how the devices should be simulated and tested to ensure compliance. Included are environmental effects such as drop, lifting, shock, humidity, sand, vibration due to road/rail/sea transportation, explosions, and more.
A MIL-SPEC qualifying product doesn’t necessarily have to tested in laboratory for all of these conditions — just the ones that are relevant. Some use cases and environmental conditions are allowed to checked and verified in Computer-Aided simulations such using Numerical methods. Part One of MIL-STD-810 talks about the process of “tailoring” the device profile, based on how it will be used.
MIL-STD-810 covers what different types of equipment should be able to withstand given their use cases, and how the devices should be tested to ensure compliance. Included are environmental effects such as drop, shock, fog, humidity, sand, vibration, leakage, explosions, and more.
How to design a MIL Spec product?
A MIL-SPEC qualifying product does not necessarily have to pass the tests and simulations for all of these variables, however the most relevant alone will be applicable. Part One of MIL-STD-810 deals about the process of tailoring the product design, based on how it will be used and the environment it will be put to use.
Once the decision has been made to design the product aiding to MIL-STDs , whether the end use is in the military, consumer, or industrial sector, the next step is to develop a detailed product use case profile and decide which of the standards apply and how.
The number of specific requirements detailed in the respective MIL_STDs is large and covers a breadth of options, including impact, rain, humidity, thermal shock, gunfire shock, sand and dust ingress, acidic atmosphere, immersion, explosive atmosphere, to name a few. Whilst the above requirements might be necessary for developing a military grade product, but only a select few of the specifications might apply to a commercial product. Specific standards and tests should be defined early in the design process with a product requirements’ understanding document, so as to set the expectation from the beginning for what a successful design will achieve.
The relevant parameters and associated standards will define the design approach towards development of the product. MIL-STDs can impact the materials and components that can be used like certain off the shelf components, which in-turn should be certified as MIL-SPEC. Using MIL-SPEC hardware will generally conform to standard sizes and finishes commonly used in military products and will be developed to pass a range of common MIL-STDs tests and simulations.
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