Fixtures & Sealing
Leak Test Fixtures
A leak test fixture holds and seals your part so an air leak tester can pressurize or evacuate it and measure the result.
Most air leak tests don’t need a special fixture. You need one when the part has odd geometry or multiple ports that standard connections can’t seal, when a chamber test is required, or when the test runs inside an automation cell.
Zaxis designs and machines the fixture in-house to match the tester: over 300 custom fixtures in 30 years, for automotive, medical, electronics, consumer goods, packaging and industrial parts.
Request for QuoteDo you need a fixture?
If a part has a single port that a standard connection seals, the tester connects directly and no fixture is involved. Three situations change that: the part cannot be sealed with standard connections, the part is a sealed unit that must be tested in a chamber, or the test has to run inside automation with a robot or operator loading parts.
Choose the fixture type by how your part is sealed and where the test runs.
Custom sealing fixtures
For parts with complex shapes or several openings, a custom sealing fixture closes every port and presents one clean connection to the tester. Zaxis’s in-house design and machining staff build a complete sealing solution no matter the complexity.
Custom sealing fixtures are the subject of the Custom Fixtures page, which walks through the collaborative design process from requirements to a machined fixture.
Drawer fixtures for chamber tests
Specially designed for chamber tests, drawer fixtures are slide-in chambers that come in a variety of sizes and are built to the dimensions of your product.
A snug fit with very little volume around the part gives the most sensitive result: the less air surrounding the product, the smaller the leak the chamber test can resolve.
Automation fixtures
Need to fit a leak test into your automation process? Once you choose the Zaxis tester, tell us about your automation and safety requirements and the fixture is designed for your environment: part presentation, clamping, guarding and the pneumatic and electrical interfaces to the cell.
Fixture and tester as one system
A 3D model of the fixture is shared for your approval before CNC machining in Zaxis’s 26,000 sq ft facility in Salt Lake City, Utah. The fixture is then built and validated together with your Zaxis leak tester, so the seal, the pneumatic connections and the test program are proven as a single system before shipment.
Zaxis does not sell fixtures without leak testers. The Z8, Z5 and Z1 are the current platforms that fixtures are designed around.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a fixture to leak test my part?
Most air leak tests don’t require special fixtures. You need one when the part cannot be sealed with standard connections, when a chamber test is required, or when the test runs inside automation.
What is a drawer fixture?
A slide-in chamber built to your part’s dimensions for chamber leak testing. Minimizing the air volume around the part maximizes test sensitivity.
Can I buy a fixture alone?
No. Zaxis builds fixtures only together with a Zaxis leak tester so the two are validated as one system.
Who designs and builds the fixture?
Zaxis’s in-house team of mechanical, electrical and software engineers, machinists and assemblers in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Which Zaxis testers can a fixture be built for?
The fixture is designed after the tester and test type are selected, so it can be built around any current platform: the four-port Z8, the compact multi-channel Z5 or the machine-integrated Z1.
For sealing, volume, verification and automation planning, read the Leak Test Fixture Design Guide.
