Reliability Testing
Get it right first time, every time
Innovative designs build sales. Reliable designs build brands.
Design for Reliability Toolkit
Save money and time in product development.
To consistently create reliable products you have to know your customer’s use case. You can’t plan for reliability until you know how the product will be used.
DfR weaves reliability engineering into the product development cycle. Customer expectations for reliability are met through the life of the product while costs are kept to a minimum.
Successfully implementing DfR means your company will make better, more mature products, with more integrated new technology faster than your competitors. It’s that simple.
Reliability testing occurs always.
The question is, who is doing the testing, you or your customer?
Here are four tests your products should be undergoing, so they stay reliable when they are in your customer’s hands.
Highly Accelerated Life Test (HALT)
Accelerated Life Testing
Reliability Growth
Highly Accelerated Stress Screening (HASS)
Highly Accelerated Life Testing (HALT)
HALT’s value is in the product development process. It isn’t a test you want to pass. You are looking for opportunities to observe failure. These observations make it possible to ruggedize the product in a short time frame.
HALT Testing
- Discovers failure modes
- Evaluates design margins
- Creates a mature product early.
Maturing your products in the field means your customer is part of your reliability engineering team. No customer wants that.
HALT testing aims to provide rapid design improvement input by applying stepped stresses until the design fails. These forced failures yield tremendous information about how a design works and where it is vulnerable. It is critical information that can be delivered in just three days.
Accelerated Life Testing
Imagine believing that your product has a ten-year life only to find out that it, in fact, has a critical wear-out mechanism at six years. This type of error is very easy to make by not following the ALT process correctly.
Accelerated Life Testing (ALT) provides the answer to the critical question, “When will my product wear out?” Every product development team and every customer wants to know the answer to that question. ALT provides it in a very compressed timeframe.
Reliability Growth
Reliability growth testing aims to measure a product’s performance, so statistical confidence statement can be made about its likelihood of success. Reliability growth tests connect the reliability program to leadership and high level program decisions. Leaders expect a quantitative measurement of robustness during the product development process. This tool achieves that.
Highly Accelerated Stress Screening (HASS)
HASS is a production screening method that ensures that the product that lands in your customer’s hands is exactly the product you intended. It screens every unit produced to make sure the unit is perfect. The method is also 10x faster, and detects defects more accurately than all other screening methods. Creating a HASS process is possible only if you have completed a Reliability HALT program during the design process.
Failure Mode Effects Analysis (FMEA)
We have access to testing labs in every US state to ensure you get exactly the test you need in the most accessible way possible
- Testing near your engineering team is key to impactful results
- We collaborate with more than 35 labs in North America
- Doing testing as early as possible is key to success, we have the resources to make that happen
- Having your tests designed and overseen by certified reliability engineers is essential for great results
- Doing your testing when you can make design changes is key to keeping problems out of your customer's hands
- We make sure you don’t just “test to pass”, you “test to learn” so your team’s core knowledge grows
Allocation Modelling
Every testing program is overseen by a certified reliability engineer and test team to ensure you get the best results the first time
Your Journey to creating highly robust products start here.
Environmental Testing
Environmental testing assesses a product’s ability to withstand environmental conditions it may encounter during its lifecycle. This type of testing simulates different factors such as extreme temperatures, humidity, dust, and corrosion to determine if a product can endure real-world scenarios. By exposing products to such conditions, manufacturers can assess their durability and robustness, ensuring that they meet specified environmental standards and will function reliably over time.
ISTA (International Safe Transit Association) Testing
ISTA testing evaluates the packaging and transportation reliability of products by simulating shipping conditions. This type of testing checks if the product and its packaging can survive impacts, vibrations, drops, and stacking stresses commonly encountered during transportation. ISTA testing helps companies ensure that their products reach customers without damage, reducing the risk of returns and improving customer satisfaction.
ESD (Electrostatic Discharge) Testing
ESD testing measures a product’s resilience to electrostatic discharges, which can occur when static electricity builds up and is suddenly released. Such discharges can damage sensitive electronics, causing malfunctions or permanent failure. ESD testing ensures that products, especially those with electronic components, can withstand these discharges, helping to prevent unintentional damage and enhance reliability in various environments.
EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility) Testing
EMC testing evaluates a product’s ability to operate in its electromagnetic environment without causing or suffering from interference. This testing is essential for electronic products to ensure they can function reliably without emitting or being affected by electromagnetic interference from other devices. EMC compliance is critical in fields like medical devices, automotive, and aerospace, where interference could have significant safety implications.
Vibration Testing
Vibration testing simulates the mechanical vibrations a product might experience during its lifecycle, such as during transportation or operation in machinery. This testing helps identify weak points in the design and construction that could lead to failures over time. Vibration testing is crucial for products subjected to constant or repeated movement, as it ensures their durability and resistance to such forces.
Shock Testing
Shock testing assesses a product’s ability to withstand sudden impacts or jolts, such as drops or collisions. This type of testing is designed to simulate real-world scenarios where products might be subjected to unexpected forces. Shock testing is important for products that could be dropped or hit, ensuring they can endure these events without failure, especially for fragile or sensitive items.
Humidity Testing
Humidity testing evaluates a product’s resistance to moisture and high humidity conditions, which can cause corrosion, mold growth, and other issues. By subjecting products to humid environments, manufacturers can assess how well they withstand these conditions and identify any susceptibility to moisture-related damage. Humidity testing is especially relevant for products used in environments where moisture exposure is likely, ensuring they remain functional and reliable over time.