Track 2 Session 10
9:10 to 10:10 a.m. Thursday June 19, 2008

Design for Reliability in High Volume Spindle Motor Applications

The Design for Reliability (DFR) approach was used for an early detection of the critical failure modes in a stage gate spindle motor product development process. Initially, the product reliability was assessed using Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA). Once the requirements were defined, the prototype of the product was exposed to physics-based reliability tests designed to assess design robustness and identify critical reliability flaws in order to provide an early stage feedback to the design engineers. The early reliability tests were developed using the understanding of the product operation and accelerated through custom-developed, physics-based stressors. The results of the early reliability tests were then compared to the results of the physics predictive reliability modeling and used in re-evaluation of the prototype build. This approach has resulted in a significant decrease in the product integration Defect Part Per Million (DPPM) and Annual Failure Rate (AFR) as well as significant design and manufacturing cost reduction.