Practical Accelerated Life Testing Techniques for Electronic and Mechanical Components

Current new product development procedures require a Reliability Test (from a supplier or internally developed) as mandatory to evaluate new products prior to release. There are no simple engineering equations that describe the failure of components. The proper determination of the reliability plan is crucial because an erroneous test plan can be costly and misleading. The main failure modes may be first established and the life test developed based upon the failure modes. The purpose of an accelerated life test is to demonstrate a minimum life in a simulated customer environment. Accelerated methods are more effective when component signature profiles are defined and used in creating the test plan. The ALT and Stress Step test results in the real world depend upon the applied stresses and should be well behaved when the test conditions are not excessive or unusual. This presentation discusses some practical accelerated life testing techniques for electronic and mechanical components (vibration effects and fatigue effects) in product development.

Key Words: ALT, Electronics, Vibration, Warranty Reduction