Product reliability analysis

The techniques used by our experts reduce the risk of releasing products that do not meet market expectations or standards.

Reliability plays a fundamental role in customer satisfaction, with deep impacts on the safety of many products released on the market (automotive, medical, etc.).

GESTLABS supports customers with a rigorous, scientific approach, which requires the ability to identify the stress tests and laboratory analyses suited to the specific failure mechanisms identified. Our personnel can follow the customer through all phases of a product’s life — from design to prototyping and production qualification — with the definition and execution of reliability tests.

Reliability and safety

Our technicians use the following methodologies to ensure that the products released by the customer guarantee maximum reliability.

MTBF and failure rate calculation

The calculation of MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures) is one of the cornerstones of reliability; its aim is to predict the defectiveness of a device during its useful life, i.e. before the wear-out period. The MTBF and the failure rate — which is the inverse of the MTBF — can be determined from experimental tests or, in the case of electronic boards, also in accordance with specific standards. The MTBF value is a fundamental requirement for the customer and is indispensable in many sectors, such as automotive, medical and aerospace.

Useful Life

The useful life is the period during which the device performs its functions optimally, i.e. it is not yet affected by wear phenomena. This period normally extends beyond the warranty period and must match the customer’s expected service life. It is determined through accelerated stress tests or — especially in the design phase of electronic boards — through specific calculations in accordance with specific standards.

Distributions for reliability

Statistical distributions (chi-squared, Weibull, exponential, etc.) are indispensable for correctly performing reliability projections from test data. Through these distributions it is possible to determine the MTTF (Mean Time To Failure) and the MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures) with the related confidence intervals based on the sample size used.

Accelerated stress tests and acceleration factors

For reliability predictions it is often necessary to go beyond theoretical calculations and perform specific stress tests aimed at accelerating specific failure mechanisms. These accelerated tests use accelerating factors such as temperature, humidity, current, voltage, etc. It is essential to match the most appropriate accelerating factors — with adequate values — to the various failure mechanisms, to avoid triggering abnormal failure mechanisms or, conversely, using insufficient acceleration factors. Acceleration factors can be determined directly from experimental data or from dedicated models, themselves derived from experimental tests.

Setting of testing plans

The definition of the most appropriate tests depends on the development phase of the product (which may be a device or a material).

HALT Tests

At the prototype stage, HALT (Highly Accelerated Life Tests) are advisable. These tests verify the robustness of the product under various stress conditions (temperature, humidity, voltage, etc.). They are generally short tests with very intense stresses.

HASS and Burn-in Tests

During production, it is often necessary to carry out stress tests to identify and eliminate those products (devices or materials) with defects that would only show up over time and therefore cannot be detected through normal production checks. These products, which form the “weak population”, can be identified through dedicated stress tests called HASS (Highly Accelerated Stress Screening), often better known — especially in the past — as “burn-in”.

Qualification Tests

Qualification tests are those on which the reliability estimates of the device (MTTF, MTBF, useful life) are based. They are generally accelerated tests, designed precisely to accelerate one or more failure mechanisms. It is particularly important to match qualification tests to the specific failure mechanisms the product encounters in its real application at the customer’s site. It is equally important to set test parameters so as to avoid triggering abnormal failure mechanisms or, conversely, using acceleration factors that are too low.

Other services

Statistics & Six Sigma

Applying statistical techniques to production processes and services makes it possible to reduce costs and improve quality in a systematic, lasting way.

Laser safety and artificial optical radiations

All materials, equipment, machinery, installations and electrical and electronic systems must be designed and built to professional standards.

LED Technology

Ensuring the reliability of the electronic components of LED-based products means being able to release safe, reliable products.

ESD and MSD Analysis

Ensuring the reliability of the electronic components of LED-based products means being able to release safe, reliable products.

GESTLABS labs

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