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A Brief Introduction to HALT

A Brief Introduction to HALT

Highly Accelerated Life Testing (HALT) is a technique to expose weaknesses or faults with a product.

HALT uses individual or combined stresses in a step stress approach to quickly apply sufficient stress to reveal defects.

HALT is not a specific chamber or fixed set of test conditions. It is an exploratory process to reveal weaknesses in a design.

The product development process naturally includes a check step, to determine if the expected functions of the product work as expected.

Some teams then add a measured amount of stress (temperature, vibration, dust, load, etc.) to the product to explore functionality at elevated stress levels. [Read more…]

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The Exciting World of Warranty Terms

The Exciting World of Warranty Terms

Here’s a short list of terms related to warranty management. Often is the words we use that matter and understanding the language of warranties is one step in mastering warranty management.

Warranty

A promise made to the buyer of an item that the manufacturer (seller) will repair or replace the item if necessary within a specific time period. [Read more…]

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Why Should a Supplier Work Harder For You?

Why Should a Supplier Work Harder For You?

A recent LinkedIn discussion addressed the question of the best strategy for dealing with poor supplier performance.

A lot of the respondents seemed to advocate a punitive approach, either threatening the loss of future business if performance doesn’t improve, or combing through the terms & conditions of the contract for enforcement language.

I’ve always thought that there’s a lot of similarity between managing suppliers and managing subordinates, and I wonder if some of these same people threaten their teams with punitive actions when individual performance doesn’t meet expectations. [Read more…]

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What is the Link between Reliability and Brand?

What is the Link between Reliability and Brand?

In short, you probably do, better reliability performance the better the brand image.

When I’m making a purchase I prefer to buy items that I either have personal experience work well over time (reliable) or have many comments and reviews noting the durability.

As a reliability engineer, I am often asked what kind of car I drive (a Toyota Highlander, if must know). Reliability does matter -not only to me- it matters for many making a buying decision.

When a product’s actual reliability performance exceeds the customers expected reliability performance, the customer may consider the product reliable. This experience builds and when supported by other experiences from the same brand, increases brand equity. High brand equity permits a price premium, increased brand loyalty, and increased positive word of mouth support. [Read more…]

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Warranty Evolution and Laws

Warranty Evolution and Laws

When making a transaction there is an element of trust.

The buyer is trusting you are providing a product that lives up to the claims provided. Neither party wishes to be duped. Yet, we do enter into transactions. We buy stuff.

A few hundred years ago and prior most purchases were from someone you knew, and most likely knew well. It was in the craftsman’s best interest to maintain honest dealing and create quality products. If not, they would enjoy less business. [Read more…]

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The Liability Part of Reliability Engineering

The Liability Part of Reliability Engineering

In many parts of the world ‘caveat emptor’ [let the buyer beware] no longer applies.

The producer and distributors of products are liable for their products.

This extends beyond product failures and a warranty claim. Today the company is liable for to make right any loss or damage incurred by the use of the product.

Courts and laws around the world reflect the protection of users of products from adverse consequences due to a negligent design and assembly practices.

The producer of a product must consider the user’s safety and provide reasonable safeguards.

This applies even when the user misuses or abuses a product. [Read more…]

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Basic Approach to Achieve Process Stability

Basic Approach to Achieve Process Stability

Everything varies.

Your vendors provide components with a range of values. Your production process varies, too.

Creating, monitoring, and maintaining process stability enhances your product reliability performance.

When I started my professional life as a manufacturing engineer, a senior engineer told me we take a product design and can only make it worse.

He said if we could make every unit exactly according to the nominal values of the drawing, every unit would work well. [Read more…]

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Use a Delta Program to Minimize Early Field Failures

Use a Delta Program to Minimize Early Field Failures

Failures happen. Sometimes product failures happen quickly.

You just bought a new feature rich computer and discover it doesn’t work. Right out of the box, it will not power up. Conversations with the tech support and it’s a trip back to the store.

The failures that occur early the in the life of a product tend —

this ‘tend’ really is just a vague ‘in general’

…tend to occur because of manufacturing errors or shipping/installation damage.

Not always, though. [Read more…]

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Standby Redundancy, Equal Failure Rates, Imperfect Switching

Standby Redundancy, Equal Failure Rates, Imperfect Switching

First off, switches are not perfect, so this situation includes the reliability of the switch. Switch reliability may be a factor of storage time, probability of actually working when called on to work, or number of switching cycles. Each switch technology may be slightly different. For this equation, you need the reliability or probability of success given the primary unit has failed. Although we are assume the switch reliability is independent of the primary unit reliability and subsequent failure.
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