Fundamentals of Metric Monitoring

By Fred Schenkelberg

March 11, 2025 / 9am Pacific Time

Following along the idea stated by Lord Kelvin, “…when you can measure what your are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it…”, we have organizations measuring reliability performance. Not that measuring something is managing it, those are two different activies. Yet, using various metrics that we track on a regular basis does provide some useful information if done well.

Let’s explore a few ways that I’ve seen reliability metric monitoring. Let’s also examine a simple process to establish, maintain, and end metrics. Measuring something has an expense, so it much also provide value. If the value is not there, or it’s not useful for making decisions, then either improve the metric system or end the metric.

What are ‘Cut Sets’?

By Chris Jackson

March 25, 2025 /8am Pacific Time

Reliability engineers are often taught about ‘cut sets.’ But we rarely use them. Many reliability engineers don’t know what they are. But they are also in lots of textbooks as if they are really important. So what are they? The good news is that they are pretty simple to understand. The bad news is that they can be difficult to find. Mercifully, they are mainly used by computers who do the hard work of calculating system reliability for us. So knowing what ‘cut sets’ are can be really informative … even if you don’t use them every day.

Active Learning for Industrial Applications: Training Machine Learning Models with Less Data

By Davide Cacciarelli

March 4, 2025 / 7am Pacific Time

In this webinar, we will explore active learning-based sampling strategies and their potential applications to industrial data. Active learning is a valuable approach for streamlining the development of classification and regression models, particularly in environments where acquiring labelled data is both time-consuming and costly. By selecting the most informative data points to label, active learning enables high model performance with significantly reduced labelling efforts. We will begin with an overview of active learning, discussing key scenarios and query strategies. Following this, we will present a brief case study on the use of active learning to improve a defect detection classifier. The webinar will then shift focus to strategies for managing data streams, introducing stream-based active learning. We will cover techniques for training linear models, handling concept drift, and leveraging knowledge distillation for efficient model scaling. Join us to discover how active learning can enhance the development of machine learning models while minimising the need for expensive labelled data.

Digital Twin-Driven Prognostics and Health Management for Digital Circuits

By Huwei Dong and Michael Azarian

March 6, 2025 / 8am Pacific Time

This seminar presents an overview of CALCE’s research into a digital twin-based prognostics and health management (PHM) approach for digital circuits. Building upon CALCE’s previous PHM work for analog circuits that provided component-level fault diagnosis and prognosis using only the output waveform from the circuit, this new approach focuses on analyzing the transition behavior of digital circuit binary output voltage signals. It integrates transfer learning and digital twin technologies to enhance model robustness and accuracy. Temporal, spectral, and hybrid features are extracted from these transitions.

For fault type classification, transfer learning methods are employed for feature transformation and selection, which are fed into a classification model that localizes the degraded circuit components. A regression model is then used to estimate the severity of the degradation. This fault value can be used in conjunction with component degradation models to complete the prognosis task, which provides the remaining useful life for the circuit. The digital twin operates through iterative updating of the models to improve their fidelity to the real world, ensuring that the predictions can be used for effective decision-making for product sustainment and failure prevention.

5 Ways to Prevent Blame in Your Investigations

By Mark Galley

March 7, 2025 / 8am Pacific Time

This webinar explains the benefits of establishing a prevention culture and covers the basic differences between prevention and blame. When a problem occurs in a company, it’s important to understand exactly how it happened. Organizations with a blame mentality typically have a difficult time getting details. People with first-hand information are less likely to share facts if they think it will result in disciplinary action. Organizations focused on prevention make it easier for employees to share what they know so that the analysis is accurate. Management may believe that a prevention focus undermines accountability, but it doesn’t have to.

Accelerometer Mounting Techniques

By Peter Eitnier

March 10, 2025 / 11am Pacific Time

Free for members / $30 non-members

The sensor mounting method can significantly inhibit the frequency performance of an accelerometer. This presentation will offer guidance for vibration practitioners in evaluating and determining the ideal mounting location and method for permanently installed accelerometers. For route-based data collection, where the mount can be especially impactful, best practices will be shared for achieving consistent and complete vibration data. It will include both theoretical limitations and demonstrative vibration data taken in the field. The presenter will explore applications in which the vibration signals of interest can be readily obtained with myriad mounting options, as well as which mounting methods are critical to the success of low- and high-frequency monitoring applications. Vibration sensor mounting in low-clearance locations and electrical isolation will also be covered.

The Keys to Operationalize Reliability

By Brooke Cox

March 11, 2025 / 11am Pacific Time

Free for members / $33.90 non-members

Operating Practices – Self-Assessment

By Ron Moore

March 11, 2025 / 11am Pacific Time

In this session we’ll be taking participants through a “self-assessment” of their current operating practices. What we’ve observed is that most losses from ideal production are related to production practices, not the equipment. Thus, operating practices become paramount in operating a reliable production process. The assessment consists of ten questions covering measurement systems for capturing the losses from ideal production, the understanding and control of key process variables, the use of process monitoring to detect and resolve anomalies in the process and equipment, the collaboration across shifts for steady operation, the use of operator care/PM to better care for the equipment. We believe that any reliability process should be production led, since that’s where the most opportunity lies in improving plant performance. This session will provide a review of where you may need to focus attention in your operating practices for improving plant performance.

Understanding NFPA 70B Compliance

By Nathan Maggelet

March 12, 2025 / 7-10am Pacific Time

$350

Understanding NFPA 70B Compliance is for the person who wants to leverage the provisions of the 2023 NFPA 70B Standard for Electrical Equipment Maintenance to enhance their existing maintenance program and strategy and best safety practices.

The course will cover developing maintenance tasks utilizing the information gathered during the inspection, how to verify that equipment has been inspected to comply with applicable installation codes and standards and creating sustainable record retention policies for all maintenance, equipment, and personnel.

Attendees earn 3 Professional Development Hours (PDH) that will be presented on a downloadable certificate.

How to Add Machine Learning Based A/B testing Techniques to Your Reliability Engineering Toolkit

By Dr. Ananth Narayanan

March 12, 2025 / 8:30-11:30am Pacific Time

$300

Reliability practitioners predominantly use frequentist statistical A/B testing techniques. This webinar will enable them to add a variety of Bayesian Machine Learning (ML) techniques that can significantly enhance their DfX process. As reliability practitioners our job is to make risk-based, data driven decisions. Every day we are expected to answer a variety of questions. Is tool A better than tool B? Is one coating technique more corrosion resistant than the other? Design engineers want us to select the best diffusion barrier and the finance team wants to know if product X has a higher warranty cost than product Y.

To answer these questions, we perform several tests and analysis which fall under the broad umbrella called A/B testing. Although the name suggests that this is a binary selection technique (A Vs B), in the real world we may have multiple factors with multiple outcomes that may either be categorical or continuous. Categorical outcomes are discrete and finite. For instance, the outcome of a mission reliability experiment can be a pass or a fail. Predicting the failure mode(s) in a system that has multiple competing failure modes is an example where multiple categorical outcomes are possible. One could also envision cases where the outcome is continuous, for example, time to failure for a product will yield a continuous distribution. Reliability practitioners widely use inferential statistical techniques for A/B testing. For classification problems where the outcomes are categorical, a Chi square test is widely used. For regression A/B testing where the outcomes are continuous, Student’s t-test is used. If the variances are unequal, Welch t-test is used and if the distributions are not Gaussian, other non-parametric tests like Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal–Wallis test are used. We will briefly review some of these techniques and their applications.

Strategic Error Mitigation: Standard Operating Procedures for Human Error Reduction

By Ginette Collazo

March 12, 2025 / 10-11:30am Pacific Time

$150

We need to be able to explain human behavior. Did the human fail because process weaknesses set them for failure? Do procedures provide for all information and clearly indicate critical steps and warning or cautions associated with steps? Do systems work for manufacturing or it the other way around? These are all tough questions to ask, but most importantly answer.

This training would provide tools that can be implemented and used after this event. These include practical tools. We will discuss human error categories, near root causes and root causes for these events. We will discuss latest trends in human error issues in the industry.

Precision in Preventive Maintenance: Crafting Effective and Repeatable Tasks

By Amissa Giddens and Bryan Bieschke

March 12, 2025 / 11am Pacific Time

Preventive maintenance (PM) task creation is at the core of machine optimization and sustained uptime. A well-structured PM strategy ensures that tasks align with asset conditions, environmental factors, and operational demands. In this webinar, we’ll break down a proven framework for developing effective PM tasks, covering key considerations such as machine context, age, environment, and performance benchmarks.

We’ll also dive into best practices for writing clear, repeatable maintenance instructions that ensure consistency across your team. Whether you’re refining your existing PM program or starting fresh, this session will equip you with the tools to build impactful maintenance tasks that drive efficiency and reliability.

4 Out Of 3 People Do Not Like Math-How To Use Stats To Take Your Data To The Next Level

By Amy Campbell

March 13, 2025 / 8am Pacific Time

Welcome to “Stats for the Rest of Us,” where we transform data into strategic assets! Did you know that 4 out of 3 people don’t like math? We’re here to revolutionize that perception. In this episode, we delve into the strategic application of statistical methodologies to elevate data-driven decision-making for stakeholders.

Our objectives are clear: to demystify fundamental statistical concepts such as mode and median, and to demonstrate their utility in deriving actionable insights. These measures of central tendency are not just theoretical constructs; they are pivotal in understanding data distributions and identifying key trends that drive business/heathcare outcomes.

Moreover, we will explore the critical process of hypothesis testing, a cornerstone of data validation and strategic decision-making. By leveraging advanced statistical tests, including t-tests and chi-square tests, we provide a robust framework for stakeholders to make informed decisions based on empirical evidence.

Join us as we navigate the complexities of statistical analysis, transforming data into a powerful tool for strategic decision-making. Who knew numbers could be this engaging?

Optimizing Oil & Gas Operations With Advanced Condition Monitoring

By Michael Hastings

March 13, 2025 / 10am Pacific Time

Join us for an exciting and exclusive webinar where Mark Hullinger from Williams teams up with Michael Hastings from B&K Vibro! Together, they’ll dive into the SETPOINT® solution and its unique ability to seamlessly integrate vibration data directly into the AVEVA™ PI System™. Discover how this capability is being used to monitor a variety of machines, including 37 reciprocating compressors, across 42 compressor stations along the 3,900-mile Northwest natural gas pipeline in the U.S.

Introduction to Cause Mapping® – Effective Root Cause Analysis

By Mark Galley

March 14, 2025 / 8am Pacific Time

Learn how to become better at solving problems in your job in just 45 minutes. During this webinar, we’ll demonstrate the Cause Mapping® method, which is evidence-based cause-and-effect root cause analysis that can be used on day-to-day issues as well as catastrophic incidents. Anyone wanting to become a more effective manager or team member can benefit from this discussion. Participants will take away practical tips that can be implemented immediately.

Software Reliability Modeling and Statistical Inference

By Tadashi Dohi

March 18, 2025 / 4-6pm Pacific Time

Software reliability engineering plays a central role to quantify software product reliability in the verification/validation phase before the release. During the last five decades, in fact, over two hundred software reliability models have been proposed in the literature.

First, we quickly overview the software reliability modeling based on the software fault count data observed in the testing phase, where homogeneous Markov processes (HMPs) and non-homogeneous Poisson processes (NHPPs) have gained much popularity to assess quantitative software reliability.

Next, we provide generalization frameworks on software reliability models, by introducing non-homogeneous Markov processes (NHMPs).

Finally, we introduce some examples on software metrics-based reliability modeling framework, to give the reality of reliability modeling. We show how these software reliability models can work better than the classical ones in terms of goodness-of-fit and predictive performances, through several empirical studies with actual software fault count data.

Pros and Cons of The Hierarchy of Controls

By Mark Galley

March 21, 2025 / 8am Pacific Time

The hierarchy of controls consists of five levels for mitigating hazards. The intent is to help organizations determine the most effective way to manage risk. The hierarchy provides a preferred order for prevention. In this webinar, we’ll cover the important insights within the hierarchy of controls and some of the concerns practitioners have when applying the model.

Localized Harsh Environments and ECM: Design-Created Micro-Climates – The Hidden Threat Within Electronic Devices

March 25, 2025 / 8am Pacific Time

Poor thermal management can lead to condensation and moisture accumulation on a PCB’s surface, triggering electrochemical migration (ECM) and other reliability failures.

Through real-world case studies, including a billion-dollar recall of a popular video game console due to ECM failures, this webinar will illustrate how improper heat dissipation can create failure-prone conditions, even in devices designed for controlled environments.

By examining design strategies that mitigate localized harsh conditions, this webinar will emphasize the importance of holistic thermal management and an effective cleaning strategy in safeguarding reliability.

Engineers and designers must not only consider external climatic factors but also ensure that the device itself does not become its own worst enemy.

Maintenance Practices – Self-Assessment

By Ron Moore

March 25, 2025 / 11am Pacific Time

In this session we’ll be taking participants through a “self-assessment” of their current maintenance practices. What we’ve observed is that maintenance typically directly controls only about 10% of most losses from ideal production, and at most 30%. That said, excellence in maintenance practices is essential for a reliable plant. The maintenance function is particularly successful when that excellence is combined with a collaborative relationship with production.

The assessment consists of ten questions covering the use of criticality analysis, Pareto analysis and equipment histories, work management, planning and scheduling (they’re different), PM practices, including specificity based on failure modes and consequences, the level of operator involvement in caring for equipment, and whether a proactive mindset is prevalent. This session will provide a review of where you may need to focus attention in improving plant performance through better maintenance practices.

Reliability Demonstration: Theory and Practical Applications

By Dr. Andre Kleyner

March 26, 2025 / 8:30-11:30am Pacific Time

$300

This webinar covers a number of reliability demonstration techniques including success based testing, test-to failure, degradation analysis, and other tools utilized by reliability engineers in the industry to demonstrate the reliability during a product test and validation process. It also includes the latest developments on converting test reliability into population reliability and cost improvements techniques, such as test sample size reduction utilizing prior product knowledge.

Webinar Content:

• Success Based Testing
• Accounting for the failures during Success Based Testing
• Test to Failure and Weibull analysis
• Using Degradation Analysis for reliability demonstration
• “Composite” Techniques:
• The tradeoff between test duration and test sample size using Parametric Binomial
• Continuous testing
• Availability vs. Reliability
• Additional Reliability Demonstration Tools
• Cost reduction by minimizing the test sample size utilizing a prior product knowledge
• Correlation between the reliability demonstrated during a test and field population reliability (demonstrating high reliability with a reasonable sample size)
• Reliability Demonstration Cost Models and Cost reduction recommendations

HAST Quality Testing of Epoxy Mold Compounds

By Freddy Gilbert

March 27, 2025 / 1am Pacific Time / Presented from Central European Standard time

Free for members / $25 non-members

Cracks, penetration paths, and adhesion weak points in insulation polymers such as epoxy mold compounds can drastically reduce the lifespan of electronic systems, especially in humid environments. Fault mechanisms like electrochemical migration (ECM) and anodic migration phenomenon (AMP) are major concerns for electronics operating under high voltage and harsh conditions.

This webinar will introduce an advanced approach to assessing the protective effectiveness of polymer-based encapsulation materials using the iodine vapor-based test. Attendees will learn:

✔ How the iodine vapor test (IVT) functions as a Highly Accelerated Stress Test (HAST)
✔ A comparison of IVT with conventional testing methods like MFG and FoS
✔ The role of impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in non-destructive evaluation before and after testing

Excel Tips & Tricks for Using the Cause Mapping® Template

By Aaron Cross

March 28, 2025 / 8am Pacific Time

This FREE Webinar will demonstrate how powerful the drawing tool within Excel can be to document, communicate and share your entire investigation within our Excel Cause Mapping template without having to invest in new expensive, complicated software.