Tailoring HALT/HASS Tests towards Product Reliability Growth and Cost Saving

Abstract

The growing competitiveness of the manufacturing market and the increasingly strict reliability standards are raising up the adoption of highly accelerating tests HALT and HASS in the engineering stage of a new product. A reliability growth program primarily benefits the manufacturer, who will be able to plan with greater confidence the optimal warranty and the product performance during its useful life. However, there is actually a divergence between design reliability and field reliability. Furthermore, the energy consumption caused by the highly accelerating tests represents a significant cost both economically and environmentally. In this work we are proposing the tailoring of HALT and HASS as a solution for both reliability growth and energy saving. The approach points on data collected from Hitachi Rail. Discussion and results, even though in a methodological and probabilistic map, confirmed the convenience of tailored test over personalized usage.