Planning Reliability Analysis for New Board Designs
Overview
Reliability analysis is a critical process in the development of new electronic boards, ensuring that the final product operates consistently and safely throughout its expected lifecycle. It involves identifying potential failure modes, assessing risks, and validating design robustness through testing and modeling. Proper planning of reliability analysis helps reduce costly redesigns, improve product durability, and enhance customer satisfaction. This article explores when reliability analysis should be performed, what it entails, and how to proceed effectively.
When to Perform Reliability Analysis
Reliability analysis should be integrated throughout the entire design and development lifecycle, with focus at the following key stages:
- Conceptual Design Phase: Early establishment of reliability requirements and risk identification to guide fundamental design decisions.
- Detailed Design Phase: Application of Design for Reliability (DfR) tools such as Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) to identify and mitigate potential failure mechanisms.
- Prototype Development: Validation of design assumptions through environmental stress testing and accelerated life tests to uncover latent weaknesses.
- Pre-Production Qualification: Comprehensive testing according to industry standards to ensure manufacturing readiness and compliance with reliability targets.
- Production and Field Monitoring: Ongoing quality control and collection of field failure data to support continuous reliability improvements.
What Reliability Analysis Involves
Reliability analysis combines several key methodologies and testing approaches:
- Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA): Systematic identification and prioritization of potential failure modes and their impacts.
- Environmental Stress Testing: Temperature cycling, humidity exposure, vibration, and mechanical shock tests simulate real-world operating conditions.
- Accelerated Life Testing (ALT): Elevated stress testing compresses failure timelines to predict long-term reliability.
- Statistical Reliability Modeling: Metrics such as Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) and Weibull analysis quantify reliability and predict failure rates.
- Design for Reliability (DfR): Engineering practices including component derating, thermal management, and mechanical design to enhance robustness.
How to Proceed with Reliability Analysis
Implementing reliability analysis effectively involves the following steps:
- Define Reliability Requirements: Quantify expected lifetime, environmental conditions, and acceptable failure rates based on application needs.
- Identify Potential Failure Modes: Conduct FMEA to analyze component and system-level failure risks.
- Apply Design for Reliability Principles: Select reliable components, apply derating, optimize thermal and mechanical design.
- Build and Test Prototypes: Perform environmental and accelerated life tests to validate design robustness.
- Analyze Test Data: Use statistical tools to estimate reliability metrics and identify design weaknesses.
- Qualify for Production: Conduct standardized tests based on IPC and other industry standards to ensure manufacturing readiness.
- Monitor Production and Field Performance: Implement quality control and analyze field data for continuous reliability improvements.
Key Findings
- Reliability analysis should start early in the design process and continue through production and field use.
- It involves identifying failure modes, applying design mitigations, and validating through environmental and accelerated testing.
- A structured approach ensures robust board designs that meet application-specific reliability requirements and standards.
Practical Guidance / Do’s & Don’ts
- Do integrate reliability planning at the conceptual design phase.
- Do use FMEA to focus on critical failure modes early.
- Do validate designs with prototype and accelerated life testing.
- Do follow relevant standards such as IPC-2221, IPC-6012, and MIL-HDBK-217.
- Don’t delay reliability analysis until late development stages.
- Don’t rely solely on component datasheets without system-level stress analysis.
- Don’t ignore field feedback for continuous improvement.
Safety & Reliability Notes
Reliability analysis is essential for safety-critical applications such as aerospace, automotive, and medical devices, where failures can have severe consequences. Thorough reliability planning and testing reduce risks of hazardous failures and support regulatory compliance. At TrigoPi, we take pride in pushing the boundaries of reliability testing to ensure products are safe and dependable in their intended environments.
Call to Action
Awareness of when and how to perform reliability analysis is essential for successful new board designs. At TrigoPi, we love testing the edges of what’s possible in reliability engineering, helping clients anticipate and mitigate risks early in development. If you’re embarking on a new board project and want to ensure robust reliability from the start, consider integrating structured reliability analysis into your process. Reach out to us for tailored guidance and insights to meet your reliability goals.
References
- https://www.electronics.org/system/files/technical_resource/E16&S31-01.pdf
- https://resources.altium.com/p/overview-pcbpcba-reliability-and-failure-analysis
- https://www.proto-electronics.com/blog/designing-for-reliability-how-to-ensure-long-term-durability-in-pcb-designs
- https://www.ansys.com/blog/what-is-dfmea
- https://blogs.sw.siemens.com/calibre/2025/07/23/how-to-boost-reliability-with-early-stage-reliability-checks/
- https://titoma.com/blog/design-reliability-electronics/
- https://www.pcbasic.com/blog/pcb_reliability.html
- https://resources.pcb.cadence.com/blog/2024-mtbf-and-reliability-standards-in-pcb-design-cadence
- https://arshon.com/blog/21-essential-pcb-test-engineering-methods-for-best-quality-control/
- https://resources.pcb.cadence.com/blog/2022-reliability-standards-for-electronics-requirements-process-and-design
