Speaking Of Reliability: Friends Discussing Reliability Engineering Topics | Warranty | Plant Maintenance

Redundancy by Design Abstract Kirk and Fred discussing the use of backups and system redundancy in the design of electronics for increased reliability. Key Points Join Kirk and Fred as they discuss how a company that wants to use two combined stresses simultaneously, at three intensity levels, but not the same stress combinations at each level may not provide useful life estimate data. Topics include: Determining the life estimates of a component or system using an accelerated life test with one stress stimulus is difficult without knowing the wear-out mechanisms that drive the device to failure. Using combination stresses makes the quantification of product life determination even more challenging. For example, a cracked solder joint will propagate with either vibration or thermal cycling, and combining those two makes it more difficult to quantify the relation to the field stresses. If one is using HALT, which is not for quantifying life, it is recommended that the first application of stress is to use a single stress to the operation limit, then later combine stresses to accelerate the precipitation of latent defects. The idea is to keep it simple to make it easier to determine the physics of the accelerated stress-induced failures. Doing an accelerated test to quantify life requires that one know what the life cycle stress environments that the product will be subjected to. Most electronics, especially portable or mobile systems will have significant variations across the world and user applications, and therefore many different rates of fatigue damage. Kirk’s 30 years of doing testing and failure analysis is that the vast majority of failures in the early years of use are from assignable causes, which are either errors in design, manufacturing of components, or final assembly. The life entitlement of most electronics is well beyond its technological obsolescence, and finding and eliminating the causes of latent defects is much more cost-effective than the delusion that complex electronics systems’ nominal life entitlement can be determined through stress testing. We do not know the actual lifetimes of today’s electronics, as most get discarded before wearing them out. Enjoy an episode of Speaking of Reliability. Where you can join friends as they discuss reliability topics. Join us as we discuss topics ranging from design for reliability techniques to field data analysis approaches.   Download Audio RSS Show Notes You can now purchase the most recent recording of Kirk Gray’s Hobbs Engineering 8 (two 4 hour sessions) hour Webinar “Rapid and Robust Reliability Development 2022 HALT & HASS Methodologies Online Seminar” from this link. Please click on this link to access a relatively new analysis of traditional reliability prediction methods article from the US ARMY and CALCE titled  “Reliability Prediction – Continued Reliance on a Misleading Approach” For more information on the newest discovery testing methodology here is a link to the book “Next Generation HALT and HASS: Robust design of Electronics and Systems” written by Kirk Gray and John Paschkewitz. Related Topics: When You Should (And Shouldn’t) Use Redundant Equipment To Improve System Reliability(Opens article in a new browser tab) SOR 356 How Reliable Does Your Product Need to Be(Opens podcast in a new browser tab) The post SOR 874 Redundancy by Design appeared first on Accendo Reliability.

Wishful Accelerated Testing Abstract Kirk and Fred discussing a accelerated stress test that a listener was going to use a different combination of stresses on samples to determine life estimates. Key Points Join Kirk and Fred as they discuss how a company that wants to use two combined stresses simultaneously, at three intensity levels, but not the same stress combinations at each level may not provide useful life estimate data. Topics include: Determining the life estimates of a component or system using an accelerated life test with one stress stimulus is difficult without knowing the wear-out mechanisms that drive the device to failure. Using combination stresses makes the quantification of product life determination even more challenging. For example, a cracked solder joint will propagate with either vibration or thermal cycling, and combining those two makes it more difficult to quantify the relation to the field stresses. If one is using HALT, which is not to find quantified life, it is recommended that the first application of stress is to use a single stress to the operation limit, then later combine stresses to accelerate the precipitation of latent defects. The idea is to keep it simple to make it easier to determine the physics of the accelerated stress-induced failures. Doing an accelerated test to quantify life requires that one know what the life cycle stress environments that the product will be subjected to. For most electronics, especially portable or mobile systems will have significant variations across the world and user applications, and therefore many different rates of fatigue damage. Kirk’s 30 years of doing testing and failure analysis is that the vast majority of failures in the early years of use are from assignable causes, which are either errors in design, manufacturing of components, or final assembly. The life entitlement of most electronics is well beyond its technological obsolescence, and finding and eliminating the causes of latent defects is much more cost-effective than the delusion that complex electronics systems’ nominal life entitlement can be determined through stress testing. We do not know the actual lifetimes of today’s electronics, as most get discarded before wearing them out. Enjoy an episode of Speaking of Reliability. Where you can join friends as they discuss reliability topics. Join us as we discuss topics ranging from design for reliability techniques to field data analysis approaches. Download Audio RSS Show Notes You can now purchase the recent recording of Kirk Gray’s Hobbs Engineering 8 (two 4 hour sessions) hour Webinar “Rapid and Robust Reliability Development 2022 HALT & HASS Methodologies Online Seminar” from this link. Please click on this link to access a relatively new analysis of traditional reliability prediction methods article from the US ARMY and CALCE titled  “Reliability Prediction – Continued Reliance on a Misleading Approach” For more information on the newest discovery testing methodology here is a link to the book “Next Generation HALT and HASS: Robust design of Electronics and Systems” written by Kirk Gray and John Paschkewitz. Related Topics: Accelerated Testing(Opens article in a new browser tab) The post SOR 873 Wishful Accelerated Testing appeared first on Accendo Reliability.

Design Process Blindspots Abstract Carl and Fred discussing the interesting subject of “blind spots,” and how they can impede good designs. Key Points Join Carl and Fred as they discuss the nature of “blind spots” and how they can be addressed in teams. Topics include: On an FMEA team, why not have the design engineer make the decisions? Why do you need an engineering team? What are “blind spots” and how can they be mitigated? Sometimes you can get so close to a problem that you cannot see the solution Discussion of Henry Petroski’s book “Design Paradigms” Three reasons to use teams to overcome blind spots The solution to a problem can create other unintended problems Some problems need a pause to see the solution Look at problems from other points of view People do not have the same blind spots People are often unaware of their blind spots Use of brainstorming to enhance solutions Be open to other people’s ideas You cannot anticipate everything; but you can minimize risk If you do a very good job of FMEA preparation and facilitation, you can reduce risk to an acceptable level Risk never goes to zero Management needs to understand the limitations of individual engineers The culture has to allow people to say something is not right Reliability engineers need to speak up when there is a high-risk issue What do you do if you see something, and the culture does not support speaking up? Enjoy an episode of Speaking of Reliability. Where you can join friends as they discuss reliability topics. Join us as we discuss topics ranging from design for reliability techniques to field data analysis approaches. Download Audio RSS Related Topics: Why FMEA Needs to be Team-Based(Opens article in a new browser tab)   The post SOR 872 Design Process Blindspots appeared first on Accendo Reliability.

Giving and a Reliability Career Abstract Carl and Fred discussing how focusing on helping others can enhance your reliability career and provide a sense of community. Key Points Join Carl and Fred as they discuss a philosophy of life that relates to giving. Topics include: The value of networking The value of working on standards committees Opportunities abound when your focus is on creating value Doing something useful for others pays off to you in unpredicted ways Don’t begin with what you can get, provide support and good will Answer people’s questions, take the time to help others There is no way to know ahead of time which outward efforts will result in benefit to you If you are genuinely interested in helping others, it will come across What is Content Marketing? Presenting at conferences is a great way to create goodwill and enhance your career What does it mean to work yourself out of a job? What is “pay it forward”? When interviewing for a job, do not focus on benefits, focus on how you can help solve their unique problems Philosophy: if you do good things, good things come back to you Accendo business model is to help reliability people share what they know Enjoy an episode of Speaking of Reliability. Where you can join friends as they discuss reliability topics. Join us as we discuss topics ranging from design for reliability techniques to field data analysis approaches. Download Audio RSS Related Topics: SOR 418 Sense of Community for Reliability Engineers(Opens podcast in a new browser tab) What is Reliability Engineering?(Opens article in a new browser tab) The post SOR 871 Giving and a Reliability Career appeared first on Accendo Reliability.

Reliability Lunch and Learns Abstract Dianna and Fred discussing how reliability engineers can promote engagement within their organizations, including reliability lunch and learns. Key Points Join Dianna and Fred as they discuss reliability lunch and learns and other ways that reliability engineers (and others!) can promote engagement within their organizations. Goals of outreach programs hosted by reliability engineers include making themselves available, sharing knowledge, promoting understanding of how different functions of the organization interface, and showing how they can help. Topics include: Benefits of in-house engagement channels Ideas for creating and managing email lists or forums Monthly webinars: introducing topics and perspectives, and repurposing for onboarding Mastermind groups set-up Workshops with suppliers v-blocks, pizza, and veggies in a doughnut box Enjoy an episode of Speaking of Reliability. Where you can join friends as they discuss reliability topics. Join us as we discuss topics ranging from design for reliability techniques to field data analysis approaches. Download Audio RSS Show Notes Setting up outreach programs, like a reliability lunch and learn type series, can be a big benefit within an organization or company. There are basic needs that internal channels address. What resources are here and available to me? Who can I talk to or interface with, and how do I best do that? How can others help me? In addition, internal channels provide a way to talk about and share proprietary information and knowledge within the company. This could be about specific technology or current trends and topics in a department or for the company at large. Outreach programs require some management for success. Planning, engaging, and monitoring are some basic activities. Other ways to make them successful: meet people where they are make it a safe place, to openly ask questions or discuss ideas be consistent We invite you to share with us: If you are doing outreach programs in your workplace, like reliability lunch and learns and the others we talked about: what are you finding that works for you? What doesn’t work? How are quick searches, done online with a search engine, affecting you (helping or hurting)? Related Topics: SOR 742 Reliability and Quality(Opens podcast in a new browser tab) The post SOR 870 Reliability Lunch and Learns appeared first on Accendo Reliability.

Reliability Engineering and Marketing Similarities Abstract Chris and Fred discuss the similarities between reliability engineering and good marketing is. Why? … we have to try and convince lots of skeptics. Key Points Join Chris and Fred as they discuss how reliability engineers need to be very similar to marketing people who try and convince a key message. Why is that? Because we need to convince people that reliability engineering stuff is important. And … will help them in ways they don’t already know. Topics include: Don’t say what you want to say … say what people need to hear. And these are very different. We have all been to conferences and presentations where the presenter gets up and says who they are, what university they went to, what class of air travel they took to get here, how many organizations they have personally saved and so on. Who cares? If what you are about to say is valuable and amazing … that is how people will judge how awesome you are. So what do people need to hear … and why do they need to hear it? Give your target audience a name(s). This can really help. For example, let’s say you need to come up with a marketing video to promote a free employment support agency that can help people with basic skills (like literacy, computer skills and so on) and then network them with prospective employers. So who is our target audience? Let’s call our person ‘Barbara.’ Based on what we are trying to offer, Barbara is currently unemployed, missing key employable skills, probably struggling for money, perhaps even suffering from mental illness which we know is associated with extended periods of unemployment and so on. Now we have some key understanding of how we need to target our marketing campaign. And you should do the same for your audience (i.e. decision makers). What do they ‘need?’ This happens to be the things they value the most. Do they need to eliminate the historical delays to design and production that have plagued their program? Do they need to try and tackle warranty issues that continue to embarrass their organization? Do they need to be able to demonstrate their new medical device is reliable to gain a foothold in a new market? None of this has anything to do with your favourite analysis technique, or your track record, or how many papers you have published, or what colour you are thinking of now. Don’t waste your effort. And the quickest way to do this is to not sell the wonderful things you have come up with. Enjoy an episode of Speaking of Reliability. Where you can join friends as they discuss reliability topics. Join us as we discuss topics ranging from design for reliability techniques to field data analysis approaches. Download Audio RSS Related Topics: SOR 701 Time to Market and Reliability(Opens podcast in a new browser tab)   Reliability in the Business Case(Opens article in a new browser tab) The post SOR 869 Reliability Engineering and Marketing Similarities appeared first on Accendo Reliability.

Reliability Engineering and AI Abstract Carl and Fred discussing the integration of artificial intelligence with the tools and procedures of reliability engineering. Key Points Join Carl and Fred as they discuss the broad subject of models, AI, and various types of automation, and how they interact with the day to day activities of reliability engineering. Topics include: The efficacy of automating FMEAs, what should and should not be done? What is the role of teams and human involvement in reliability engineering? Increasing complexity of systems Model-based engineering What is role of skilled subject matter expert? Why are teams necessary? Where is engagement and buy in before taking action? Models are tools and can have errors Finite information on World Wide Web Human decisions can be supported by the tools of models, automation, data bases What is role of creativity and can it be modeled? Who gets patent with AI generated material? One study shows that 28% of medical journal papers are AI generated Where is FMEA useful? Can an AI bot be a participant on an FMEA team? FMEA bot: have you considered these failure mechanisms that may apply to the discussion? There are many opportunities for use of AI in FMEAs Don’t allow the machine to talk over the thinking that is needed on the high-risk areas Keep grounded in principles when integrating AI into reliability engineering What are you trying to accomplish and is the AI tool useful in that objective “Regression to the mean” is not necessarily the best approach Be discerning, critical, and open, all at the same time Be wary of misinformation on the web Always ask “what are the limitations?” for each tool? Enjoy an episode of Speaking of Reliability. Where you can join friends as they discuss reliability topics. Join us as we discuss topics ranging from design for reliability techniques to field data analysis approaches. Download Audio RSS Related Topics: RRP 103 IIoT & AI Live Q&A(Opens in a new browser tab) 206-Reliability Basics and AI with Fred Schenkelberg(Opens podcast in a new browser tab) The post SOR 868 Reliability Engineering and AI appeared first on Accendo Reliability.

Identify Key Decisions Abstract Carl and Fred discussing the integration of reliability activities with engineering decisions, and how to enhance this important intersection. Key Points Join Carl and Fred as they discuss the important of supporting the decision-making process with the tools of Reliability Engineering. Topics include: The origin of Speaking of Reliability Aligning reliability activities with what the team needs Primary Steps to Achieving High Reliability include Step 3: “Identify Reliability-related Decisions” What are the key pieces of information that are needed by the program team, and when? Reliability occurs at the point of decision Everything we do in reliability should support the decisions that create a reliable product There is a broad range of decisions in the product development process Connect the reliability plan with the *key* decisions In order to impact reliability-related decisions, you have to do the previous steps well, including reliability strategic vision and reliability gap assessment Reliability is not done in a vacuum Sometimes the decisions you have to support are mandated by management Ask for the “why” behind the decision, so you know how best to support it All gaps do not need to be addressed; the questions is whether or not closing the gap supports a key decision Consider the matrix in our book to prioritize decisions; screen shot in Show Notes Listing important decisions is not a one-time event Writing a Reliability Plan is not a one-time event, it needs to be updated when needed Get the activities of reliability associated with the key decisions in your company Connecting with decisions advances your career in reliability Enjoy an episode of Speaking of Reliability. Where you can join friends as they discuss reliability topics. Join us as we discuss topics ranging from design for reliability techniques to field data analysis approaches. Download Audio RSS Show Notes Figure 7.1 “Decision making matrix for the Enthusiast Series example” from The Process of Reliability Engineering Related Topics: SOR 607 Reliability Decisions(Opens podcast in a new browser tab) Help Your Team Make Better Reliability Decisions(Opens article in a new browser tab) The post SOR 867 Identify Key Decisions appeared first on Accendo Reliability.

Career Strategies Abstract Kirk and Fred discuss about a career progression in the field of reliability engineering and job movement in this post-pandemic work world. Key Points Join Kirk and Fred as they discuss career paths in becoming a knowledgeable and more skilled reliability professional. Topics include: Kirk’s experience in semiconductor manufacturing, and later in computer manufacturing, and meeting Gregg Hobbs, provided many different skills and understandings of the so many aspects of electronics systems production and what can go wrong. Working with many different companies also gives a wide understanding of the politics of organizations and some of the absurd things you are asked to do, such as when Kirk was part of a technical team in Storage Technology that was formed to determine why the “reliability prediction departments’ predictions did not correlate to actual field failure rates. The experience of doing failure analysis on a wide variety of systems will provide a much more comprehensive understanding of reliability and the many ways a system can fail. Although this can be possible in the same company, being with many companies provides more knowledge of reliability and in addition the variety of organizational politics. With younger workers and in today’s job market, switching jobs more frequently is not viewed not as much as a negative as it was a generation ago. Company politics and relationships play a big role in the ability to get companies to change methods and sometimes a consultant can get changes accepted easier than done than an internal employee who knows the same information. Enjoy an episode of Speaking of Reliability. Where you can join friends as they discuss reliability topics. Join us as we discuss topics ranging from design for reliability techniques to field data analysis approaches. SOR 866 Career StrategiesKirk Grayshare Social: Link: Embed: https://episodes.reliability.fm/sor/sor-866-career-strategies.mp3 Download Audio RSS Show Notes You can now purchase the recent recording of Kirk Gray’s Hobbs Engineering 8 (two 4 hour sessions) hour Webinar “Rapid and Robust Reliability Development 2022 HALT & HASS Methodologies Online Seminar” from this link. Please click on this link to access a relatively new analysis of traditional reliability prediction methods article from the US ARMY and CALCE titled  “Reliability Prediction – Continued Reliance on a Misleading Approach” For more information on the newest discovery testing methodology here is a link to the book “Next Generation HALT and HASS: Robust design of Electronics and Systems” written by Kirk Gray and John Paschkewitz. Related Topics: Successful Career in Reliability Engineering(Opens in a new browser tab)

The Right to Repair Abstract Kirk and Fred discuss new efforts in states to legislate the consumer’s right to repair equipment they have purchased. Key Points Join Kirk and Fred as they discuss new laws forcing equipment manufacturers to make diagnostic software, spare hardware parts and the tools needed to make repairs on their own. Topics include: In smartphones and smart watches the density of the electronics inside make a few components, mostly batteries and glass screens reparable. Self service repair by a unskilled consumer  may cost the consumer more time and money than factory repair if it is not done correctly. The increase in electronics and computers in cars has allowed computer diagnostics to identify faults by going to a local auto parts store and using their diagnostic computer, but may have made it more difficult for the unskilled owner to repair it. Some of the motivation for these right-to-repair laws is to reduce electronic waste in the landfills. It may help but some consumer electronics but for many electronics the reason they are disposed of is because they are technologically obsolete.. Consider the millions of VHS video systems, DVD’s , audio cassettes, etc. that are fairly worthless now, repairing it is not the issue. In Colorado the motivation for the right-to-repair was to help farmers reduce the cost of repair farm equipment by making diagnostic software and replacement electronics modules accessible. Forcing manufacturers to make devices repairable would restrict innovation and in many cases a much less reliable assembly. Enjoy an episode of Speaking of Reliability. Where you can join friends as they discuss reliability topics. Join us as we discuss topics ranging from design for reliability techniques to field data analysis approaches. Download Audio RSS Show Notes You can now purchase the recent recording of Kirk Gray’s Hobbs Engineering 8 (two 4 hour sessions) hour Webinar “Rapid and Robust Reliability Development 2022 HALT & HASS Methodologies Online Seminar” from this link. Please click on this link to access a relatively new analysis of traditional reliability prediction methods article from the US ARMY and CALCE titled  “Reliability Prediction – Continued Reliance on a Misleading Approach” For more information on the newest discovery testing methodology here is a link to the book “Next Generation HALT and HASS: Robust design of Electronics and Systems” written by Kirk Gray and John Paschkewitz. Related Topics: I Want it Now and I Want it Cheap(Opens article in a new browser tab) SOR 356 How Reliable Does Your Product Need to Be(Opens podcast in a new browser tab) The post SOR 865 The Right to Repair appeared first on Accendo Reliability.