ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses ways to incorporate a comprehensive accelerated reliability testing program into the product design and development cycle. Accelerated testing is one of the most misunderstood topics in the reliability discipline. The four major categories of reliability test are accelerated life tests, development tests, design tests, and production tests. The purpose of an accelerated life test is to evaluate the expected lifetimes of components, materials, or subassemblies. Accelerated life tests are common in the electronic components industry, and the results of these tests are used by equipment manufacturers to estimate the reliability of their products. The most realistic way to plan and conduct reliability tests is to integrate them with the company's marketing, engineering, and manufacturing plans. The goal of most reliability demonstration tests is for the product to pass the test, and thus demonstrate "acceptable" reliability. Changes in the design, manufacturing processes, materials, or components can be made to improve reliability.
