Accelerated ageing tests of electronic products

IMQ provides an accelerated ageing test service for electronic products, using the latest innovative test procedures to improve product reliability. The test techniques are based on simulating conditions that exceed normal operating conditions by a considerable margin.

It has been demonstrated that by increasing the environmental stresses applied to a product with a given level of initial robustness in a controlled manner, it is possible to stimulate and verify the failure mechanisms that will affect the product over time, once its robustness has undergone normal degradation.

This is all done in considerably shorter time frames than the ones usually spent on testing (days instead of weeks, if not months), thus also yielding significant benefits in terms of cost savings.

Two distinct test procedures in particular are gaining increasing recognition for their effectiveness: HALT (Highly Accelerated Life Test) and HASS (Highly Accelerated Stress Screen). These methods enable you to expose equipment to a combination of climatic and mechanical stress, in extreme conditions in terms of vibration, temperature and rapid changes in temperature, so as to highlight any imperfections quickly.

The products that benefit most from accelerated testing are as follows:

• Optical transmission equipment; electronic defence and microwave equipment; optical and remote measurement equipment; cellular communications, telephony/telecommunications, LAN/WAN, automotive and test equipment
• Electronic management and control systems
• Memory, gas detection and display (monitor) devices
• Computers
• Printers/plotters
• Power supply units
• Electro-medical devices.