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Highly Accelerated Life Test (HALT)
To minimize product entry-to-market failures and improve long-term
product reliability, a Highly Accelerated Life Test (HALT) can be applied to
expose weak design, component, or manufacturing weaknesses.
Highly Accelerated Life Test Overview
Product Ruggedization through stress application, often called
Highly Accelerated Life Testing (HALT), is a tool to improve a
product to the point that product failures due to workmanship,
marginal design, or faulty components are minimized. The application
of rapid rate thermal stress and vibration to a product during the
prototype phase of development can expose marginal design problems
as well as assembly process problems. Many designers have found the
return on investment of performing a product ruggedization step
substantially beneficial over the life of a product.
Benchmark Electronics has the required specialized tools in house (Benchmark:
Winona Division) to perform HALT studies for customer’s products. A rapid rate
thermal chamber with 6 axis random vibration table is used to implement HALT on
prototypes built by Benchmark Electronics or provided by a customer.
Benchmark Engineering staff as a service can perform HALTs or a customer can
participate in the HALT activity on-site.
Planning a HALT requires consideration of product stimulus and response
monitoring equipment, available products, and required fixturing.
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