Testing a product during the development phase is extremely important to ensure that it performs as expected. This phase usually begins after the requirements of the product have been incorporated into the prototype. Depending on how technical and complex the product is testing may be required at different stages of development.

In this article, we will be discussing the 4 most common tests that are used to ensure that the reliability of the final product:

Flying Probe Test

The concept behind the flying probe test is that rather than have complete fixture for the PCB assembly that is able to access the required nodes, the system utilizes a board holder with one or more probes moving across the board to access the nodes that are under the software control.  

Therefore the advantage of the flying probe tester is that it cuts down the number of fixtures that are required to introduce the changes, especially to the features like the component or the pad positions.

DFX

DFX, short for Design for X, is a test that includes including the end-user experience in the development, production, use and disposal phase of the product.

X is a variable here and can have any value; however, when it comes to manufacturing nano-electronics, it mainly represents power, manufacturability, cost, variability, reliability and yield.

There are four main steps that manufacturers follow when performing the DFX test, which includes:

· Identify
· Design
· Optimize
· Verify and Validate

ICT

ICTs (In-circuit tests) are an example of white box testing where electrical probes are used to test populated PCBs to check for opens, shorts, capacitance, resistance and other quantities to ensure that the assembly was properly fabricated or not.

There are various ways to perform this test, including using bed of nails, special test equipment or a fixtureless in-circuit test setups.

HALT

HALT, short for highly accelerated life test, is a stress-testing method which is used for enhancing the reliability of the product. HALT is currently used by all major manufacturing and research organizations in electronic and computer industry.

HALT is mainly used during the product development phase and is designed in a way that identifies the weaknesses in the product. However, it is also suitable for testing products over their entire life cycle. If the test is performed correctly, it can lower the product development cost and reduce the time it takes to market the product.

We are one of the leading electrical solutions providers and offer design, manufacturing and assembly for all sorts of PCBs. Our team of design engineers leverages its years of experience in the industry to create robust and reliable SMT PCBs that are built to stand the test of time!

So, if you want to use premium quality PCBs in your circuits, contact us today!