A method for reliability optimization through degradation analysis and robust design

Given the strong drive to achieve a short time to market with strongly innovative products many companies face a structural dilemma with respect to product reliability. Due to the increasing complexity of products and the way they are applied, longer and increasingly complex tests are required to establish (and if necessary optimize) the reliability of these products. On the other hand, due to the strong pressure on "time to market" in many design processes, this time is simply not available. Therefore alternative strategies have to be developed. This paper addresses a strategy to replace reliability tests by reliability optimization based on computer simulations. Although the development of adequate models is, in a practical situation, quite complex and time consuming as well, once these models are available they can lead to considerable shorter product development cycles.