Failure Analysis

Product failures can pose significant risks to the public and the environment and bring about financial, legal and safety related issues to the manufacturers. Failure analysis is the process of investigating the root cause of failure and for taking corrective measures to fix the problem and to circumvent further failures. Failure analysis aims at collecting and analyzing data to discover the reasons for failure and is a dominant discipline in many branches of manufacturing industry.

Forensic investigation of the failed product or process is the first step of failure analysis. Failure analysis centers also often offer services during the product prototyping stage to recognize potential areas of failure and address the shortcomings before the product is introduced into the market. Examination of failed products is conducted using a wide array of methods such as microscopy, spectroscopy and also nondestructive testing(NDT).

Why is failure analysis important?

To understand root cause of product or process failure and to prevent future failures

To improve product designs, quality and safety of products

To avoid financial losses, penalties and legal actions

To determine liability for failure

To ensure customer satisfaction and to protect brand reputation

Services provided

Our expert team of consultants can assist you with the most demanding testing requirements. Our failure analysis centers are equipped to offer a wide range of testing and inspection services for electronic and electrical products including:

Coating/thin film evaluation: Thickness, orientation and quality and adhesion testing.

PCB evaluation – Homogeneity, layer delamination and solder heat resistance testing.

Product evaluation - Curve testing, dye and pry tests for ball grid array (BGA) joints and solderability testing to assess electrical characterization.

Reliability assessment - Thermal cycling, thermal shock testing, humidity testing and salt spray testing.

Surface analysis: To investigate adhesion problems using photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM).

Thermal analysis: To study change in the behavior of material with temperature using techniques like differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and thermomechanical analysis (TMA).

Chemical analysis - Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), Fournier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS).

Mechanical testing - Pull testing, fatigue testing and vibration testing.

Additionally, we also provide services under nondestructive and destructive categories including techniques such as visual inspection, failure mode effects analysis (FMEA), electrical safety testing, electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) testing etc. We can also help you with personalized on-site support to ensure quick and accurate results within the limits of your budget and schedule.