What are the best methods for evaluating failure analysis equipment and tools?

Before starting failure investigation with client or stakeholders negotiate in terms of scope. Scope will help you understand resources required to fullfill the requirements. Selection of cross functional team with expertise in term of product knowledge would be an added advantage.

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Before conducting failure analysis one must first confirm the failure mode. Failure modes usually causes the device or product malfunction. During production there are monitoring stations to confirm the function of the device. There is a very important method to define the screening methodology which is FMEA (failure mode and effect analysis). Defining the failure mode/ malfunction of the product is very important before conducting failure analysis.

In my experience, we need to understand first the product technology that you intend to analyse. The input for any purchase of FA equipment is the product requirement. Then, you can compare and make the comparison basing on the product range needs. Evaluating or making comparison on the equipment only might not necessary provide you the best tools needed for FA. Sometimes smaller package might not get the best results from established technique or tools. It will create a limitation for the analysis. So to sum up, understand first your products that you intend to analyse, then set the desired output that you intend to characterise, sourcing for the equipment can follow suit afterwards.

Before failure analysis one must plan the tools of analysis can be done to confirm the root cause. Usually the engineers will conduct non-destructive analysis first then destructive analysis. Non-destructive analysis may differ from case to case such as organic samples will deteriorate under electron microscope but for non-organic samples does not degrade. Thus the engineers must understand the functions of every structure of the device to pick the best method to analyse the failed device.

One thing I have found most useful in all learning days of failure investigation is visual observation and imagine how things could go wrong based on damages on hardware .Stereo, optical microscopy, and SEM-EDSare versatile equipment to deal during failure investigation. There are others high end techniques such as TEM,XRD and etc various techniques are also available.

I would prefer to go with the lab which is NABL certifide or it has track record of delivering consistent results as per ASTM/ISO or JIS standars. Sometimes I would personally witness inspection if output of testing is too critical to conclude failure.

Ease of use and low maintenance cost is always desired by the customer. May not be the case always. Instead of costly maintenance contract with original equipment manufacturers we would prefer where we take care of equipment by user.

It starts with defining critical and non critical equipments. Review the service contract details for critical equipment basing on the history log book of the equipment, utilization rate and complexity of the equipment maintenance needs. For non critical equipments, you can define the frequency basing on the utilization rate, governed them by either yearly PM activity. With this, you can control on the costs for FA equipment.

Au lieu d’un contrat de maintenance coûteux avec les fabricants d’équipement d’origine il faut prendre soin de l'équipement et un seul utilisateur ou un seul responsable qui travaille avec

Consider the ease of data availability, earliest possible point of detection. Adding non-destructive techniques or regular sampling at the earliest fault point in your line can provide valuable feedback that can save time and resources. Find ways to correlate inline sampling to end of line FMEA.