Quality and Reliability Assurance During the Production Phase

Quality and reliability assurance activities have to be continued during the production phase. Key points are the monitoring and control of the production processes and of the item’s configuration, the performance of in-process and final tests, the screening of critical components and assemblies, and the systematic collection, analysis, and correction of defects and failures. The last measure is basic for a learning process, whose aim is to optimize the improvement of quality and reliability during production, taking into account cost and time schedule limitations. This chapter introduces the general aspects of quality and reliability assurance during production, discusses test and screening procedures for electronic components and assemblies, introduces the concept of a test and screening strategy, and discusses some models for reliability growth during production.