Manufacturers want confirmation that their products are going to perform as intended once those items move from the assembly line to the consumer market. To get a clear understanding of how reliable a product will be over time, manufacturers can utilize special software that calculates a prediction of how long that product will operate before it stops working. This measurement is known as Mean Time Between Failures, or MTBF. It determines the probable length of time that a product or device will function until it breaks down. With this information, manufacturers can make adjustments to their creations during the design process and ultimately deliver the most dependable product. Here is more information about how MTBF prediction and calculation works and why it is so beneficial to a product's reliability.
1) How is MTBF calculated?
Since MTBF indicates when a product might fail during its runtime, a specific calculation metric is consistently applied to garner trustworthy results. The most common way to find the MTBF of an item is to operate several identical products and track how many hours occur between the first day of use to the point of failure for each product. Then, those times are added together and divided by the total number of tested products. This outcome tells a manufacturer how often, on average, a product is predicted to fail. For example, if the calculation of the average failure times for a product test is 100 hours, then the MTBF shows that the product will likely operate successfully for 100 hours before stopping completely.
2) When is MTBF prediction and calculation used?
MTBF prediction and calculation techniques can be applied in a wide range of industries because there is always a need to check for product reliability. For instance, MTBF is used to analyze the dependability of items that regularly run around the clock, such as heavy machinery inside a factory and medical devices in a health care setting. Equipment that is constantly operational can be particularly prone to failure, but awareness of the MTBF will help a manufacturer plan preventative maintenance before a breakdown can happen. Calculating the MTBF for equipment can help a manufacturer identify all of the vulnerabilities in the product and make improvements that will greatly reduce overall downtime.
3) What are the benefits of MTBF prediction and calculation procedures?
There are considerable benefits that MTBF prediction and calculation software can offer. The biggest advantage is the ability to boost the quality of a product after reviewing the numbers. The predictive nature of MTBF calculations allows manufacturers to fine-tune prototypes so that the period of time between operational failures is increased. Additionally, from the design phase to the final inspection before shipment, MTBF procedures can help catch any problems that might create bigger issues later. This means that concerns can be addressed early and fixed, and time and materials are not wasted to produce something that will quickly fail. The reliability that MTBF prediction and calculation encourages will lead to consumers who are more satisfied with the products.
Knowing how reliable a product will be throughout its lifespan is a crucial part of the manufacturing process, and one of the best ways to obtain that data is through the use of MTBF measurement tools. Be sure to contact an MTBF prediction and calculation software consultant to ask any further questions you may have about the process.