Reliability Lab Testing, Consulting, Training.

Ops a la Carte

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Engineering Success with Reliable Products.

Availability, Maintainability, and Serviceability

Reliability of Repairable Systems vs. Non-Repairable Systems

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When performing various reliability tasks, non-repairable systems or products are treated differently from repairable systems or products.  Some of the tools that are used for one type are not applicable to the other.   Obviously, at some level, repairable systems are composed of non-repairable parts.   Examples of non-repairable systems would be “one-shot” devices like light bulbs or more complex devices like pacemakers.  Examples of repairable systems are computers, automobiles, and airplanes.   What is unique about repairable systems?  Availability becomes a key measure of importance.  In simple terms, availability is the percentage of time that the product or system is able to perform its required functions.  When the required functions cannot be performed because a failure has …

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Analyzing Data for Repairable Systems

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Many of the "standard" reliability methods are intended for non-repairable systems. That is, when a component, sub-assembly or system fails, it is not repaired and returned to service. The Weibull distribution and other well-known distributions which effectively describe the time to failure assume the failures are "terminal". That is, the whole system is replaced. In contrast, repairable systems may fail multiple times during their lifetimes and this results in "recurrent events" in which system components may be repaired or replaced to bring the system back on line. In this case, a single system actually has multiple ages, i.e. components which have been repaired or replaced are "younger" than the rest of the system. Reliability data comprised of recurrent events should be …

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High-Availability Systems

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Hardware Availability is a function of hardware reliability and the maintainability/serviceability features of that hardware. The principle way of achieving availability goals is to first achieve the reliability goals. This is the most cost-effective way for both the producer and customer to achieve these goals. However, even with the best design and manufacturing practices, random failures will still occur in complex systems. Some of these will result in system outages for a simple non redundant configuration. Service then becomes extremely important in limiting the system downtime to a small period of time. Again, the key to achieving high-availability is to increase the reliability of the system as much as reasonably possible in a cost-effective manner. This requires a two phase …

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Empowering companies to create happy customers, with well-engineered products.

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OPS A La Carte, Engineering Success with Reliable Products. We are a leading reliability engineering consulting firm since 2001. We have helped many companies create robust products and elevate them to great success, even become the leader in their industry. We are known for providing the whole gamut of reliability lab testing, consulting, and training. With over 25 reliability engineer-experts around the world, with diverse backgrounds and experience, we serve both domestic and global businesses in all areas of reliability, in depth and width. Hi, my name is Jay Muns, owner and CEO. I have more than 30 years of experience in engineering and business operations.

OPS A La Carte have produced very high-quality results for us, with fast turnaround times. Their engineers are the best in their field, are a pleasure to work with, and their work is of the highest standards available. This has helped us obtain critical product approvals…” We help companies see from outside of their forest and understand what they didn’t know before. Companies come to us out of three scenarios: First, when their products fail. We help put out the fire by identifying problems and providing solutions. Second, after a product is designed, to check the box and move on with getting their product into the marketplace. The best is third: to get engaged early, by including reliability as a part of their initial product design goals. This will save time, money and energy. It is much better to have a worry-free product that addresses reliability issues upfront, than dealing with deficiencies after a product is developed, or worse, already manufactured and sold to the end users. Being proactive with reliability engineering will save a business tons of money and trouble. In all scenarios, you receive professional expertise with integrity and at a fair price. Many of our clients are repeat customers for years because of the value we consistently deliver.

Our ENGINEER-consultants each have over 20 years of experience and perform lab testing, consulting and training based on actual reliability science. They follow well established industry standards, such as “HALT” (highly accelerated life test,) and “HASS” (highly accelerated stress screen.) These engineers evaluate, make recommendations and validate results based on highly relevant lab data, co-relating to real world data. Whether your company has a reliability department or not, you can take advantage of our entire testing-consulting-training package, or any portion of it. We also offer Failure analysis and safety certification services such as UL, CE, and other environmental testing services, like solar, UV, SALT spray testing, ESD (electro-static discharge,) and EMC (electro-magnetic compatibility.)

“Ops A La Carte trained us to use HALT methodology as a proactive tool, to root out key failures in our early and advanced prototypes, and that made it possible for us to deliver dependability that our customers demand, in pilot and production units."“...OPS has played a key role in our evolution from a research company to a manufacturer of ‘mission-critical’ components.” A couple of companies describe our HALT/HASS training as “highly informative, engaging and exciting.” “The benefit far exceeds the price."

Our mission is to enable companies to create their happy customers, with a well-engineered product. By helping our clients understand the real problems and the real solutions, we help improve their careers and reputations. Achieving the win-win-win results for our clients and their customers is our ultimate satisfaction. We have a family-like company culture with positive energy and great teamwork. An improved and reliable product is our own small way to contribute to a better humanity and a slightly better world. Call us at (408) 654-0499, or email us at info@opsalacarte.com, or visit our website www.opsalacarte.com. Thank you!

A couple of our clients' testimonials:

"The expert team at OPS assisted us in evaluating the available reliability testing possibilities, and with their help, we crafted a customized test program precisely sized to meet the needs of our project. The resulting program proved to our team, our customers, and our regulatory auditors that our product was robust, met its reliability goals effectively, and satisfied all safety risk factors."

"...Ops A La Carte worked with us to develop a testing program based on HALT and HASS to effectively assess low-temperature operation capability and screen the boards for assembly and component defects. They then facilitated and supported the HALT and HASS testing effort. It was quicker and more efficient than we had expected. The boards for the first four strings have been delivered. We are looking forward to working with them through completion of the project."