Custom Fixture that Applies Uniform Cycles of Forces to Testing Sample
Importance and Applications of Accelerated Life Cycle Testing
Applied Technical Services performs accelerated life cycle testing to help clients establish the durability and overall reliability of the product over its service life. We subject either critical components or entire assemblies to this method of analysis to derive a life expectancy for their product — information that can affect things from sale prices to warranty coverage. ATS can then help clients use the resulting data to improve their product’s overall quality by mitigating the most common failures caused by intended usage.
Also called product reliability testing, this method closely simulates the actual forces and environmental factors that the sample will likely experience while in service. By continuously applying uniform cycles of these stimuli, our environmental testing lab can quickly project the anticipated lifetime of the product under conditions of normal use — yielding data that correspond to years of service in a matter of weeks, days, or even hours. We use this method to find prevalent failure modes brought about by design flaws, manufacturing defects, or other shortcomings that undermine a product’s long-term performance. Requesting accelerated life cycle testing early in the development process helps clients ensure they have time to implement necessary changes to boost the quality of their item before final production.
How ATS Performs the Method
Our environmental testing division provides the accelerated reliability testing services at ATS. These experienced technicians draft each testing plan according to the demands of the individual component or assembly being tested. Because clients know their product and its intended use better than anyone else, our lab performs life cycle tests according to their specifications. As it pertains to accelerated reliability testing, this means they detail the stimuli that their components are exposed to, they decide how many cycles are applied, and they determine what criteria the samples must meet to satisfy their requirements
ATS creates specialized fixtures, which we design to subject samples to identical cycles of pressures, stresses, and environmental agents that most closely approximate their normal service conditions. They do so continuously until either a certain threshold has been reached or the component fails, depending on specifications. Our lab can then help clients use the information to maximize the product’s reliability over time and improve overall quality.
About Applied Technical Services
Since 1967, Applied Technical Services has delivered testing, inspection, and engineering consulting services of peerless quality. In the 50+ years since our founding, we have grown from a small engineering operation doing business with local clients out of our founder’s basement to a respected firm employing hundreds of technicians, scientists, chemists, inspectors, and professional engineers to support clients based around the world. Of the many we regularly serve, the industries that most benefit from our capabilities in life cycle testing include the following:
Our Commitment to Quality
ATS’ environmental testing division performs this testing in accordance with our stringent quality assurance procedures. To ensure that we provide only services that we can be proud of, we registered our quality management system to ISO 9001. Attaining this distinction means third-party auditors attest that not only do our testing processes comply with the internationally recognized standard outlining effective quality assurance principles, but that we consistently implement them in the services we perform.
Following these guidelines primes ATS to continually improve the quality of service we offer our clients. We take the following steps to ensure they enjoy the most positive customer experience:
If your company needs accelerated life cycle testing, contact ATS today — We take a closer look!

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