A successful prototype does not guarantee that every production unit will perform the same way. Variations in materials, components, and assembly can introduce defects after development is complete. Highly accelerated stress screening addresses production hardware through controlled environmental exposure. Known as HASS, it seeks to reveal latent defects so manufacturers can identify affected units and investigate the underlying process.
The Applied Technical Services Family of Companies (ATS FoC) supports manufacturers with environmental testing and highly accelerated stress screening profile development. Our approach connects the screening objective, product configuration, and functional monitoring requirements before testing begins.
What Defects Can Highly Accelerated Stress Screening Help Expose?
HASS can reveal weaknesses that become apparent when a product experiences temperature changes, vibration, or combined stress. These conditions may cause a marginal feature to behave differently from a conforming one. Potential findings can involve electrical connections, components, or assembly features. Detection depends on whether the selected exposure activates the weakness and the monitoring system recognizes it.
For example, an intermittent connection may interrupt a signal during vibration but recover afterward. A functional check performed only after screening could miss that event. Planning should identify:
- The defects or symptoms of concern
- Functions that must be observed during exposure
- Acceptable operating behavior
- How interruptions will be recorded
- What happens when a unit exhibits a fault
No screen detects every possible defect. Its capabilities should remain tied to the evidence gathered during development.
How Do You Establish an Effective Production Screen?
Highly accelerated stress screening requires more than choosing an aggressive chamber cycle. The proposed profile must reflect the tested design and its known limitations. HALT provides information about those limitations. After identified design weaknesses are addressed, the resulting data can inform HASS development.
A proof-of-screen evaluation then considers two essential questions. Can the profile reveal the targeted defects? Does it avoid unacceptable damage or life consumption in acceptable units? Answering both questions helps prevent a screen that is either ineffective or unnecessarily severe. Production details also matter. Fixture changes, loading arrangements, and monitoring differences can affect how units experience the screen. These conditions should be defined as part of implementation.
How Can Screening Results Support Manufacturing Improvements?
A rejected unit provides an opportunity for investigation. Manufacturers can examine the failure and compare it with production records, component sources, and assembly history. Quality teams may use the findings to:
- Investigate repeated failure patterns
- Review recent process changes
- Examine supplier-related concerns
- Assess corrective actions
- Determine whether additional units require evaluation
This work connects screening with process improvement. Removing a defective unit addresses that unit; understanding its failure can support broader corrective action. Manufacturers and contract assembly providers may find this approach useful when early product failures create recurring production concerns.
How Does ATS Support Your Screening Project?
We review your product history, available HALT findings, and screening goals to establish a suitable scope. We also discuss sample requirements, functional checks, and the records needed for review. Our services include HASS profile development, production screening, and failure documentation. Project requirements determine the selected conditions and reporting content. Screening results support decisions about the evaluated units and process. They do not independently certify a product or guarantee its field performance.
Contact Us
Contact ATS today to discuss highly accelerated stress screening for your production hardware and quality objectives. Reach us by phone at +1 (888) 287-5227 or submit a request form on this page to get in touch with a member of our dedicated customer service team.
