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Put to the Test: Aerospace Electronics

One reason for our strong presence in the aerospace industry is that our comprehensive testing services insure quality and high reliability. While the testing we have provided over the years has been comparable to competitors, 21 months ago we began significant expansion of our test capabilities in response to customer requests.

We have five engineers in testing now, and some of the most advanced equipment in the industry. Aerospace test veteran Gordon Ross heads up testing services and he has been implementing cost savings and productivity techniques used by high volume electronics manufacturers he has worked for such as Solectron, Jabil, B/E Aerospace and Crane Aerospace & Electronics.

Ross said, “In the test world, we are constantly looking at looking at ways to reduce the cost to you while maintaining or improving the test coverage.”

Testing makes a difference

Thorough testing – Ross points out – is an investment that can give you an ROI for the life of a product. Improper testing can add to the cost of the final product, and that extra cost is incurred for the life of the product.

“Quality doesn’t happen by chance,” Ross said. “There’s a lot that goes into it.”

Ross said testing can be an afterthought for potential customers who may do their own testing during design, and don’t realize the importance of testing before and after a product has been manufactured. That doesn’t happen to our customers who use some or all of the following test services we provide:

  • Lead Free ROHS Processes Test
  • Flying Probe Testing
  • In-Circuit Test (ICT)
  • Halt/Hass Environmental Testing
  • RF Testing & Troubleshooting
  • Specialized Functional Testing
  • Troubleshooting & repair
  • X-Ray with CT (Computer Tomography)

These tests eliminate four concerns that all aerospace electronics manufacturers have to deal with:

  1. Extreme temperature and temperature change
  2. Shock
  3. Vibration
  4. Dust and liquid penetration.

It should be noted that we perform temperature and vibration testing in-house while many of our competitors need to outsource these tests. By doing these tests ourselves, we remain close to the quality process and let nothing fall through the cracks.

The fact of the matter is, Qualitel’s testing capabilities help reduce risk of recall, and within this industry’s tight regulations and strict timelines, getting a product right the first time around goes a long way toward cost reduction, quality and reliability.

 

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