Run-In Test for Automotive Applications

Electronic control units in the vehicle are exposed to extreme ambient temperatures during their life cycle. Malfunctions and failures not only involve logistically complex repairs, but also pose a major safety risk in the vehicle itself.

Automotive manufacturers therefore require comprehensive and sophisticated testing procedures, which ensure a high level reliability in the electronic components. Under extreme climatic conditions, technological problems can be detected by the run-in test, especially during the initial phase of production. On the one hand they can optimise the production processes but on the other hand they can result in early failures.

Run-in test units reduce the probability of failure, because the increased error rate is overcome in the first phase of the “bathtub curve”.