Failure assessment software for circuit card assemblies

Up-front failure analysis of circuit card assembly designs can dramatically reduce cost of ownership, increase product reliability, and thus reduce risks. In this paper, the design process for electronic products is discussed in terms of failure assessment activity. Information resources necessary to support the failure assessment activity are discussed. Finally, the effectiveness of failure assessment software is demonstrated by analyzing circuit card assemblies (CCAs) from a military radio control module using the calcePWA software developed by the CALCE Electronic Products and Systems Center (EPSC) at the University of Maryland.