Accendo Reliability

Your Reliability Engineering Professional Development Site

Christopher Jackson — Thought Leader

Author of Reliability in Emerging Technology, multiple books, co-host on Speaking of Reliability, and speaker in the Accendo Reliability Webinar Series.


This author's archive lists contributions of articles and episodes.


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What is Fatigue?

What is Fatigue?

What is ‘fatigue’? … and no I don’t mean feeling ‘tired’.

podcast episode with speaker Chris Jackson

Many reliability engineers know what fatigue is (in addition to feeling tired). Fatigue is an example of a ‘failure mechanism.’ A failure mechanism is the physical, chemical or electrical process that results in failure. Fatigue is interesting in that it allows something to fail without it ever being exposed to stresses that are beyond its strength. How does this happen? Fatigue is based on cracks. Cracks magnify stresses at their tips. So cycling stresses can have the effect of incrementally (and sometimes very slowly) increasing the crack length at the tip. Fatigue has caused all manners of failures that have surprised us throughout the history of engineering. But now we have learned so much more about this really fascinating failure mechanism can cause steel, aluminium and other material to fail, even when the stresses they experience are tiny. Want to learn more about fatigue? And how you can help prevent it? Join us for this webinar.

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How do I link Process Capability Indices to Number (PPM) Defects?

How do I link Process Capability Indices to Number (PPM) Defects?

How do I link Process Capability Indices to Number (PPM) Defects?

podcast episode with speaker Chris Jackson

We often use the word ‘quality’ to describe products that are manufactured with minimal defects (… and within tolerances). If you are involved in the field of quality (and manufacturing), then you might have heard of ‘capability indices.’ These are simple numbers that essentially describe the ‘quality’ of things being manufactured. There are certain guidelines and industry ‘standards’ for what these numbers should be. Have you ever heard of the ‘6 sigma’? It promotes a capability index of two (2). But what does this mean? These numbers also correspond with the fraction of defective products. Want to learn what these capability indices mean? … and how to get them? … and how to convert them to things like Parts Per Million (PPM) defects? Or better yet … if you need to learn a bit more about manufacturing and how we measure quality in general? Join us for this webinar.

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What does Apple’s lightning cable, John Deere and the Mafia have in common?

What does Apple’s lightning cable, John Deere and the Mafia have in common?

Apple new iPhones will be somewhat different to those of the past. They will now have a USB-C charging and data port, and not Apple’s lightning cables. Why? Because the European Union said so. And they said so because they are not happy with the number of different charging cables we all now need for our various devices. Having a single cable that can charge an iPhone, Samsung smartphone, and virtually every other small electronic consumer product makes sense. It means fewer cables, smaller carbon footprints, less electronic waste, and prices will come down as less and less products assume that they need to provide a charging cable in their packaging. I have at least 20 power cables in my office that have been provided with various electronic gadgetry over the years.

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Find Me the Statistics that I Like to Believe the Most …

Find Me the Statistics that I Like to Believe the Most …

It looks like 2023 will be the hottest year on record. Along with all the cyclones, hurricanes, floods and bushfires we have already had. Those who study and take climate change seriously unanimously agree that man-made changes to the environment are causing the climate to change so fast that mother nature will struggle to keep up. 

And for the minority (yes, it is a minority as has been confirmed by many surveys and studies across the world), their arguments against climate change go something like this …

It might not be because of us …

… so it’s definitely not because of us.

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The (Smaller) Carbon Footprints of Reliability Engineering

The (Smaller) Carbon Footprints of Reliability Engineering

Climate change is universally accepted. And when I say ‘universally,’ I mean that the only people who think it is not a thing are fringe elements of society who are predisposed to specific interpretations of religion or commercial greed that would be harmed by any attack on fossil fuels and the energy we derive from them.

The good thing about this is that organizations who are serious about being successful and profitable can’t do so by sharing the ideology of a small minority. More and more people (including younger humans who will be the decision makers of tomorrow) are demanding more and more from the organizations they buy services and products from – especially when it comes to environmental concerns.

So to be successful, you need to take this stuff seriously.

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What is the difference between Design and Process FMEAs?

What is the difference between Design and Process FMEAs?

What is the difference between Design and Process FMEAs?

podcast episode with speaker Chris Jackson

Ever heard of Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA)? It is a wonderful activity that can do amazing things for … what? It depends on what you might have heard, or what you are used to. Why? Because there are a number of different FMEAs that do different things for … different things. A Design FMEA can help us prevent really basic, simple flaws in a new product. A Process FMEA can help us prevent really basic, simple flaws in a new process. What process? Any process … but typically manufacturing. Many people who have heard of FMEAs usually associate them with either design or processes. And then there are System and Software FMEAs. Want to get an overview of which FMEAs do what and when you would use one instead of the other? Join us for this webinar.

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