Frequently Asked Questions

SPACEREL is a UK-based specialist engineering business focused on reliability engineering, component and system qualification, and failure analysis for electronic and microelectronic hardware. We help organisations answer questions that matter to technical and commercial decisions: why a device failed, whether a component is suitable for an application, which stresses are likely to limit service life, and what evidence is needed before a design or product is released.

Our role is to turn a difficult engineering question into a defined investigation or programme, select appropriate technical methods and interpret the results. Clients may engage us for a focused assessment or for support across several stages of development, qualification and product life. The goal is a practical, defensible outcome rather than testing for its own sake.

We work with organisations developing, manufacturing, integrating or operating electronic equipment, including semiconductor and component businesses, product developers, OEMs, system integrators, engineering consultancies and teams responsible for product quality or assurance. Support may be useful when a company does not have a dedicated reliability specialist, when an existing team needs independent review, or when a technically demanding project requires additional capacity.

We can collaborate with design, R&D, manufacturing, quality, supplier management and product assurance functions. Engagements are shaped around the technical decision and resources available; there is no requirement to outsource a complete qualification programme or ongoing reliability function.

Our work is particularly relevant to space and aerospace, defence, semiconductors and microelectronics, medical devices, energy and other harsh-environment or high-reliability applications. These sectors differ in operating conditions, documentation obligations and consequences of failure, but often share common mechanisms such as thermal fatigue, corrosion, interconnect degradation, moisture-related damage and electrical overstress.

We do not apply a single test programme to every sector. We first consider the intended mission or use profile, applicable contractual and regulatory requirements, component technology and available evidence. That information guides the choice of analysis, qualification methods and reporting. Any sector-specific assurance or certification obligations remain subject to the customer's governing requirements.

SPACEREL is based in Greater Manchester in the United Kingdom and is structured to support UK and international business customers. Many activities, including documentation reviews, reliability modelling, FMEA, qualification planning, technical investigations and reporting, can be undertaken remotely with planned technical reviews.

Where physical access to hardware, a site visit or laboratory work is important, the practical arrangement is discussed during scoping. International projects depend on the nature of the work, shipping arrangements, access permissions, export controls and any relevant confidentiality or security restrictions. We will identify constraints early rather than assume that every service can be delivered in every location.

Start by using the SPACEREL enquiry form and explain the decision you need to make. For example, you may need to investigate an unexpected failure, assess a component for a particular mission, develop an accelerated-test plan or review an existing qualification package. A short description is sufficient for an initial conversation; you do not need a completed technical specification before contacting us.

We will clarify the intended outcome, available data, technical boundaries and likely work packages. Where the requirement is suitable, the next step is a defined scope covering activities, responsibilities, deliverables and any dependencies. We avoid promising a test method, schedule or result before understanding the evidence and constraints.

The most useful starting information is the product or component type, the issue or engineering question, intended application, operating and storage conditions, expected lifetime and required decision date. If available, include relevant drawings, datasheets, electrical and mechanical details, failure symptoms, test history, manufacturing changes or previous qualification evidence.

For an investigation, information about sample condition, handling history, the number of affected units and any tests already performed can help preserve evidence and avoid redundant work. For a proposed qualification, the governing standard, revision, customer specification and acceptance criteria are particularly important. Sensitive documents need not be sent in an initial enquiry; we can agree suitable confidentiality arrangements and secure transfer methods before detailed technical exchange.

We begin by defining the engineering question, decision criteria, assumptions, available evidence and technical risks. The proposed scope normally explains the work stages, methods, customer inputs, responsibilities, deliverables and agreed review points. Where test programmes are involved, it can also identify sample quantities, test conditions, measurement requirements, decision gates and how anomalous results will be handled.

During delivery, findings are reviewed against the original objective. If new evidence changes the investigation direction, we discuss the implications and any change to scope before proceeding with additional work. This makes it easier for technical and commercial stakeholders to understand what has been established, what remains uncertain and which action is justified next.

Yes. SPACEREL offers tailored technical training and workshops for engineering, quality and assurance teams. Subjects can include Physics of Failure, FMEA and FMECA, Weibull analysis, reliability demonstration, accelerated life testing, qualification planning and failure-investigation methods. The emphasis is on applying the methods to real product decisions, not simply presenting formulas or lists of standards.

Sessions can be designed for a focused topic or a programme of workshops, delivered remotely or onsite where practical. We can adapt examples to the team's technical level and application while respecting confidentiality. Training supports professional development and internal capability; it should not be interpreted as third-party certification or accredited qualification unless explicitly agreed and evidenced.

Our reliability engineering support can span requirements and mission-profile definition, design reviews, reliability allocation, component risk assessment, FMEA/FMECA, fault-tree analysis, derating, Physics of Failure and reliability programme planning. Depending on the evidence and objective, we can also support life-data analysis, Weibull modelling, reliability prediction, acceleration-factor assessment and reliability demonstration strategies.

For development and verification teams, we can help define appropriate accelerated stress tests, sample sizes, monitoring arrangements and failure criteria. For established products, we can review field performance, anomalies and corrective-action evidence. We select methods according to the relevant mechanisms and decision criteria; an attractive numerical prediction is not a substitute for a justified model and credible test or field evidence.

A failure investigation starts with the observed symptoms, operating and manufacturing history, and a set of technically plausible hypotheses. We plan the sequence of examinations to preserve evidence, using non-destructive inspection and electrical characterisation where appropriate before destructive analysis. Depending on the problem, suitable methods may include optical inspection, X-ray or CT, acoustic microscopy, SEM/EDS, cross-sectioning, and targeted materials analysis.

We distinguish a visible damage feature from the mechanism that produced it, and distinguish the mechanism from the initiating root cause. Findings are compared with product design, material selections, stresses, process history and available controls. Deliverables may include documented observations, evidence for or against hypotheses, remaining uncertainties and recommended corrective actions or further verification.

Yes. We can assess existing supplier or manufacturer evidence against the intended application and identify gaps in qualification coverage. A plan can address semiconductor devices, electronic components, PCB assemblies, hybrid or multichip modules, and complete electronic systems. Typical considerations include preconditioning, sample selection, electrical parameter measurements, stress sequence, environmental conditions, failure definitions and documentation requirements.

Tests may involve high-temperature operating life, storage, humidity and bias, temperature cycling, thermal shock or mechanical stresses where appropriate. The exact programme depends on the device, mission profile and governing requirements. We can review qualification reports, help interpret anomalies and recommend additional evidence; a passing test by itself does not prove a product will achieve every possible service life or application requirement.

SPACEREL can support standards-informed engineering activities involving relevant JEDEC methods, MIL-STD-883, MIL-STD-202, IEC 60068 and ECSS requirements, as appropriate to the hardware and contract. We can help teams interpret the engineering purpose of specified tests, plan evidence collection and identify where a method may or may not address the actual failure mechanisms or operating profile.

Standards are applied using the revision and clauses required by the customer's programme. We do not treat a general web summary as a substitute for the controlling document, and we do not claim that a standard automatically certifies a product or our services. Where an accredited laboratory or formal approval body is required, its role and the applicable documentation must be established separately.

Yes. COTS suitability assessment can help organisations understand the gap between a manufacturer's intended commercial operating conditions and a demanding mission. We can review component identity and traceability, available qualification data, electrical and thermal limits, derating, reliability risks, screening options and the environmental stresses relevant to the proposed use.

For space applications, the assessment may also consider applicable ECSS requirements, mission criticality, procurement and lot controls, radiation information where available, and the evidence needed for a justified risk decision. Selection is application-specific: neither a commercial datasheet nor a generic screening recipe establishes that a device is space qualified. Radiation testing or specialist assessments, when needed, would be scoped explicitly with the appropriate expertise or test provider.

SPACEREL provides engineering planning, test specification, analysis, coordination and interpretation for reliability, qualification and failure-investigation activities. Depending on the project and agreed arrangements, laboratory execution may be undertaken using suitable client facilities or independently selected specialist laboratories. We do not imply that every possible test or analysis is performed in a SPACEREL-owned laboratory.

We establish equipment capability, calibration, sample handling, required traceability, reporting expectations and any accreditation needs during scoping. The selected test provider, responsibilities, costs and practical lead times are confirmed before work is commissioned. This allows clients to obtain an engineering-led programme while keeping the test evidence appropriate to the decision and applicable contractual requirements.

We can assess reliability metrics and lifetime using methods justified by the application and data, such as life-distribution analysis, field-return analysis, standards-based prediction or physics-informed acceleration models. Depending on the problem, outputs may include estimated failure rates, confidence bounds, B-life values, survival probabilities or the test duration and sample size needed for a specified demonstration objective.

These quantities answer different questions. MTBF is not a warranty period, an accelerated-test result is not automatically a service-life demonstration, and an acceleration factor is only meaningful when the underlying mechanisms and stress dependence are credible. Our reporting states assumptions, data quality, limitations and sensitivity so that a client can distinguish a modelled estimate from a validated claim.

Deliverables are agreed at the outset and tailored to the purpose of the project. Examples include a reliability or qualification plan, a test matrix, a risk register, FMEA/FMECA findings, analysis workbooks, a failure-investigation report, evidence and traceability matrices, or a technical review of an existing qualification package. Reports aim to separate the objective, method, observations, assumptions, analysis, conclusions and recommended actions.

Where applicable, we include test conditions, sample identification, data summaries, deviations, uncertainties and open issues. The emphasis is on outputs that can be reviewed by your engineering, quality, programme or customer team and used to support a decision. The format, level of detail, ownership and any formal sign-off requirements are specified in the engagement rather than assumed.

We recognise that engineering investigations often involve unreleased products, commercially sensitive test results, supplier information and proprietary designs. We can discuss a non-disclosure agreement and appropriate document-access and information-sharing procedures before receiving detailed confidential material. Information requested is limited to what is needed to assess or undertake the agreed work.

Any additional requirements relating to secure storage, controlled information, sample chain of custody, export controls or permitted subcontractors should be raised during scoping so that feasibility and responsibilities can be evaluated. Intellectual-property ownership, permissible use of results, retention and confidentiality obligations should be recorded in the agreed contractual terms. We do not publish customer-specific findings without the necessary authorisation.

Pricing and delivery schedules depend on the defined scope, technical complexity, evidence available, urgency, number of samples, required meetings and any external testing or specialist services. A focused document review or reliability analysis may require a different commercial arrangement from a multi-stage qualification programme or an investigation involving several hypotheses and laboratories.

After an initial technical discussion, we aim to provide a proposal identifying the activities, deliverables, assumptions, dependencies and commercial basis. A fixed-price work package, milestone-based programme or time-based engagement may be appropriate depending on uncertainty and the level of definition. We explain material exclusions and separately identified laboratory costs. To discuss your project and request a quotation, contact SPACEREL.