This paper presents an approach to product development and reliability testing utilizing Robustness Validation (RV), an automotive electronics development recommended practice, specified in SAE-J1211 (surface vehicles) and SAE-J1879 (semiconductor devices in automotive applications). Intelligent testing and Robustness Validation approaches can become an integral part of the design for reliability process (DfR) and if implemented correctly can optimize a design process flow, provide significant cost savings, reduce the number of design validation iterations and hence, the overall number of required test cycles. Furthermore, intelligent and customized testing including RV can reduce test costs, contribute to error prevention, and demonstrate achieved reliability. An appropriately applied RV methodology offers a sustainable competitive advantage; however, a general change in approach to product validation testing is needed, requiring a joint effort by the design and validation teams involved in product development. Robustness Validation will add common sense, efficiency, better test to field correlation and optimization to the process of automotive design and validation. Consequently, a case study is presented of an automotive power electronics unit that will show how Robustness Validation can help to minimize the validation cycle and reduce the waste of multiple validation iterations. This paper will also discuss the challenges and pitfalls to applying this process and the ways to address them. Hence this practice can be applied to most industries, well outside the automotive engineering.
