MTBF MTTR MTTF FIT Terms 3618wp 1703446671

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MTBF, MTTR, MTTF, FIT MTBF remains the basic measure of a system’s
EXPLANATION OF TERMS reliability for most products...a useful tool when
evaluating a product purchase.
MTBF, but consumers are often price driven. They may not realize
Purpose that a product with a short lifespan really is not much of a bargain.
The intent of this White Paper is to provide an understanding
of MTBF and other product reliability methods. Understanding
MTBF data is not always readily available but, it is worth asking
the methods for the lifecycle prediction for a product enables
for the information. MTBF data should be a required line item
the customer to consider the tangible value of the product
in a request-for-quote (RFQ). If this data is not provided, a
beyond set-features before purchasing it.
manufacturer’s piece of equipment should be immediately
disqualified.
MTBF, MTTR, MTTF and FIT are reliability terms based on
methods and procedures for product lifecycle predictions.
Mean Time To Repair (MTTR) is the mean time needed to repair
Customers must often include reliability data when specifying
a failed hardware module. The actual installation time is only part
what product to buy for their application. MTBF (Mean Time
of the story. The time required to acquire the new part is also a
Between Failure), MTTR (Mean Time To Repair), MTTF (Mean
factor. Down-time costs money.
Time To Failure) and FIT (Failure In Time) are ways of providing
a numeric value based on a compilation of data to quantify a
Mean Time To Failure (MTTF) is a measure of reliability for non-
failure rate and the resulting time of expected performance.
repairable systems. It is the mean time expected until the piece
The numeric value can be expressed using any measure of
of equipment fails and needs to be replaced. MTTF is a statistical
time, but hours is the most common unit in practice.
value and is calculated as the mean over a long period of time
and a large number of units. MTBF should be used in reference to
repairable items, while MTTF should be used for non-repairable
items. However, MTBF is commonly used for both repairable and
non-repairable items.
Failure In Time (FIT) is another way of reporting MTBF. FIT reports

the number of expected failures per one billion hours of operation
for a device. This term is very important in the semiconductor
industry, but is also used by component manufacturers. FIT
can be quantified in a number of ways. Examples include: 1000
devices for 1 million hours, 1 million devices for 1000 hours each,
and other similar combinations. FIT and Comfidence Limits (CL)
Definitions are often provided together. In common usage, a claim to 95%
Product purchasing decisions should not be based on confidence in something is normally taken as indicating virtual
feature sets alone. You should also consider the product’s life certainty. In statistics, a claim to 95% confidence simply means that
expectancy. Understanding the methods used to predict a the researcher has seen something occur that only happens one
product life cycle will help you make informed decisions. time in twenty, or less. For example, component manufacturers
will take a small sampling of a component, test for x number of
Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) is the number of hours, and then determine if there were any failures in the test
failures per million hours for a product. This is the most bed. The CL will be based on the number of failures that occurred.
common parameter used to predict a product’s life span.
Industries and integrators tend to pay close attention to
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Using MTBF Data

The MTBF is often calculated based on an algorithm that factors improvement” and “zero defects”. That means that a product will
in all of a product’s components to reach the sum life cycle in be rigorously tested in numerous ways, including submissions to
hours. This calculation assumes that the product was properly outside labs for the appropriate certifications. The product is far
packaged when delivered, that it was installed correctly, and that more likely to be as flawless and as functional as advertised.
the customer is not doing anything to damage the product after it
has been deployed. A product with an extremely high MTBF may Reliability methods such as MTTR, MTTF and FIT apply to products
not necessarily have an equally impressive service life, depending or to specific components. However, MTBF remains the basic
upon how it is being treated. measure of a system’s reliability for most products. The true value
of MTBF calculations is often debated, sometimes called irrelevant
and often misunderstood. But, it is still a very useful tool when
evaluating a product purchase. Always ask for an MTBF value,
always find out how current that information is and always find
out what standards it is based upon. That will help you choose
wisely, and to select the appropriate product for your application.
MTBF is more than a simple formula. A person certified and Reliability Methods & Standards
educated in calculating MTBF must review the MTBF for every Numerous prediction methods have been developed to determine
component, as well as other factors like operating temperature reliability. For example, the most common standards for media
range and storage temperature range. converters are the MIL-HDBK- 217F Notice 2 (Military Handbook
published by the Department of Defense) and the Bellcore TR332,
In addition to the MTBF calculation, quality assurance managers (used by most commercial electronic product companies).
should track all reported field failures as well as the root causes.
Combining all of this data should produce a more accurate The MIL-HDBK- 217F Notice 2 predicts reliability with two
prediction of a product’s service life. Since this process takes time, methods: Parts Count Prediction (used to predict the reliability of
calculating the MTBF and other predictions of reliability is an on- a product in its early development cycle) and Parts Stress Analysis
going process. Prediction (used later in the development cycle, as the product
nears production).
MTBF can be subject to change. For example, RoHS “(Restriction
of Hazardous Substances”) was mandated by the European Bellcore TR332 uses the MIL-HDBK- 217F Notice 2 as a starting
Community in 2006. If a released product is re-developed in point, but modifies – and simplifies – the models to better reflect
order to meet RoHS compliance, the entire calculation has to be
Bellcore’s field experience.
performed again. New, RoHS-compliant components may have a
different life cycle than the parts that they replace.
ISO-9001 Certification is an indication that the manufacturer

has calculated the MTBF accurately. ISO certified companies
have committed themselves to meet the goals of “continual
Enabling An Intelligent Planet
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WHITE PAPER

Failure In Time (FIT) is another way of reporting MTBF. FIT reports

Using MTBF Data

ISO-9001 Certification is an indication that the manufacturer

Enabling An Intelligent Planet

European Headquarters Middle East, UAE, Africa Latin America, Caribbean

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