What does FA mean in ELECTRONICS

Failure Analysis (FA) is a technique used to identify and diagnose the root cause of a failure that occured in a product, system, or service.

The primary benefit of FA is that it provides information about the underlying cause of a failure so that corrective action can be taken to prevent future occurrences. Additionally, FA helps increase safety by eliminating potential risks before they occur.

Common types of failures that can be identified via FA include short circuits, power surges, corrosion damage, mechanical wear, cracks or fractures caused by stress or fatigue, etc.

Typically, FA involves collecting data from the faulted unit or device and examining this data for clues as to why it failed. This may involve physical inspection of components such as connectors and circuitry using an optical microscope as well as electrical measurements such as resistance tests and current flow analysis with special equipment like oscilloscopes and multimeters.

Typically an engineer experienced in troubleshooting processes will carry out a FA, however this could be done by someone else who is trained in the necessary skillset for performing such analysis depending on the complexity of the task at hand. In some cases, specialist external companies may be contracted for their expertise if necessary.