FMEA Example
A FMEA can take many forms and be performed at any level of detail. However, the objective is always to assess the risks associated with failure modes so that effective plans for addressing reliability issues can be developed and deployed. A computer monitor can be used in a very simple FMEA example.
Assume that you are analyzing a computer monitor that has a capacitor as one of its components. By looking at the design, you determine the following:
• If the capacitor is open (one failure mode), wavy lines appear on the monitor (the failure effect).
• If the capacitor is shorted (a second failure mode), the monitor is unable to display anything at all.
Because the monitor becomes unusable if the second failure mode occurs, you rank it more critical than the first failure mode. At this point, you either want to find ways to prevent this second failure mode from occurring or lessen the severity if its occurrence. Information about various risk assessment methods appears in
Criticality Assessment Methods.