Wide-ranging measurement methods are applied on the assembly lines of production plants across the country. The ever-rising bar of quality demands rejection of defective products at an assurance level not imagined in years past. The future of defect detection perhaps lies in the identification of assembly line units that are not yet defective, but which could nonetheless be expected to fail prematurely in the hands of the consumer.

A production test activity once dominated by mechanically operated micrometers now is characterized by computer controlled measurement devices and data acquisition and analysis systems. Yet, many production plants have not taken advantage of newly developed methods of dynamic measurement and signal processing.

This article suggests dynamic testing as a means of detecting not only on-the-line defects, but also the potential for premature failure after delivery to the customer.

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