TDK Lambda Magazine | May 2021

Initially, only components by trusted vendors will be selected from the company’s databases. The process involves R&D teams from TDK-Lambda’s R&D centers around the world - and QA experts at the Corporation’s headquarters in Japan. A component manufacturer will be awarded the title of “Approved Supplier” if the company has positive experience with its products, and if it does not put at risk the TDK-Lambda supply chain. In other words: the component supplier must be able to supply continuous quantities of reliable components for years. The databases are frequently updated according to tests and investigations: a component with corrosion, or that fails a thermal shock test, for example, will be removed from the database. A supplier with delayed shipments will be downgraded. 1,000 Test Pages Once the most appropriate and high-quality components have been selected - from the most trusted suppliers - our Component Engineering Group operates a validation procedure for each and every component. Although suppliers usually attach a file to each component with the results of their tests, we verify each piece of data - based on our own tests - and even add a series of additional tests: electrical tests, stress tests such as TST (thermal shock test) and more. The parameter that reflects the component’s lifespan - MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures) - is also required for TDK-Lambda’s internal validation. The MTBF is determined following a variety of tests, and will usually be more conservative than what is stated by the supplier. The MTBF of all components will determine the lifespan of the product as a whole.

MAGAZINE MAY 2021

3