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Replacing Automated Test Equipment
July 10, 2013 |Estimated reading time: 1 minute
No matter how good, reliable, and well serviced, your automatic test equipment (ATE) often has a much shorter life span than the products it is assigned to test. This fact is particularly true in the defense and aerospace markets, where large investments are made and products and associated electronics may require service and repair for decades. Take, for example, the F-16 fighter aircraft: Designed in the early ‘70s, and entered in service in 1979, the plane is a bestseller worldwide. Thanks to a midlife upgrade program that took place 20 years later, F-16s are expected to maintain operational capabilities over the next 10 to 20 years. Meanwhile, the ATE used to test electronics in the ‘70s is now only good for display in museums--even the subsequent generation that replaced those ‘70s machines is now out of production. Indeed, the life span of ATE typically does not exceed one or two decades. Though most suppliers assure service and maintenance for a few years after their ATE has been discontinued, sooner or later users will receive a letter announcing the date after which any support will no longer be provided. That's when the good old ATE might start looking for retirement and asking for replacement after a long life of loyal service.Read the full article here.Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in the June 2013 issue of SMT Magazine.