An extract from our references
Case Studies
We founded RelTest-Solutions from our PhD student days at the Institute for Machine Elements (IMA) in order to meet the increasing demand for reliability challenges. Of course, we are continuously maintaining this cooperation in order to keep up with the times for our customers with regard to the latest reliability research.
Through the industrial projects of RelTest-Solutions we give the research projects a practical reference, which is why the research results can often be transferred directly into practice. This creates valuable synergies because it may be immediately apparent what else is needed to make the research applicable. We publish these application-oriented solutions together with our IMA colleagues at international specialist conferences in order to remain in constant international exchange and to gain new insights into worldwide research results in reliability technology.
The institute director of the IMA and globally recognized reliability expert Prof. Dr. Bernd Bertsche supports our company as a mentor and advisor. We benefit z. B. from the outstanding research network that Prof. Bertsche has built up over the years of his work. In addition, Prof. Bertsche is there to advise us with his decades of experience in the field of reliability technology.
Efficient reliability assurance by taking into account prior knowledge from service life simulations – optimization of reliability test planning at Mercedes Benz Cars
The reliability of cars is usually ensured through test bench tests and endurance tests, which are sometimes very cost-intensive. In the current technological upheaval in electromobility, an additional complication is that a large part of the empirical knowledge can no longer be used, since this experience with the new technologies is simply missing. In order to reduce the number of physical tests, further data sources must be developed.
Using the high-voltage battery storage as an example, service life simulations were developed for the first time in terms of reliability. Nowadays, simulations are used in almost all areas of development, but are rarely used in terms of reliability. With a new stochastic approach, the simulation data can be described in terms of reliability and used as valuable preliminary information for test planning. To ensure reliability, the simulation results can also be taken into account in addition to the actual physical tests of the batteries. It is important to grasp these in the sense of a statistical and reliability-technical view, so that they can be converted into the necessary reliability statement with a probability of making a statement. Depending on the simulation and failure mechanism, particular hurdles have to be overcome. The simulation results can then be combined with results from physical tests in order to specify the reliability statement of the product, which ultimately reduces the testing effort.
Collaboration with Holland Innovative
RelTest Solutions Holland Innovative B.V. out of Eindhoven have signed a Letter of Intent for an intensified collaboration in 2020. Both institutes are planning to jointly organize Seminars, Trainings, and Events around Reliability and Product Development. This co-operation will lead to new trainings, mutual projects and research program’s where we aim to connect also the eco-systems of the collaborating partners: Stuttgart and Brainport Eindhoven.
RelTest Solutions, as well as Holland Innovative, is already offering a diversity of programs focusing on Reliability, Root Cause Analysis, and Data Science. By intensifying their cooperation, the institutes expect to improve the quality on both sides. In addition, the reliability training program will be expanded and offered in the Netherlands and Germany. The training is based on the VDI guideline 4002 and is certified by the University of Stuttgart. This will lead to a wide range of new initiatives in Reliability Engineering, Quality in Product Development and Project Management around these themes. For Holland Innovative’s CEO Hans Meeske, the Letter of Intent with RelTest Solutions is a logical step: “We both work from the principle that knowledge should be shared as much as possible. This is – above all – true for our mutual expertise in Reliability.”