Engineering / Design / Production Validation Test

The three hardware-validation gates from prototype to mass production: engineering, design, and production.

EVT, DVT, and PVT are hardware development stages standard in the consumer-electronics industry, and robotics companies have adopted them too. EVT (engineering validation test) uses hand-built or small-batch prototypes to confirm that a function or performance target can actually be achieved; DVT (design validation test) runs reliability, environmental, drop, lifespan, and certification testing, and once it passes, the design is essentially frozen; PVT (production validation test) uses the actual production line and tooling to run a small trial batch, checking yield, cycle time, and consistency. Only after this does mass production (MP, also called SOP) begin. Any stage can send the design back for rework if problems turn up. When a humanoid-robot company says it has “entered DVT” or “completed PVT,” that's a more informative signal of how close it is to real mass production than a “launch” or “unveiling” announcement.

ExampleA humanoid-robot company doing joint-lifespan testing during DVT discovers its reducer wears out too quickly, and has to switch to a different model before re-testing.

Also called

EVT / DVT / PVT

Related

Mass Production · Start of Production · Yield Rate / Manufacturing Consistency · Sampling / Supplier Nomination · Bill of Materials Cost · Engineering / Productionization

Sources

Engineering validation test - Wikipedia