What’s the difference between FMEA and FMECA?

FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis) and FMECA (Failure Mode, Effects, and Criticality Analysis) are both methods used in reliability engineering and risk management to identify and prioritize potential failures in a system, process, or product.

The main difference between FMEA and FMECA lies in the level of analysis and risk assessment they provide. FMEA is a systematic approach to identify and evaluate potential failure modes and their effects on the system, but it does not explicitly take into account the severity or criticality of the failure modes. On the other hand, FMECA extends the analysis to include an assessment of the criticality of the failure modes by considering the severity of their consequences, the probability of their occurrence, and the likelihood of their detection.

In other words, FMEA focuses on identifying and evaluating potential failure modes and their effects, while FMECA goes further by also considering the criticality of those failure modes. FMECA provides a more comprehensive risk analysis by prioritizing the most critical failure modes and enabling the development of appropriate mitigation strategies.

In summary, FMEA is a useful tool for identifying potential failures and their effects, while FMECA adds an additional layer of risk assessment by evaluating the criticality of those failures.