What does the term 'infant failure' refer to in the bathtub curve?

The term 'infant failure' in the context of the bathtub curve refers to failures that occur during the early stages of a product's lifecycle, specifically during initial usage. This phase often experiences a higher rate of failures compared to later stages, primarily because of issues such as design flaws, manufacturing defects, or incorrect implementation. These failures typically arise from insufficient testing or unforeseen challenges that surface when the product is first used in the market or by customers.

In the bathtub curve, which visually represents the failure rate of a product over time, the initial segment illustrates a steep decline as 'infant failures' are addressed. This is contrasted with the later segments of the curve, where the failure rate stabilizes or decreases, indicating that the product has matured in terms of reliability once initial problems have been resolved. Understanding 'infant failure' is crucial for quality managers to ensure effective problem identification and mitigation strategies early in the product lifecycle.