I am very experienced with circuit board engineering and have worked on dishwasher fires in the past. I am able to analyze electrical and electronic engineered systems that can cause these fires using a variety of tools: system specification analysis, detailed circuit analysis, circuit overcurrent protection analysis, electrical and electronic application review, the inspection of circuit boards, Institute of Printed Circuits standards, and circuit layout implementation.
Dishwasher electronic circuits contain a mix of both low voltage control and high voltage power signals. Integration of both control and power in smaller, more compact forms poses additional risks to the developers of such products who are trying to reduce the costs of manufacturing. Design issues or circuit component weaknesses are most likely flawed when products fail in a repeatable fashion. There are many engineering factors to consider to ensure a safe and reliable product, like design guidelines and implementation, product testing, and the product development process. Dangers specific to dishwashers are generally no different than other consumer electrical products, except that dishwashers usually control the most ‘entities’ – water, electricity, pressure, and heat. A failure of any one component can lead to end effects that create safety hazards and death.
