Capacitors with liquid electrolytes suffer from drying out, and sometimes just leakage. In some cases a component like this will fail if just left sitting around unused. Elevated temperatures make it worse. The specifications of some capacitors give a lifetime at their rated maximums -- and I've seen it as low as 500 hours.
Small multi-layer ceramic capacitors can be damaged by flexation of the board they're mounted on.
Film capacitors can accumulate damage (generally caused by voltage spikes).
A designer will choose a capacitor that should last the "lifetime" of the product. Depending on the manufacturer, the "lifetime" may be the warranty period or even less...
Small multi-layer ceramic capacitors can be damaged by flexation of the board they're mounted on.
Film capacitors can accumulate damage (generally caused by voltage spikes).
A designer will choose a capacitor that should last the "lifetime" of the product. Depending on the manufacturer, the "lifetime" may be the warranty period or even less...