Search Results

Inspection checks the product; LPAs check the process. A perfect product made by a rogue process is a ticking time bomb. Layered Process Audits (LPA) are the immune system of the factory floor. They are high-frequency, short-duration checks performed by multip...

While Layered Process Audits (LPA) check if the operator is following the rules today, the Internal Systems Audit asks if the rules themselves are compliant, effective, and actually being read. This is the health check of the Quality Management System (QMS). I...

A customer audit is not a friendly visit; it is a verification of contract compliance. The auditor's goal is to find risk; your goal is to demonstrate control. Success relies on architecture, not just good coffee. You must control the flow of information, the ...

Supplier Quality Management (SQM) is not an administrative extension of Purchasing; it is the technical firewall separating external supply chain entropy from internal manufacturing stability. While Procurement optimizes for cost and logistics (Commercial), SQ...

In high-volume manufacturing, standard "Yield" is a vanity metric. A production line reporting 99% Output Yield can still be bankrupting the company if 40% of those units required rework loops to pass. As a Quality Director, you must distinguish between making...

SPC is the difference between inspecting quality in (reactive) and building quality in (proactive). Inspection tells you that you just made a bad part; SPC tells you that you are about to make a bad part. It is the practice of listening to the "heartbeat" of t...

Before trusting data, you must trust the tool that generated it. If your ruler is elastic, every measurement is a lie. Measurement System Analysis (MSA) quantifies the error introduced by the gauge and the operator. It answers the critical question: "Is the va...

First Article Inspection (FAI) is not merely a "golden sample" check; it is a forensic validation of the manufacturing process. We do not just measure the part; we audit the process that created it. If the first unit off the line is a fluke, the next thousand ...

Quality cannot be inspected into a product; it must be designed into the process. Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) is the architecture of prevention, ensuring that physical reality matches engineering intent before the cash burn of mass production begi...

FMEA is not paperwork; it is the mathematical prediction of the future. It forces engineers to stare into the abyss of "What could go wrong?" and build a bridge over it before the first prototype is scrapped. If you treat FMEA as a checkbox exercise to satisfy...

If you are fighting the same fire this week that you fought last month, your CAPA system is broken. Root Cause Analysis (RCA) is the difference between "fixing" a problem and "solving" it. Most organizations stop at the symptom ("Operator error"); true enginee...

The Printed Circuit Board (PCB) is not a component; it is the chassis of the entire system. If the foundation is compromised, the best soldering in the world cannot save the product. We utilize IPC-A-600 (Acceptability of Printed Boards) to define the boundary...

Cable assemblies are the nervous system of the product. They are often built by hand, making them the most variable and failure-prone component in the BOM. IPC/WHMA-A-620 is the standard that separates a reliable connection from an intermittent field failure. ...

The "Box Build" is where precision electronics meet the brutal reality of the physical world. While a PCBA is fragile and static, the final enclosure is dynamic; it must survive drops, vibration, thermal cycles, and user abuse. This chapter governs the "Macro"...

Cosmetic inspection is the most dangerous phase of manufacturing because it is subjective. Without quantifiable physics, the production line devolves into an art critique session, driving up scrap costs without adding value. This chapter converts "it looks bad...

Rework is not a "Undo" button; it is controlled trauma. Every time you apply a soldering iron to a PCBA, you introduce thermal shock, consume the sacrificial plating, and grow the brittle Intermetallic Compound (IMC) layer. The goal of IPC-7711 (Rework) and IP...

In high-mix electronics manufacturing, the greatest threat to OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) is not slow machine speed, but the idle time between production runs. An SMT line costing $1M generates zero revenue while stationary. Single Minute Exchange of...

While Book 07 covers facility-wide strategies, this chapter defines the specific, tactical maintenance actions required for Surface Mount Technology (SMT) equipment. SMT machines are high-speed precision robots operating in a hostile environment of sticky sold...

Rework and repair are invasive procedures that carry a high risk of Collateral Damage (CD) to the printed circuit board assembly (PCBA). Unlike primary assembly, which relies on automated precision, rework relies on operator skill and strict thermal management...

Predictive Maintenance is not about fixing machines; it is about buying time. While Preventive Maintenance relies on statistical guesses (replacing parts "just in case"), PdM interrogates the asset for physical signatures of distress—heat, vibration, and noise...