Speaking Of Reliability: Friends Discussing Reliability Engineering Topics | Warranty | Plant Maintenance

Common FMEA Confusions Abstract Carl and Fred discuss common FMEA confusions that come up from time to time. These are condensed from questions that Carl gets from “Inside FMEA” readers. Key Points Join Carl and Fred as they discuss common FMEA misunderstandings, and how to simplify the concepts. Topics include: Is it a Failure Mode, Effect of Cause? What’s the difference, and how can you be sure? Is a certain word automatically a Failure Mode, Effect or Cause? The answer depends on the context within the FMEA. Always begin with the Item and Function. Bucket example . . . Is a “leak” a Failure Mode, Effect of Cause? The answer is that it can be any of those elements. What is difference between Cause and Failure Mechanism? For high-risk issues, always take to root cause and failure mechanism. Brainstorming Failure Modes; do you have to enter all of them into the FMEA worksheet? Simple rule for what to enter in the FMEA worksheet, and what can be left out. Every person on a design team, and an FMEA team, has potential for blind spots. How to ensure the FMEA is not hindered by blind spots. Application of thought-starter questions to stimulate FMEA team discussion and bypass confusions. If you are having a problem with one part of an FMEA, go earlier. It usually means an earlier part of the FMEA was not we3ll defined. Stay focused on fundamentals. The value is often in the discussion. Enjoy an episode of Speaking of Reliability. Where you can join friends as they discuss reliability topics. Join us as we discuss topics ranging from design for reliability techniques to field data analysis approaches. Download Audio RSS Show Notes   The post SOR 903 Common FMEA Confusions appeared first on Accendo Reliability.

Learning What You Don’t Know Abstract Greg and Fred discuss keeping up professionally, which is a requirement these days to continue to be marketable. Key Points Join Greg and Fred as they discuss three types of reliability engineers: 1. Those to whom something happens; 2. Those who wonder what or why something happened; and 3. Those who make things happen.  #3 reliability engineers ‘get it.’  They want to learn what they don’t know. Topics include: What type of engineer are you:  #1; #2 or #3. How to make things happen. How to learn to be marketable in these disruptive times. Enjoy an episode of Speaking of Reliability. Where you can join friends as they discuss reliability topics. Join us as we discuss topics ranging from design for reliability techniques to field data analysis approaches. Download Audio RSS Show Notes   The post SOR 902 Learning What You Don’t Know appeared first on Accendo Reliability.

Good is Often Good Enough Abstract Greg and Fred discuss form vs. function decision making. Key Points Join Greg and Fred as they discuss various elements of form vs. function decision making.  Greg and Fred are engineers, who lean towards function, which is often good is good enough.  Others may lean towards form. Topics include: What is a form vs. function decision making. Why is this paramount in quality and reliability. When is good good enough. Enjoy an episode of Speaking of Reliability. Where you can join friends as they discuss reliability topics. Join us as we discuss topics ranging from design for reliability techniques to field data analysis approaches. Download Audio RSS Show Notes   The post SOR 901 Good is Often Good Enough appeared first on Accendo Reliability.

Mil HDBK 217 F Again! Abstract Chris and Fred discuss the Military Handbook 217 Version F (from 1991 no less) … again? Ever heard of it? Key Points Join Chris and Fred as they discuss this document called the MIL-HDBK 217F. This is a document that has a list of guesses (yes … guesses) of failure rates of classes of electronic components. And for some reason, these figures are routinely used to ‘model’ the reliability of today’s systems. It’s not good. Topics include: Where do these failure rates come from? Less than 10 companies provided failure data for their electronic components (without anyone confirming if this data was good) … with military data dating back to the 1960s filling in the gaps. Can you remember an electronic device manufactured in 1991? Probably not. And if you could, you would realize that we have come a LONG way in that time. Why was there even an attempt to create this book? Organizations could not (or didn’t want to) analyze, study, understand or test their designs to come up with reliability estimates. The solution? A bunch of numbers that can be put into your model to give you a number without having to work for it. Awesome! But it is always the failure rate! Failure rates mean nothing for most applications. For example, electronic component suppliers will advertise their reliability in terms of FITS (failures in time or failures per billion hours). You can buy diodes with a failure rate of 100 FITS. This implies an MTBF of 1 140 years. Good luck with that. Unfortunately … there is no substitute for critical thinking. Sorry. Enjoy an episode of Speaking of Reliability. Where you can join friends as they discuss reliability topics. Join us as we discuss topics ranging from design for reliability techniques to field data analysis approaches. Download Audio RSS Show Notes The post SOR 900 Mil Hdbk 217 Again appeared first on Accendo Reliability.

Inspiring New STEM Students Abstract Greg and Dianna discussing how to get involved in inspiring new STEM students. Key Points Join Greg and Dianna as they discuss inspiring new STEM students. How do we get new people interested in STEM? Topics include: Mentoring, being an example, getting them engaged The allure of the engineering decision-making process Push vs. Pull Enjoy an episode of Speaking of Reliability. Where you can join friends as they discuss reliability topics. Join us as we discuss topics ranging from design for reliability techniques to field data analysis approaches. Download Audio RSS Show Notes A highlight of engineering is the decision-making process that we utilize. That aspect is exciting to students. Coach them to start with the end in mind: who do you want to be, where do you want to go, what do you want to do? Then, help them evaluate the obstacles using observations, problem-solving, and decision-making approaches. The post SOR 899 Inspiring New STEM Students appeared first on Accendo Reliability.

ERM and Reliability Engineers Abstract Dianna and Greg discussing ERM and Reliability Engineers, along with the AI revolution and the current state of quality. Key Points Join Dianna and Greg as they discuss how ERM (enterprise risk management) and reliability engineers relate. Topics include: The history of ERM and its current state. Quality decision-making needs to re-orient from: tools, to data, to user, to smart decisions. The current state of engineering education, with the quickening pace of the half-life of knowledge. The AI revolution, including code and DALL-E. Enjoy an episode of Speaking of Reliability. Where you can join friends as they discuss reliability topics. Join us as we discuss topics ranging from design for reliability techniques to field data analysis approaches. Download Audio RSS Show Notes Greg gives context to ERM and describes its history, including the introduction of CQO (Chief Quality Officers) and ISO standards and compliance. And, how it has changed since 2000. “The future of quality: risk.” – Greg Hutchins The new focus of Quality is the decisions that we make. Those decisions are affected by the assumptions behind the data. And the new scope is not just production, but the greater business system. New products are integrated and complicated, making the evaluation and decision-making more complicated. And the pace of knowledge growth is outpacing education. Focusing on the strength of our decision making can help us differentiate ourselves and add value to ourselves, our families, and our employers.   The post SOR 898 ERM and Reliability Engineers appeared first on Accendo Reliability.

Creating a Culture of Innovation with Quality and Reliability Abstract Dianna and Carl discussing creating a culture of innovation with Quality and Reliability. Key Points Join Dianna and Carl as they discuss creating a culture of innovation with Quality and Reliability. Topics include: The innovation continuum, from company culture to individual interactions How to foster innovation in teams and between individuals Bell Labs, 3M, PAN-AM, Apple, and GM’s innovation Enjoy an episode of Speaking of Reliability. Where you can join friends as they discuss reliability topics. Join us as we discuss topics ranging from design for reliability techniques to field data analysis approaches. Do you have ideas relating to the balance of innovation and your reliability work? Leave us a comment. Download Audio RSS Show Notes A culture of innovation requires space, value, and opportunity to be creative. Also needed are skills of evaluation, critique, and problem solving. It’s difficult to balance both. Companies can foster innovation by understanding that there are risks and that innovative ideas need different measures of success. Short-term profitability on new concepts can be unsupportive of development of new ideas. Those measures of success may extend into management metrics. Innovation isn’t limited to BIG ideas. Innovation exists on a continuum and extends into individual interactions. People can use inside-out thinking for innovative ideas while also evaluating with outside-in thinking. They also discuss ways to foster creativity on an individual level, and ways to work with a team during FMEAs to assist with a team’s creative instincts. The post SOR 897 Creating a Culture of Innovation with Quality and Reliability appeared first on Accendo Reliability.

Quality and Reliability Management: Independence vs. Integration Abstract Carl and Dianna sharing experiences with different forms of managing quality and reliability activities. The importance of independence was compared to the importance of integrating with the design activities. What works, what doesn’t work, and why? Key Points Join Carl and Dianna as they discuss different ways to organize and manage quality and reliability support activities. Topics include: Which reporting structure works best for quality and reliability activities? Reporting to engineering, corporate, validation? Pros and cons for each. Consider independence factor: which reporting structure allows for independent evaluation? Consider integration factor: which reporting structure allows quality and reliability support to integrate most seamlessly with engineering? How quality and reliability is implemented is more important than the reporting structure. Avoid the same person or group straddling both “design for” and problem solving at same time; fire fighting will end up taking precedence, to the detriment of achieving reliability in design. Creating a favorable company culture is critical to achieving reliability in design. Be aware of how often management positions are changed; reliability in design can take years to achieve positive field results, and if management changes too often, it can impede the continuity of implementation. What matters most is not the reporting structure, but rather the level of support and continuity of support from management. Improving soft skills is essential to achieving reliability in design; reason is reliability is not done in a vacuum, but rather as part of a team; influencing others to make correct decisions is an important skill. Don’t merely point out what is wrong with designs, work to integrate with design teams to arrive at best solutions. Seek to interact with management, so that reliability solutions are adopted and supported by the decision makers. Enjoy an episode of Speaking of Reliability. Where you can join friends as they discuss reliability topics. Join us as we discuss topics ranging from design for reliability techniques to field data analysis approaches. Download Audio RSS Show Notes   The post SOR 896 Q & R Management: Independence vs. Integration appeared first on Accendo Reliability.

Product Reliability in Complex Supply Chains Abstract Dianna and Chris discussing product reliability in complex supply chains. Key Points Join Dianna and Chris as they discuss product reliability in complex supply chains. Topics include: manufacturers using components used outside of their original purpose relationships between manufacturers and suppliers supplier management cell phones, space products, electric bike suspension, medical devices, and Spidey senses Enjoy an episode of Speaking of Reliability. Where you can join friends as they discuss reliability topics. Join us as we discuss topics ranging from design for reliability techniques to field data analysis approaches. Download Audio RSS Show Notes The types of things that makes complex supply chains is when: weak relationships with suppliers manufacturers don’t have a lot of choice with suppliers components that manufacturers use that aren’t intended for their market or their use environment Ways you can address issues: take the time to develop strong relationships with suppliers choose simpler and adaptable components facilitate the technical experts among many suppliers to come to an agreement speak to the “doers”! If you have a particular supplier story or article, please share it! The post SOR 895 Product Reliability in Complex Supply Chains appeared first on Accendo Reliability.

Sustainability and Reliability Abstract Chris and Dianna discuss the relationship between reliability engineering and sustainability (or anything else that is environmentally friendly). Is there some link between the two? Key Points Join Chris and Dianna as they discuss how reliability engineering can support sustainability or environmentally friendly concerns. If you want to sell your product internationally, then you will need to comply with an entire array of evolving regulations (European Union, State of California, Iceland, and so on) that focus on environmentally conscious decisions. How can reliability engineering help? Topics include: Reliability engineering stops over-engineering (which lowers carbon footprints). Focusing on the ‘vital few’ weak points of a product means we don’t blindly double the size, mass, strength, and capacity of every component or element. Why does this help the environment? Because over-engineered products are heavier, bigger, and cost more to transport in terms of money and carbon dioxide. And often don’t last longer anyway. It’s not just regulations – it’s the customers. Customers are increasingly demanding that the things they buy are designed with the environment in mind. It is no longer a fad or a trend. It is a movement. And things like FMEAs are really good at taking whatever characteristic you think is important into consideration. It’s not just regulations or customers – it’s money. Electronic devices often use a lot of solder to connect capacitors, transistors, and resistors to PCBs. And it takes a lot of thermal energy to melt the solder during manufacture. Bismuth-based solder (replacing the nasty, toxic lead-based solder) melts at a lower temperature, so you need to use less electricity (and spend less money). But bismuth-based solder is more brittle. So reliability engineers need to help with this transition. And what happens with your products when they are done? Plastic bags take centuries to degrade (if they ever do). Why should grocery stores not spend an extra couple of cents per bag to make it biodegradable, and instead require taxpayers to fund the disposal and storage of these materials in landfills? … and animals aren’t a big fan of plastics either. Nor are they a fan of batteries (like those from electric vehicles) once they stop being useful. Sustainability needs to be in the ‘DNA’ of an organization. It can’t be left up to someone to be the ‘environmental’ or ‘sustainability’ person. That simply means everyone else stops thinking about sustainability and the environment because ‘someone else’ is tasked with doing it. So it never happens. Enjoy an episode of Speaking of Reliability. Where you can join friends as they discuss reliability topics. Join us as we discuss topics ranging from design for reliability techniques to field data analysis approaches. Download Audio RSS Show Notes   The post SOR 894 Sustainability and Reliability appeared first on Accendo Reliability.