Surface Mount Technology (SMT) flowlines are by design highly automated and each of the process steps needs to be performing at an optimum level to ensure production of printed circuit board assemblies meet the desired Key Performance … [Read more...]
Functional Tests in an SMT Flowline
We outlined what can be checked in an EMS factory before, but we didn't go into the quality control points of what is really special about them -- the SMT (Surface Mount Technology) machines. In China, I have visited all types of PCB … [Read more...]
What IT System for Managing Quality Inspections to Choose?
I have talked with people from many different companies that employ an inspection team. The way their quality department is organized can differ a great deal. But some elements are the same across 98% of companies. When it comes to … [Read more...]
Food safety standards: ISO 22001, HACCP, GMP
As one might expect, the food industry takes safety issues (i.e. not making consumers sick) very seriously. The main standards don't focus on "quality" (i.e. making sure the taste is good) but on "safety". It seems like not a month goes … [Read more...]
QC Inspections: Why some Points are NOT Checked on All Samples
When it comes to random inspections (usually conducted based on AQL tables), the inspector has to check a certain number of pieces. For example, if there are 5,000 pieces in the whole batch, he/she has to check 200 pieces (in normal … [Read more...]
How a Mobile App can Help Quality Control Inspectors
Over the past 10 years, most buying offices have pushed their inspectors to switch from paperwork to a laptop, and to prepare their reports on Microsoft Excel or Word. It means many details (including photos) can be reported. But it is an … [Read more...]
Don’t Count on QC Inspectors to Stop a Faulty Product Design
A QC inspection can be very useful in preventing a batch of defective or dangerous products from being shipped. But some importers seem to have excessive expectations as to what a QC inspector can do. What is an inspection of finished … [Read more...]
Tablets for QC Inspection: iPad, Android, or Windows?
As I wrote before, we have been working hard on developing a mobile app that allows our inspectors to work on a tablet. We got to a point where it works really well on iPad. But we have had to run tests on other types of tablets at the … [Read more...]
Defect List vs. Checkpoint List
I noticed many people confuse two things: the list of potential defects, and the list of checkpoints to follow during an inspection. What I see very often is a list of potential defects, but no list of checkpoints. There are 2 main … [Read more...]
Are there Many Fake ISO 9001 Certifications in China?
I saw several people mentioning fake certificates recently in the context of Chinese manufacturing. While I know there are many fake product certificates, I don't think there are many fake ISO 9001 certifications, or those for ISO 14001, or … [Read more...]
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