The following might be useful in creating a specification for your application. If so you are free to print a copy for your use.
Appliance manufacturers operate in a very competitive environment. To be successful they must strive to improve their product quality, reduce their manufacturing cost and deliver their product on a timely basis. A quality control program is an important part of that success.
Quality
Today's appliance manufacturers monitor the quality and performance of their products through a series of inspections and tests. These might include:
Physical measurements
Visual inspections
Safety tests
Performance tests
Audit tests
Life cycle tests
Evaluation of returned material
The Ideal Tester
Under ideal conditions there are detailed procedures and acceptance criterion for each of these tests and the results are documented. These procedures and results form the basis for an effective quality control program. The challenge is to handle the procedures and results in a cost-effective manner. Computer based inspection and testing systems are finding wider acceptance as part of the overall quality effort. A well designed system would:
Have the flexibility to evaluate any of the products to be manufactured.
Identify the assembler, inspector and product through bar-coded or similar inputs.
Retain inspection and test parameters for all products.
Provide written instructions to the inspector in their language of choice.
Identify required special tools, adapters or fixtures.
Be capable of performing at one time as much of the inspection, safety tests and performance
evaluations as practical.
Control the test conditions such as temperature, line voltage, etc.· Guide the operator through the required steps.
Automatically perform the sequence of tests specified for that product .
Measure the results, apply the test criterion and tolerances specified.
Allow the inspector to input results though a combination of bar-coded defects and typed descriptions.
Clearly identify non-conforming products.
Provide a test and inspection summary on a tag or sticker attached to the product.
Print a summary of the lot or batch results.
Require that service information be recorded on any products requiring rework.
Select a sampling of products for more extensive audit testing.
Retain the results in a database.
Provide summary reports sorted by any of the database information.
While all of these features might not be practical in a single test station environment, an effort should be made to incorporate them in the overall quality control program.
A. ISO 9001 Standard
Has your company implemented this standard?
Yes
Do you plan to implement this standard in the near future?
yes
B. Test Agents Which testing agencies do you work with? UL
TUV
CSA
IEC
VDE
Other
C. General Information
Number of test areas required
Average units tested per shift on each test station
Test equipment now being used .
D. Product Information
Number of model numbers used
Types of products manufactured
E. FACILITIES Line voltage available to operate test station
volts
frequency, Is remote control of test station desired ?
yes
F. Safety Tests Required
Which safety tests are to be performed?
1.Ground Wire Continuity
yes,
Test Current
amps Resistance Limits
ohms Test duration
seconds
2. Dielectric (Hi-Pot)
yes
Test Voltage
kilovolts __AC __ DC Fault Current Limit
milliamps Test Duration
seconds
Zero Crossing Required
yes
Capacity Compensation
yes Voltage Ramp
yes
3. Coil Resistance
yes
Test Current
amps, Resistance Range
ohms Four Point Bridge
yes, Test Duration
seconds
4. Insulation Resistance
yes,
Test Voltage __ 100 __ 500 __ 1000 volts, Resistance Range
to
megohms
5. Load Impedance
yes,
Resistance Range
ohms
G. Operational Tests Required
What types of tests would you like to perform while the product is operating?
Number of Operating Modes
Description of Modes
Time Duration
seconds
1. Short Circuit Test
yes, Impedance Limit
ohms
2. Current Draw Number of Measurements Required
Total Range of Current Measurements
to
amps
Time Duration per Measurements
seconds
3. Wattage Number of Measurements Required
Total Range of Measurements
to
watts
Time Duration per Measurements
seconds
4. Special Timing of Events
5. Speed
6. Vibration
7. Temperature
8. Voltage Outputs
9. Others
H. Power Requirements To Operate Your Products
Single Phase Power _ 60 Hertz
Voltage:
Volts, Current (or Power) Required:
Amps ( Watts ),
Voltage Control :
None,
Manual Control,
Automatic
Single Phase Power _ 50 Hertz
Voltage:
Volts, Current (or Power) Required:
Amps ( Watts ),
Voltage Control :
None,
Manual Control,
Automatic
Three Phase Power
Voltage:
Volts, Current (or Power) Required:
Amps ( Watts ),
Voltage Control :
None,
Manual Control,
Automatic
I. Visual Defects
Would you like the operator to be able to record any visual defects found?
yes
J. Operator Language
Would it be useful to provide instructions to the operator?
yes , Language of Choice
K. Test Station Outlet Receptacles
What types of test receptacles should be available to the operator?
US 120V 15A
, US 240V 15A
, European
, British
, Australian
, Italian
Swiss
, Japanese
Others
L. Printouts At Test Station
Would you like to get a printed report at the test station?,
yes, If yes what type would you like?
Inspection Tag
yes, Inspection Sticker
yes, Summary Report
yes, Print out of defects only
yes
M. Data Acquisition
Are you interested in retaining the test information?
yes
Do you plan to use statistical process control (SPC)?
yes
Retain results to be displayed at host computer?
yes
Test station to be connected to company computer network?
yes
Score board planned in work cell?
yes
N. Handling of Non-Conforming Products
How do you plan to handle non-conforming products?
Automatic rejection?
yes
Automatic marking?
yes
Labeling of defective material?
yes
O. Other Information
What other information do you think would be useful to help us better understand your application?
Please send to :
Sotcher Measurement Inc. 175 Lewis Road, Unit 23, San Jose, CA 95111 Phone: 408-574-0112 or 800-922-2969 Fax: 408-574-0116 Email: Sales@Sotcher.com
