Process Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (Process FMEA)

Process FMEA enables engineers to identify potential process failures and to take appropriate corrective actions prior to full production and product launch. This course introduces a systematic approach to Process FMEA that links product and process requirements to ensure that manufacturing processes are robust. Process FMEA is becoming a mandatory requirement for most companies and also provides a focus for continuous improvement.

Course Content

Introduction to FMEA
- The need for FMEA, its objectives and benefits
- The responsibility of the FMEA team

Defining the Process
- Overview of the process steps, including incoming sources of variation
- Process flowchart (chunking processes into logical steps)
- Characteristic matrix (linking important process steps to product characteristics in order to identify potential failures)

Failure Modes, Effects and Severity
- Types of testing and analysis
- Setting priorities using the severity rating scale

Cause & Occurrence
- Multiple causes of failures and defects
- Cause analysis and countermeasures
- Using the Occurrence Rating Table

Current Controls and Detection
- Evaluating the effectiveness of process based controls using the detection rating table

Risk Priority Number & Corrective Actions
- Working out the RPN and options for corrective actions, and re-scoring the FMEA

Management of Process FMEA
- Key pointers in the improvement of FMEA using a team-based approach