Failure Mode Analysis

ABSTRACT-
The overgrowing need of the market and every now and again changing style has encouraged
the garment industry to full-fill these necessities by giving an ideal amount of best quality items
with a specific end goal to keep up with the situation in the market. Equipment utilization is a
major point of interest for many companies due to their direct impact on productivity.
Highest possible utilization and improvement of performance of equipment will show
significant increase in productivity. The primary purpose of an equipment maintenance plan in a
garment manufacturing facility is to minimize the impact of unplanned events on safety, the
environment, and business profitability. Machine down time affects productivity. Down time
can be reduced by performing appropriate maintenance. The reliability tool best serving as a
vehicle to achieve and sustain equipment maintenance plan goals is the failure modes and
effects analysis (FMEA) . Machinery Failure Mode and Effects Analysis will help identify
weaknesses in the reliability of a machine/equipment.To demonstrate the concept,example of
a sewing machine is given.

INTRODUCTION-
Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) were first developed as a formal design methodology
in the 1960s by the aerospace industry with their obvious reliability and safety requirements.
Later, its use spread to other industries, such as the automotive, oil and natural gas. It aims to
identify and prioritize possible imperfections in products and processes.Failure Mode and Effect
Analysis method is a systematic process for identifying potential failures of designs ,processes
and machines with the purpose of minimizing or eliminating these failures. FMEA method can
be utilized as a tool to identify potential machine failures by considering the Risk Priority
Number (RPN)(for determining the priority of a possible solution ).RPN represents the
relationship between three variables that include Severity (S), Occurrence (O), and Detection
actions. The RPN provides guidance to determine potential failures and then provides
suggested actions for design/process changes to the severity so that appearances are low.FMEA
encourages higher reliability and quality can be used to assess and optimize a maintenance plan
.It also includes:

1. Damage level (severity) or how serious the damage to the process was

2. Frequency (occurrence) or how much interference could cause a failure

3. Detection level (detection) or how failures could be identified before happening [1]

FAILURE MODE AND EFFECT ANALYSIS METHODOLOGY-

The traditional methodology is as follows-

 Identify Failure modes (What could turn out badly?)

 Identify Failure causes (Why might the failure happen?)
 Identify Failure effects (What might be the outcomes of every failure?
 Identify the severity(S) of each reason and rate it as per the FMEA table.

Fig.1
Identify the rate of the event (O) of each reason and give the event number from the FMEA
table.

Fig 2

 Identify the identification parameter (D) as per the simplicity of location by utilizing
FMEA table.

Fig.3

 Calculate the risk priority number, or RPN, which breaks even with S × O × D. The higher
number, the higher the failure mode.
 Identify prescribed activities. These activities might be a plan or process changes to
bring down seriousness or event. They might be extra controls to enhance recognition.
Likewise note who is in charge of the activities and target fruition dates.
 As activities are finished, a note comes about and the date on the FMEA frame.
Additionally, note new S, O or D appraisals and new RPNs.[1]

Fig.4 Failure Mode Analysis Flow Diagram

A typical Failure Mode Analysis table/form looks like the following-

APPLICATION /IMPLEMENTATION IN READYMADE GARMENT INDUSTRY

–TAKING CASE OF SEWING MACHINE-
Taking example of an industrial sewing machine (Single needle Lockstitch),the procedure has to
be followed by noting down the parts and its failures that occur.[2]

Types of failures-

 Needle Breaking
 High surface roughness at the opening of the needle
 Skipped stitches
 Thread breakage
 Jamming of the machine
 Jamming of the throat plate
 Burning of motor
 Worn out parts

After that,the effects and the reasons/causes of those failures have to be listen
down.

Failures Causes
Needle breaking The needle hits the needle's plate-there is no
sync between the vertical movement of the
needle and the material movement.
There is a large clearance in the needle holder
guiding bushing:
- hits in the needle's plate
-hits the nose of thread guiding stick
High surface roughness at the opening of the The needle's
needle opening is badly
 processed
Skipped stitches Machine is threaded incorrectly or excessive
thread tension
Wrong setting
Bending of needle Problem in the clamp
Thread breakage Thread Guide tension is incorrect,problem
with the bobbin
Jamming of throat plate Problem with presser foot
Incorrect feed dog setting
Worn out parts Irreplacement of parts that are used
excessively

Listing down the effect,causes and RPN of some of them in a table[2][3]-

Part Functio Potenti Effect Causes of O S D RPN Recomme

n al s of Failure =O. nded
failure Failur S.D action
mode e
Needle Sewing 1.Needle 1.Not 1.The needle 8 5 2 80
breaking sewing hits the
needle's
plate-there is
no
sync
between the
vertical
movement
of the needle
and the
material
movement
system. 9 4 2 72
2.There is a
large
clearance in
the needle
holder
guiding
bushing:
- hits in the
needle's
 plate
-hits the
nose of
thread
guiding stick

Needle Rectilinear Bending Skipped The arm is 3 2 2 12 Replace the

clamp and of needle stitch bending needle and
reciprocati or sticking. knife with a
ng new one.
moving of
the needle.

CONCLUSION-
This demonstrates that FMEA is an important tool in garment industry so that maintenance can
be planned as well as quality can be maintained keeping in mind the productivity and reliability
of the machine(SNLS in this case.)
 REFERENCES
1. Failure Mode Effect Analysis and Total Productive Maintenance:A Review,
International Journal of Innovative Research in Advanced Engineering
(IJIRAE) ISSN: 2349-2163,Volume 1 Issue 6 (July 2014)
2. Construction FMEA analysis of industrial sewing machines, László Kerekes,
Zsolt Csaba Johanyák
3. Minimization of defects in sewing section at Garment and Textile Factories
,(Case: MAA Garment and Textile Factory)By Hewan Taye Beyene

Fig.1,2,3-
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/265041772_Selection_of_Maintenanc
e_Strategy_Using_Failure_Mode_Effect_and_Criticality_Analysis

Fig.4- Application of Failure Mode Effect Analysis (FMEA) to Reduce Downtime

in a Textile Share Company,Journal of Engineering, Project, and Production
Management 2018, 8(1), 40-46