10/10/2022, 01:12 US Tech Online -> New Levels of Traceability for Electronics Manufacturing

Save. Share. Connect.

Sunday, October 9, 2022 VOLUME - NUMBER Advertisements

Daily News Archive

Front Page Articles

Tech-Op-Ed

Tech Watch

People in the News home/current issue >  industry articles > 

Business News

Management
New Levels of Traceability for Electronics
EM Services
Manufacturing
EM Products
By Michael Ford, Senior

Production Marketing Development

Manager, Mentor Graphics Corp.
Partnering
The IPC (Association
Distribution
Connecting Electronics
Industry Articles Industries®) has developed a
new standard and
Product Preview: The specification for traceability
Battery Show, SMTA
Guadalajara, IMAPS practices. The standard, IPC- Example risk assessment matrix taken from MIL-
1782, defines four levels of STD-882.
New Products material and process traceability. The adoption of IPC-1782 will allow
many companies to progress from basic traceability methods to higher
Hi-Tech Events
levels.
Calendar

The traceability specification applies to all aspects of electronics

manufacturing, including the assembly and mechanical operations that go
into products. The main focus of the standard's committee, however, was
on electronic assembly itself. The committee started with risk assessment
and mapped the degree of severity and probability of a defect to its effect
on a business.

Gathering extreme levels of traceability data — each scrap of data from

every available process — would be too much for most of the industry.
Instead, the committee determined that the level of data collection needed
to be assessed against the risk associated with potential product defects.

Four Levels of Data Collection

The group used the IPC product classification system as a guide for
different levels of traceability data collection. The IPC-1782 standard
defines four levels for both material traceability and process traceability.

At the first level, material traceability consists of a part number listed to
  the work order. For process traceability, significant process exceptions are
listed to the work order. Data integrity is in the range of 3 sigma and its
collection and storage is considered 90 percent manual. Reporting lead
time required is 48 hours and data retention time is the life of the product  
plus one year.

Level two incorporates a unique material ID for each work order and
critical process characteristics, as well as exceptions, are listed to
serialized PCB assemblies. Data integrity is in the range of 4 sigma, with
collection and storage at least 70 percent automated. Reporting lead time
is 24 hours with data retention for the life of the product plus three years.

www.us-tech.com/RelId/1765032/ISvars/default/New_Levels_of_Traceability_for_Electronics_Manufacturing.htm 1/4
10/10/2022, 01:12 US Tech Online -> New Levels of Traceability for Electronics Manufacturing
At level three, a unique material ID is assigned to each PCB assembly
and all key process characteristics and exceptions are listed to serialized
PCB assemblies. Data integrity is in the range of 6 sigma and collection
and storage are at least 90 percent automated. The reporting lead time
required is only one shift and data retention is for the life of the product
plus five years.

The fourth level assigns a unique material ID to the reference designator

and all available metrics are captured and listed to serialized PCB
assemblies. Data integrity is in the range of 9 sigma, collection and
storage are fully automated and reports are available at the completion of
the process. Level four data retention time is for the life of the product plus
seven years.

The levels "low," "medium," "serious," and "high" taken from the risk
assessment matrix equate roughly to the four levels of traceability defined
by IPC-1782. The IPC product classification system of Class 1, 2, 3, and
Class 3 space equate in a similar way.

In each case, especially as

IPC-1782 is initially
introduced, there will be
variations depending on the
history and nature of the
product and the market it
goes into. The traceability
levels are provided as Illustration of a hierarchical data structure approach.
guidelines. The level of material and process traceability can often be
different, with additional exceptions determined between the product
owner and manufacturer. However, once the level is agreed upon, the
specification of what is the appropriate traceability data is clear.

As well as the degree of granularity, the different levels of traceability also

define key factors of performance for the collection and use of the data.
The greater degree of automation in data collection, either directly from
machines or as part of transactional control systems of manufacturing, the
more accurate and timely the data, and as a result, its usefulness.

Hierarchical Data Structure

The nature of electronics assembly is hierarchical. A finished product,

represented by an assembly cell, is typically made up of raw materials and
subassemblies. Each of the subassemblies is, in turn, a finished product
of another assembly process, which itself is made up of raw materials and
may include other subassemblies.

The assembly cell contains data about the work order, process sequence,
BOM, and the process traceability data, which is a record of the events
and transactions that have taken place during the assembly process. It
also includes the materials traceability data, which has information about
specific raw materials and each subassembly.

A raw material is differentiated from a subassembly as any component

that does not have a traceability record. Because this approach is
modular, the traceability details of subassemblies can be combined easily
at a later date, either when the subassembly is used, or even later, as long
as the unique ID of the subassembly is recorded. The data can later be
imported or simply referred to when stored in a connected system.

The IPC-1782 standard defines levels of both material and process

traceability. Data gathered for material traceability may include unique
material IDs, supplier and date code. The method of linking material
traceability data through the use of unique IDs and the cellular structure of
information keeps data from being repeated within the structure. Any
specific material ID is needed only once and can be referred to by many
reference designator positions across different assemblies.

In the case of process traceability, there are common elements of

traceability data that apply to all processes and also additional
requirements that depend on the specific process type. Common elements
include the list of materials consumed for an SMT process, as well as
details of machine errors during operation. Data specific to a particular
process may include pass/fail test results, and process measurement
data.

The traceability structure also includes data that is not product-specific,

such as maintenance cycles. This is kept separate from the assembly tree

www.us-tech.com/RelId/1765032/ISvars/default/New_Levels_of_Traceability_for_Electronics_Manufacturing.htm 2/4
10/10/2022, 01:12 US Tech Online -> New Levels of Traceability for Electronics Manufacturing
as it is time-based and can occur during production or between product
cycles.

Implementing IPC-1782

The IPC-1782 standard is designed to be as simple as possible to

understand and to execute. However, the standard could not be simply a
linear list of requirements. Understanding the data's hierarchical nature
and content are necessary to get started. The specification of the standard
will also eventually be supported by examples of how it can be applied
and used, as well as exactly what each data field represents.

To implement IPC-1782, use the risk assessment methodology and IPC

classifications to determine the target level of traceability. Level 1
traceability is the minimum that should be expected for any manufacturer
of good standing. Level 4 is appropriate only for the highest demands in
the industry, especially where process data is concerned. For EMS
companies, various levels of traceability may be required for different lines
of products.

The next step is to compare the calculated requirement with what is

currently in place, represented by existing quality or management control
systems, or as negotiated with customers. Most of the data required for
traceability is likely to already exist in a given operation, making it then a
matter of establishing a communication method for the data to be brought
together in the form that IPC-1782 calls for.

Most automated machines in the market, going back many years, have
some sort of data availability, which may require machine-vendor software
support. Data may also be collected from transactional systems such as
planning and material control, and by including verification operations.

All of these sources of data can be combined more easily through the
adoption of a single format, such as the Open Manufacturing Language
(OML), which already supports IPC-1782 requirements. A single common
language simplifies integration into cloud-based systems and intelligent,
Industry 4.0 processes.

Negotiation of contracts and agreements between manufacturing and

product owners is next, using the much more simple definitions of
expectation. Some education about the implementation of the standard,
including how data is collected, may be required in the earliest stages.

The level of traceability selected may be a lower level than what is

eventually needed, since the interprocess communication infrastructure
will take time to implement reliably. The levels may then be increased over
time, as increased value from the traceability data is sought and related
costs of data acquisition diminish — for example, as machine vendors
adopt communication standards directly.

Expected Results

Unlike management-driven requirements that include a degree of

traceability, positive results from adoption of IPC-1782 can be significant.
These include:

Streamlined Negotiation. Because it is relatively easy to determine the

required level of traceability between the product owner and manufacturer,
the risk of any misunderstandings is vastly reduced. Since the standard
clearly defines each level of traceability, negotiations are less complex and
contract lead times can be shortened.

Reduced Cost of Data Collection. Since the standard clearly shows

what information needs to be collected, the overall cost and impact of
traceability can be lowered. At the same time, it ensures that the
traceability data meets expectations.

Effective Auditing. As trust is built between manufacturer and product

owner, audits can be far less painful, since both parties know exactly what
to expect and what is required.

Reduced Recall Costs. Any serious product issues that occur have the
scope of remedial activity identified, minimizing recall and rework costs.
This is due to the content and quality of the data and affects brand
reputation as well as customer satisfaction.

www.us-tech.com/RelId/1765032/ISvars/default/New_Levels_of_Traceability_for_Electronics_Manufacturing.htm 3/4
10/10/2022, 01:12 US Tech Online -> New Levels of Traceability for Electronics Manufacturing
Reduced Cost of Poor Quality. Within the manufacturing operation,
exceptions and deviations can be understood quickly. The traceability data
can be used to improve quality well beyond conventional quality
management techniques. Issues can be quickly and accurately attributed
to production, materials or design, creating the environment for continuous
improvement.

Counterfeit Material Accountability. A shocking trend in manufacturing,

the range of counterfeit materials now includes key components, such as
ICs, batteries, etc., and also regular passive components. Using
counterfeit materials can cause serious quality and reliability issues in the
market. Counterfeit detection only acts as a filter, but is not a real
deterrent to counterfeiters entering the market. Traceability data can
provide a line of accountability back to the point where counterfeit
materials are introduced.

The IPC-1782 specification has been created to bring an end to the

confusion surrounding and ineffectiveness of complex and vague
traceability requirements. Ultimately, traceability enables factories to get
much closer to the goal of zero defects, throughout the entire
manufacturing and supply chain.

Contact: Mentor Graphics Corp., 8005 SW Boeckman Road, Wilsonville,

OR 97070 503-685-7000 E-mail: sales_info@mentor.com Web:
http://www.mentor.com
 

 
Home/Current Issue | Digital Edition | Archive | White Papers | About Us | Subscribe | Media Kit

© 2022 U.S. Tech. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy Contact Us: 610-783-6100 | mail@us-tech.com

www.us-tech.com/RelId/1765032/ISvars/default/New_Levels_of_Traceability_for_Electronics_Manufacturing.htm 4/4