Editor's Note: This column originally appeared in I-Connect007's Mil/Aero Weekly newsletter.

PCB manufacturing is moving rapidly up the technology ladder. Keeping internal processes current (and compliant) with new requirements, without disrupting existing customer demands, presents ongoing risks. To minimize potential failures, it is necessary to identify and manage these risks. The new AS9100:2009 (Revision C) requires companies to assess and manage the risks involved with providing their product or service. Risk is defined in the standard as "an undesirable situation or circumstance that has both a likelihood of occurring and a potentially negative consequence."

Risk Identification

Risk management consists of identifying those potentially "undesirable situations," assessing their probability of occurring; understanding what the impact may be should the event happen and determining what to do if the risk level is too high. Situations can be defined as failures and defect rates can be used to identify risk potential. The situations with the greatest defects are audited using a Failure Mode Effects Analysis (FMEA) rating system indicated in Table 1. The results rate the level of risk, the likelihood of occurrence, and the consequence!

Table 1: Risk Level Assessment Matrix.

Event Definition

Manufacturing PCBs involves dozens of activities requiring compliance to quality standards and conformance to performance specifications and customer procurement documentation. Events can be associated with processes, products and services related to any and/or all of these activities. Process events can relate to performance metrics (yield, through-put, etc.). Product events can relate to conformance metrics (inspection, testing, etc.). Service events can relate to satisfaction metrics (on-time delivery, quality conformance, etc.).   

Events can be defined by Customer, IPC Product Type (1, 2, or 3), IPC Performance Requirement (1, 2, 3), Technology Type (High Density, Conductive Via Fill, Special, etc.), or a combination of all. Event definitions and risk levels should be defined and managed from design to delivery. Risk management is a quality standard requirement for aviation, space or defense markets as well as sound business practice.

Risk Management

Manufacturers servicing aviation, space or defense programs require a level of infrastructure capable of managing them. Each program can be quite large and complex, involving multiple suppliers or partners and take place over a long time period. To be successful, program management has to plan, execute and control risk.

Planning begins with identifying risk at the quoting phase. Wining an order on price only to lose it at contract review can have serious repercussion. AS9100:2009 (Revision C) will promote additional focus on up front planning and encourage adequate controls throughout the whole "product realization" process to meet schedules and stay within resource constraints. There are new requirement of implementation of a risk management process applicable to the processes and products; responsibility, criteria, mitigation and acceptance procedures.