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on Tools & Techniques

A listing in reverse chronological order of articles by:

  • Ray Harkins — The Manufacturing Academy series
  • Dennis Craggs — Big Data Analytics series
  • Perry Parendo — Experimental Design for NPD series
  • Carl Carlson — Inside FMEA series
  • Anne Meixner — Testing 1 2 3 series
  • Kevin Stewart — Reliability Reflections series

by Ray Harkins Leave a Comment

Common Mistakes in a Capital Equipment Justification

Common Mistakes in a Capital Equipment Justification

Common Mistakes in a Capital Equipment Justification

Return on Investment Analysis (ROIA), sometimes referred to as Capital Equipment Justification, is the process of building and analyzing a financial model for the purpose of determining the net financial contribution of obtaining a major investment like a factory building or piece of production equipment.

ROIA is the link that connect the brilliant ideas of makers–the engineers, designers and builders—to the goals of the managers who hold organization’s purse strings. When thoroughly conducted, ROIA aligns the best estimates of the revenues and expenses related to a potential purchase with the years in which they will occur.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, on Tools & Techniques, The Manufacturing Academy

by Carl Carlson Leave a Comment

Hazard Analysis and FMEA

What is a Hazard Analysis?

“The danger which is least expected soonest comes to us.” Voltaire

This article discusses the application of Hazard Analysis, why it is used, and the similarities and differences with FMEA.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, Inside FMEA Tagged With: Hazard Analysis

by Ray Harkins Leave a Comment

What are the Best Reference Books for Quality Engineers?

What are the Best Reference Books for Quality Engineers?

What are the Best Reference Books for Quality Engineers?

In this age of infinite information at our fingertips, it seems that fewer people are finding reference books and investing in their own libraries. After all, googling whatever’s on your mind is free and easy. But books, especially reference books and textbooks, still have a necessary place in our information age. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, on Tools & Techniques, The Manufacturing Academy

by Shane Turcott Leave a Comment

Corrosion Under Insulation (Stainless Steel)

Corrosion Under Insulation (Stainless Steel)

Corrosion Under Insulation (Stainless Steel)

In the previous Learning From Failure article, we reviewed that chloride stress corrosion cracking (Cl-SCC) of stainless steel readily occurs at temperatures above 140°F (>60°C) when exposed to aqueous (water-based) chlorides.  Although the most attention is given to corrosion from product exposure, Cl-SCC can also occur from the external surfaces as a result of corrosion under insulation (CUI).  Here is an example. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, Learning from Failures, on Tools & Techniques

by Ray Harkins Leave a Comment

Return on Investment Analysis for Engineering Managers

Return on Investment Analysis for Engineering Managers

Return on Investment Analysis for Engineering Managers

A commonly encountered fork in the career road for many successful engineers is to a) continue engineering or b) manage others who engineer. To continue engineering is an obvious choice, and an often desired one. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, on Tools & Techniques, The Manufacturing Academy

by Carl Carlson Leave a Comment

Understanding Software FMEA

Understanding Software FMEA

“My software never has bugs. It just develops random features.” Anonymous

More and more mechanical and electrical systems include software integration. The FMEA methodology applies very well to software as well as hardware. It is possible to include software functionality in the System FMEA as part of the functional descriptions. However, for complex software functionality such as embedded control systems, it may be useful to perform a separate software FMEA.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, Inside FMEA Tagged With: Software FMEA

by Ray Harkins Leave a Comment

What is Depreciation?

What is Depreciation?

What is Depreciation?

Depreciation is one of the more poorly understood, yet commonly encountered terms in managerial accounting. In accounting lingo, depreciation is the systematic allocation of the cost of an asset across its useful life. That’s a mouthful. But breaking down the definition into simpler terms helps explain how its used and why it’s important when conducting Return on Investment Analysis. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, on Tools & Techniques, The Manufacturing Academy

by Ray Harkins 2 Comments

The Net Present Value Method: Measuring the True Value of an Investment

The Net Present Value Method: Measuring the True Value of an Investment

The Net Present Value Method: Measuring the True Value of an Investment

In the previous three articles, we’ve examined the Break-even Analysis and Pay-back Period methods (Part 1 and Part 2) as means of evaluating capital investments. While these back-of-the-napkin methods are excellent starting points for analyzing investments, they’re both poor ending points. Neither provide a reliable basis for comparing investments side-by-side. And neither tell you how much value an investment is adding to your organization. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, on Tools & Techniques, The Manufacturing Academy

by Shane Turcott Leave a Comment

Chloride Stress Corrosion Cracking

Chloride Stress Corrosion Cracking

It is well known that chloride stress corrosion cracking (Cl-SCC) of stainless steel is caused by the combination of (1) aqueous chlorides, (2) stress and (3) temperature. Yet even with great awareness, Cl-SCC still manages to sneak up and cause many surprise failures. Here is a failure analysis case study to summarize the key factors causing this corrosion cracking mode. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, Learning from Failures, on Tools & Techniques

by Ray Harkins Leave a Comment

The Problems with Payback Period, Part 2

The Problems with Payback Period, Part 2

The Problems with Payback Period, Part 2

The problems with the payback period method as a means of analyzing and comparing potential investments extend beyond its problem with the time value of money. In fact, that problem can be corrected (but rarely is in practice) by using a method called the “Discounted Payback Period”, where the future expected cash flows are “discounted” to align them with the present value of the initial investment. But even with that correction, the Payback Period Method is still lacking as a primary return on investment (ROI) analysis tool. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, on Tools & Techniques, The Manufacturing Academy

by Carl Carlson Leave a Comment

Legal Guidelines for FMEAs

Legal Guidelines for FMEAs

Outlining Legal Guidelines for FMEAs

FMEAs are legal documents that support the demonstration of due care in product development. FMEA teams should ensure their worksheets are consistent with good legal practices for documents, and follow company legal guidelines.

“Common sense often makes good law.” William Orville Douglas, past Justice of the Supreme Court

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, Inside FMEA

by Ray Harkins Leave a Comment

The Problems with Payback Period, Part 1

The Problems with Payback Period, Part 1

The Problems with Payback Period, Part 1

If you’ve ever participated on a project team considering the purchase of a major piece of equipment, you’ve almost certainly heard of “Payback Period” – the length of time projected to recoup an initial investment through cost savings, increase profits, etc. It’s fairly simple to calculate: [Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, on Tools & Techniques, The Manufacturing Academy

by Ray Harkins Leave a Comment

Break-Even Analysis: To Paint or Not to Paint

Break-Even Analysis: To Paint or Not to Paint

Break-Even Analysis: To Paint or Not to Paint

As a teenager, my father was a house painter. He started out as a “brush and roller guy”, climbing ladders and cutting in windows. But as his business grew, he caught the attention of commercial developers with large jobs like grocery store ceilings and outfield fences. These can’t be completed with old school tools; they require a sprayer.

I remember my dad walking me through his logic of whether or not to buy a commercial sprayer. I didn’t recognize it then, but he was explaining to me “Break-Even Analysis”. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, on Tools & Techniques, The Manufacturing Academy

by Carl Carlson Leave a Comment

PFMEAs can Identify Special Process Characteristics

PFMEAs can Identify Special Process Characteristics

Using Process FMEAs to Identify and Control Special Process Characteristics

[This is a companion article to “Using Design FMEAs to Identify Special Product Characteristics.” These two articles should be read in sequence.]

Identification and application of special product and process characteristics help to focus assembly and manufacturing processes on the most important areas, in order to achieve the right outcomes.

“Science is the process that takes us from confusion to understanding” – Brian Greene

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, Inside FMEA

by Perry Parendo Leave a Comment

Why Is Product Development So Hard

Why Is Product Development So Hard

Why Is Product Development So Hard

When a new product development effort begins, we have a clear plan to get to completion. However, part way through we start feeling it is much harder than expected. If you have ever felt that way, this video will talk about some ideas that might make it easier. It will never be simple, but it can be much less painful. Having worked to resolve the highest technical risk on a large Army program, I know it can be achieved. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Articles, Experimental Design for NPD, on Tools & Techniques

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