Your Reliability Engineering Professional Development Site
Carl and Fred discuss the process of reliability, which also happens to be the name of their new book. They answer the question “why is reliability a process”? and discuss what happens if reliability is only approached as a series of methods.
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Gain insights into working effectively with cross-functional teams, collecting invaluable design inputs without succumbing to the overwhelming flow of information.
We’ll discuss the magic behind the ‘concept space’, an efficient approach to dissect potential customer experiences, streamlining concept development at the start.
What about after that high-level concept development, when we begin our engineering design?
Early engineering diagrams can prove instrumental in evaluating modularity, layout, and interactions in product design with a team. Dianna guides us through part of a Quality During Design course lesson, shedding light on how these diagrams can be used. Each function has a different reason to look at these three aspects of product design, and it’s worth asking to help us achieve Design for Excellence.
Learn how the collective wisdom of these teams can influence design choices, ensuring that the final product appeases both the internal and external customers. So, buckle up for this enlightening episode as we demystify product design and stress the crucial role of a synchronized team effort.
We often use the word ‘quality’ to describe products that are manufactured with minimal defects (… and within tolerances). If you are involved in the field of quality (and manufacturing), then you might have heard of ‘capability indices.’ These are simple numbers that essentially describe the ‘quality’ of things being manufactured. There are certain guidelines and industry ‘standards’ for what these numbers should be. Have you ever heard of the ‘6 sigma’? It promotes a capability index of two (2). But what does this mean? These numbers also correspond with the fraction of defective products. Want to learn what these capability indices mean? … and how to get them? … and how to convert them to things like Parts Per Million (PPM) defects? Or better yet … if you need to learn a bit more about manufacturing and how we measure quality in general? Join us for this webinar.
This episode talks about what the Ishikawa Diagram really is and better practices to leverage its use.
Some of you may recall episode 121 where I spoke with Dr. John Mitchell, president and CEO of IPC about his new book “fire your hiring habits”. During that episode, we talked about best practices for hiring the best people. I’d like to travel a little bit up the river to talk about where potential candidates for hiring come from. While most of the people we interview for positions within our companies come from other companies, more and more, we are seeing new people enter our industry. We’ve talked a lot about the “silver tsunami” affecting our industry.
The fact is, baby boomers are entering retirement in greater numbers. From now until 2030, 10,000 Baby Boomers each day will hit retirement age. Millions will begin to officially retire. This is creating a terrific opportunity for young college graduates to enter our industry. Several years ago, I was a speaker at the SMTA, Pan Pacific strategic Electronics symposium in Hawaii. I shared my breakfast table with a longtime colleague, Dr. Ron Lasky, a professor at Dartmouth College. Over the course of breakfast, he asked me how I got into this industry and, more specifically, how I started my company. Dr. Lasky is an engineering professor at Dartmouth’s Thayre school of engineering. He also teaches entrepreneurship to his soon to be engineers. Doctor lasky invited me to come to Dartmouth and speak to his students. I was more than happy to take him up on his offer, and I have spoken to his students on the subject of entrepreneurship every year for the past several years.
I have been impressed by the emphasis on entrepreneurship within the Thayre school of engineering. We live in a time of marvelous evolution within the Electronics space. So many new and innovative electronic products are being introduced, fueled by IOT (Internet of things), the electrification of automobiles, advances in communication, and so much more.
Education is the bedrock of our industry. It is the foundation for which much of our industry and the products we make are built upon. I’ve had Dr. Lasky on my show several times, and I thought it would be a great idea to invite his boss, the dean of Dartmouth’s Thayre school of engineering onto the program.
Dr. Alexis Abramson is the 13th dean of Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth. Prior to joining Dartmouth, she was the Milton and Tamar Maltz Professor of Energy Innovation at Case Western Reserve University and served as a director of the university’s Great Lakes Energy Institute focused on creating sustainable energy technology solutions. During the Obama administration, Dr. Abramson served as chief scientist and manager of the Emerging Technologies Division at the US Department of Energy’s Building Technologies Program. In 2018, she served as technical adviser for Breakthrough Energy Ventures, a $1 billion effort launched by Bill Gates to combat human-driven climate change. Abramson’s research has focused on novel techniques for thermal characterization of nanostructures, the design and synthesis of unique nanomaterials for use in alternative energy applications, virtual energy audits for building energy efficiency, and strategies to accelerate technology commercialization at universities and research institutions.
Dr. Abramson earned a BS and MS in Mechanical Engineering from Tufts University and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley.
https://engineering.dartmouth.edu
Carl and Fred discuss the broad subject of identifying root causes and how deep to go. It’s not as simple as getting to the “root.”
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Kirk and Fred discuss the question of using a standard series of environmental test for reliability development.
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As a product designer, you need design inputs. Many of us have communication problems with our cross-functional teams about product ideas which then morph into product development problems later.
What can happen when we are taking the lead in working meetings, to get the information we need for design?
In this episode, we unravel the importance of communication and self-advocacy in the realm of product design. In our chat, we share how to take the lead in working meetings with cross-functional teams to get design inputs. Learn the art of preparation, involvement, maintaining an open mind, and making the most of the knowledge gained.
Let’s dig into the power of active communication and how it can not only resolve issues but also enhance outcomes for all parties involved. This episode is a unique blend of design engineering, self-advocacy, and quality during the design process. Tune in, absorb, and apply these insights to your professional journey.
Kirk and Fred discuss a test plan sent to Kirk and how this plan misses the point of accelerated testing.
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Carl and Fred discuss the essence of well-written reliability requirements. They are much more than reliability numbers.
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Dianna Deeney interviews Kevin Bailey, from Design 1st, about supply chain management during design: how product design engineers and product development leadership can be affected by and affect the supply chain for their products.
This interview is part of our series, “A Chat with Cross Functional Experts”. Our focus is speaking with people that are typically part of a cross-functional team within engineering projects. We discuss their viewpoints and perspectives regarding new products, the values they bring to new product development, and how they’re involved and work with product design engineering teammates.
Kevin Bailey is the Founder and CEO of Design 1st, a leading product development consultancy. With a dedicated team specializing in various aspects of product development, including industrial design, user experience, mechanical, electrical, and software engineering, Design 1st is at the forefront of delivering top-quality product designs. Kevin is known for his expertise in integrating cost considerations early in the design process and helping clients navigate supply chain solutions, ensuring a seamless development journey for their projects.
Hear Kevin’s take on why engineers need to factor in supply chain management while designing products and how crucial it is for leadership and other teammates to lend support to engineers when liaising with suppliers. We’ll also talk about how the size of the project and the roles within it should influence the product engineer’s approach.
Don’t miss out on Kevin’s thoughts on the intersection of AI and product development and a sneak peek into his company’s upcoming project. Join us for this insightful episode, packed with actionable advice for product development leaders, designers, and engineers.
One role reliability engineers enjoy is that of analyzing data. We have available to us a wide range of statistical methods, yet each does require some form of data. In some cases, we are data rich with almost too much data. In other situations, we are lacking data or have insufficient data.
This episodes dives into the 5 Whys and the issues it creates. It ends with possible ways to improve the situation.
We talk almost exclusively about reliability on this show. Specifically, reliability of circuit assemblies. We discuss production best practices, design for manufacturing and reliability. Failure analysis, and more. We’ve reviewed the latest tends in industry 4.0, the connectivity of machine to machine and machine to management. We discussed big data and how to make all of our newly acquired data relevant and actionable. For all this to occur, our computers must function properly. They must preform the assigned tasks and communicate large sums of data. What happens to our production line if the computers stop functioning? What would happen if our network ceases to operate?
We’ve all witnessed the airline industry grind to a halt recently due to computer failures and connectivity issues. The fact is, very few industries can function properly or even at all if the computer systems fail.
I’m not referring to quality issues within the computer or network’s internal circuit assemblies. I’m referring to malware, ransomware, and other nefarious actions brought on hackers with the intent to disrupt companies, industries, and governments, frequently with the goal of returning (or promising to return) your own data in exchange for an exorbitant payment.
Our industry, like many others is completely dependent on computers and connectivity. Without ether, most production lines will simply sit idle.
How can we avoid this terrifying scenario? How do hackers gain access to our computers and networks? How can we add reliability to our computer and network policies and procedures? To answer these and other related questions, I invited a network security expert on the show. Adrian Francoz, co-founder and CEO of Zeta Sky, a managed IT support and cyber security services company lives in the world of cyber security. He and his company protect their customer’s networks through the implementation of security best practices and constant training, both for his customers, and for his own staff. After all, as I speak, hackers and other bad actors are hard at work searching for the next scam, vulnerability, and the opportunity to score a huge payday, all at our expense.
In the Southern California area? Consider attending the inland Empire cyber security summit on Thursday, October 26 at the Chaffey College InTech Center, 9400 Cherry Ave, Bldg A Fontana, CA 92335.
Register here:
Adrian’s Contact Information:
info@zetasky.com
https://www.zetasky.com
Carl and Fred discuss common FMEA confusions that come up from time to time. These are condensed from questions that Carl gets from “Inside FMEA” readers.
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