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Coast to Coast Circuits has recently become reaccredited by Nadcap in their California based facility. In the ever so demanding market of printed circuit board manufacturing the challenge of maintaining a strong presence becomes increasingly difficult. When taking a look at complexity, manufacturing certifications, process control requirements, and technological evolution of the designs themselves, it is critical for Coast to Coast to differentiate from much of the competition by maintaining superior processing standards such as Nadcap.
What is Nadcap?
Nadcap (National Aerospace and Defense Contractors Accreditation Program) is a global cooperative accreditation program for aerospace engineering, defense and related industries.
Created in 1990 by SAE Inc., Nadcap is administered by the not-for-profit Performance Review Institute (PRI). PRI exists to advance the interests of the mobility and related industries through development of performance standards and administration of quality assurance, accreditation, and certification programs as well as related activities for the benefit of industry, government, and the general public. PRI works closely with industry to understand their emerging needs and offers customized solutions in response. Learn more at www.pri-network.org or contact PRI at PRINadcap@sae.org.
How is Nadcap Accreditation achieved?
In order to become Nadcap certified, a facility must endure a rigorous audit covering all aspects of printed circuit board manufacturing specifications in accordance with IPC-6011, 6012, 6013, 6016, and 6018. There are three comprehensive checklists (AC7119, AC7119/2, AC7119/3) that are used to evaluate production orders in order to determine strict compliance to each design and manufacturing operation. This includes all ancillary functions as well as purchasing, inspection, packaging, and order entry. In addition, each audit checklist must be completed prior to the on-site audit and every response must be confirmed with the corresponding procedural identification including the paragraph where compliance may be validated. Preparation itself can last a week involving quality, engineering, and every function they must interface with.
Coast to Coast Circuits, Inc. (Formerly Metro and Speedy Circuits) first achieved this sought after accreditation in 2014.
Official Re-accreditation for 2016
Per Nadcap requirements, re-certification is required on an annual basis. As of June 5, 2016 Coast to Coast Circuits, Inc. has officially been reaccredited at their California facility. The auditor was extremely knowledgeable of the PCB industry and every element of the audit checklist was addressed in detail during this extensive 32-hour audit. Every production cell and staff member involved with that cell was evaluated in detail. VP of Quality/Engineering, Michael Slocum, led the team with tremendous effort to conclude the re-certification with zero major findings and a significant reduction in minor findings from the year before. Currently, there are 151 accredited companies in the Nadcap Electronics section. Of those 151, there are an estimated 13 PCB manufacturing companies worldwide that meet this rigorous standard.
Michael Slocum, VP of Quality and Engineering, stated, “It was well worth the time and effort to ensure that manufacturing operations exceed the performance excellence standards determined by the leaders in your industry and the prime contractors of the world. Coast to Coast Circuits, Inc. is very excited to be a part of this elite group of manufacturers and we look forward to achieving Nadcap accreditation for our New York Operations in 2016.”
