What It Takes to Be a Milaero Supplier, Part 3
April 28, 2020 | Anaya Vardya, American Standard CircuitsEstimated reading time: 4 minutes
![](https://iconnect007.com/application/files/3716/3121/8862/Anaya_Vardya-200.jpg)
Introduction
The decision to pursue military and aerospace (milaero) certification impacts every facet of the organization, and not every shop is prepared to make this transformation. This is the third article in a four-part series, breaking down what it takes in sales and customer service, engineering and CAM, purchasing and quality, and manufacturing. Part 3 will explore what it takes to be a milaero supplier in the areas of purchasing and quality.
Purchasing Impact
Purchasing is perhaps the most critical business process as far as the milaero industry is concerned. Normally, the processes examined during AS9100 surveillance audits are rotated so that the entire QMS is covered over the course of the three-year certification period—except purchasing. Purchasing will be audited each and every time, and the auditor will focus on traceability through the entire process from quoting to shipping. The auditor will typically request a number of your aerospace customer POs, which will be comprehensively reviewed for product requirements.
This class of customer will normally have its own specification that can contain anywhere from 10 to 40 pages of quality requirements. This auditor review will entail establishing which quality requirements apply to each order, based on the PO callouts, and then verify that each of them has been addressed (added to the traveler, special customer requirement sheets, test plans, etc.). Many of the quality requirements are “flow down” requirements, meaning that you also need to communicate these requirements to any applicable suppliers. The part-number travelers will be reviewed for process accuracy, proper signoff, and raw material traceability along with any inspection and test reports. The auditor will verify that not only has this been done, but they will look for evidence that the suppliers have met the requirements. The process for MIL-PRF-31032 will be the same stringent review of military customer POs.
Another interesting requirement with aerospace products is the requirement regarding nonconforming material. Typical practice with PCB fabricators is to mark each nonconforming scrap PCB with an “X” in permanent ink, which are referred to as X-outs. Aerospace requires that companies take an extra step, no pun intended, by requiring: “Product dispositioned for scrap shall be conspicuously and permanently marked, or positively controlled, until physically rendered unusable.” This can be accomplished in a number of ways as long as the PCB will no longer be functional.
Quality Impact
Aerospace products require some additional documentation, such as AS9102 first article inspection reports. While companies normally perform first article inspections, this version is considerably more detailed and comprehensive. Many organizations task the quality team to participate in the contract review process and be responsible for the review and implementation of customer quality requirements on each order.
MIL-PRF-31032 orders are where the impact on quality is extremely high in more than one area. Microsectioning is absolutely the most taxing to the quality department and often requires additional personnel to handle the workload. Many commercial shops utilize an AQL sample methodology with regard to microsection frequency. Military orders require a 200% microsection frequency (one each in the X- and Y-axis per panel), plus numerous other sections for solderability and thermal shock testing. Further, most shops perform in-process plating sections for process control on military orders as additional copper thickness is often required.
There are also special Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) reporting that needs to be done for military orders. Special inspection forms need to be completed for each order, and coupons from the most complex military products produced each month must be sent out to an approved third-party lab for analysis. Each traveler must be reviewed for accuracy and reconciliation of build quantities (number started, shipped, scrapped. and reworked). All of the above become part of an annual report that must be submitted to the DLA for review and approval.
The organization must also establish a technical review board (TRB) that meets regularly to review the performance of the company. The responsibilities of the TRB are closely scripted and include the approval of all changes, new suppliers, the review of performance metrics, any new technology added onto military products, the number of military orders produced and inspection results, and the results of the third-party lab inspections.
Conclusion
In these two departments, becoming a milaero manufacturer changes the game significantly, adding new processes and a much higher degree of complexity when dealing with milaero orders. Milaero products demand some of the most technically challenging PCBs in the industry and, in many cases, will require the expansion of your staff. Part 4 will explore what it takes in the area of manufacturing.
Editor’s Note: Read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 4.
Anaya Vardya is president and CEO of American Standard Circuits. Vardya is also co-author of The Printed Circuit Designer’s Guide to… Fundamentals of RF/Microwave PCBs and Flex and Rigid-Flex Fundamentals. Visit I-007eBooks.com to download these and other free, educational titles.
Suggested Items
Trouble in Your Tank: Materials for PWB Fabrication—Drillability and Metallization
07/16/2024 | Michael Carano -- Column: Trouble in Your TankLaminate materials are the building blocks on which printed circuit boards are manufactured. Circuit board designers rely on the critical electrical properties of the materials to design the interconnects, and with the drive toward IoT (internet of things), autonomous driving, and virtual and augmented reality, material properties take on a very high level of importance.
Beyond Prepreg: The Glassless ‘Revolution’
06/25/2024 | Marcy LaRont, PCB007 MagazineAs our industry rallies around the call to action for HDI and UHDI, we find unparalleled and myriad laminate options. This abundance is rivaled only by the question surrounding them: Can they measure up to the high technology packaging demands required in our near future? Unsurprisingly, recent developments in FR-4-esque materials for high-speed and high-density designs, as well as newer, glassless technology for replacing traditional glass-impregnated laminates and prepreg, are garnering much interest. I caught up with Alun Morgan, technology ambassador for Ventec International Group, to ask about the impending “glassless revolution” and how it’s poised to solve some of our manufacturing challenges.
Connect the Dots: Designing for Reality—Lamination and Materials
06/19/2024 | Matt Stevenson -- Column: Connect the DotsAs many of you have likely figured out, I am quite passionate about the subject of designing PCBs for the reality of manufacturing. I wrote a book about it and I participate in an I-Connect007 On the Line with… podcast series dedicated to the subject. This companion article will focus on multilayer lamination, keeping the bigger picture in mind: Realistic PCB designs should prioritize manufacturability and reliability of the PCB as well as meet the other design requirements. So, one must account for the production variables associated with individual manufacturing partners.
Day 2: A Full Day at the EIPC Summer Conference
06/19/2024 | Pete Starkey, I-Connect007Editor's note: This is the third and final report from the EIPC Summer Conference. It was a bright and early start to the second day of the 2024 EIPC Summer Conference at the European Space Centre, Noordwijk, The Netherlands, June 4-5. A short journey by bus from the hotel in Leiden and our security passes from the day before got us through the gate and to our seats in the Newton Room for Session 4, “Material Studies,” moderated by Martyn Gaudion.
Looking Into Space: EIPC Summer Conference, Part 2
06/17/2024 | Pete Starkey, I-Connect007“Innovative Development of PCB Technology and Design” was the theme of the second session of the 2024 EIPC Summer Conference, June 4-5, at the European Space Centre, Noordwijk, The Netherlands.