Content area
Full Text
Test-centric assembly is the design and engineering of assembly systems with priority to failsafe and foolproof testing. The goal is perfection. The result is improved throughput, yield, system uptime and time-to-market. When leak testing is an afterthought - just another engineering add-on - personal and corporate reputation is needlessly at risk.
For everyone's sake, testcentric assembly requires an uncompromising commitment to reliable leak testing. This is why for more than 40 years, InterTech Development Company has developed and refined test-centric assembly for leak-testing-intensive production engineering.
Test-Centric Assembly as a Strategy
As a strategy (not just a process step), test-centric assembly requires that test engineers be granted equal place on the teams that design / engineer production and assembly systems.
Why? Because losing control of quality from bungled implementation of leak testing can be devastating. A few moments of reflection confirms the precious benefits of test-centric assembly in terms of...
* The direct costs of rework, re-inspection, and retesting of rejected shipments (if the shipment was not scrapped).
* Product recalls erode profits and can even trigger a slide into corporate insolvency.
* The myriad negative consequences of a systemic quality failure such as permanent damage to corporate and personal reputations.
... All of which is entirely avoidable.
This white paper is specific to leak testing and examines how to achieve failsafe leak testing. It is test-centric assembly for mechanical engineers, test engineers and management. It shows how collaboration of testing expertise and production planning creates faster, more flexible and cost effective assembly. Tools of the trade are set forth in this white paper with a basic review of leak testing technology.
Test-Centric Assembly Builds Confidence
It may be difficult to accept that leak testing can be perfect, but that is the goal of test-centric assembly. We are not talking about a product; this is a commitment, with emphasis on reliability of the gage. This commitment extends from the instrument to the entire system. Only when the entire system is treated as a gage can there be confidence in test results.
InterTech is asking systems designers - and test engineers - to rethink how they design and build production systems. Leak testing must be upfront in the considerations of all teams involved in production...