ITM Process Certification is assurance to present and prospective customers of the Certified Contract Electronics Manufacturer (CEM) that the processes, materials, equipment and personnel have been certified by ITM to be capable of producing quality printed circuit board assemblies.
The Process Certification procedure begins with a Process Audit by experienced and qualified Process Examiners.
Areas of the assembly process are examined in detail. The examination can include:
Personnel, including management, engineering, technicians, operators, and other line personnel are randomly interviewed. ITM will take measurements and analyze various process centers. This analysis can include the stencil printer, pick and place, reflow, inspection and repair systems. Compatibility of process parameters and materials will be scrutinized.
Once the audit is complete, ITM will either certify that the CEM's assembly processes meet the certification criteria or will suggest corrective action. If corrective action is required, three levels of recommendations will be proposed.
Recommendations that will directly and immediately impact the manufacturing process in terms of yield, efficiency and quality of product.
Recommendations that will significantly improve the process, but are not as urgent.
Recommendations are directions that the client may wish to pursue eventually.
Implementation of Level I recommendations is a requirement for ITM Process Certification. These are preferably completed within 6 months after the initial Process Audit. At about that time, ITM will return to the facility to re-examine the process for compliance to the specified recommendations.
ITM may also re-examine key areas of the process that were previously covered on the initial Process Audit to assure that they have not degraded. If the process is up to standards, ITM will grant Process Certification.
ITM Process Certification is valid for a fixed period, such as two years from the date of initial Certification. At that time, a new Process Audit will take place and, assuming all is up to ITM standards, certification will be renewed for an additional fixed period, such as two years.
If the Process Audit results in Level I recommendations, these will have to be completed and approved prior to Certification renewal.
During the course of the Process Audit, expertise in critical areas of electronic assembly may be observed and examined by ITM. If ITM finds competence in these areas, the Process Certification will carry endorsements for these areas. Such Process Endorsements include capability in No-Clean Soldering, ball grid array, chip scale package and Flip-Chip, Lead-free Soldering, and others.
ITM Process Certification demonstrates to your prospective and existing clients that the proper equipment, processes, training, materials and attitudes are in place to competently build their product.
Your clients can call ITM to discuss our findings and our confidence in your capabilities. While we cannot guarantee perfect product assembly, we can stand by our findings that everything is in place from a capability standpoint.
OEMs do not know how to perform source inspection or certification of a CEM as it relates to mix and volume. Customers will know that a CEM with ITM Process Certification has been thoroughly examined and approved by very high standards.
For more information, please contact: itm@itmconsulting.org
