FMEA/FMECA DFMEA

The basic objective of FMEA/FMECA is early identification of catastrophic, critical and other potential failures so that these can be eliminated or mitigated through design and manufacturing process at the earliest possible time. There are three kinds of FMEA/FMECA, namely, functional FMEA/FMECA, design FMEA/FMECA (DFMEA/DFMECA), and process FMEA/FMECA (PFMEA/PFMECA) (see Clause... 

There are three types of FMEA/FMECA functional FMEA/FMECA, DFMEA/ DFMECA, and PFMEA/PFMECA. Apart from these there are two other types of FMEA service FMEA and SWFMEA. In service FMEA the focus is on service issues. SWFMEA (discussed separately in later clauses) focuses on software issues. Functional FMEA/FMECA is also known as concept FMEA/FMECA or system FMEA/ FMECA. Some literature shows two types of FMEA/FMECA in the sense that one is functional and other is hardware FMEA/FMECA (where both PFMEA/PFMECA and DFMEA/DFMECA are considered under hardware FMEA/FMECA). These different types are a result of changes in analysis pattern and assessment, but the basic concepts/approaches are the same. 

The aim of functional FMEA/FMECA is to improve the design of the system. Similarly, DFMEA/DFMECA always looks to see that there is improvement in the design of subsystems/components. The objective of PFMEA/PFMECA is to improve the manufacturing process. Thus it transpires that the major objective of FMEA/ FMECA shall include ... 

Like HAZOP, here also a team is entrusted to carry out the study. Another important point to be remembered is that this is usually a live document so that any changes, etc. that can affect safety/risks can be reassessed with the help of the analysis. So it is not a case of once it is done the responsibility is over it needs to be updated. FMEA/FMECA methodology is presented in Figs. IV/2.1-1 and IV/2.1-2. It is worth noting that these two drawings should be viewed in conjunction, as one is related to the other. Fig. IV/2.1-3 is presented to depict PFMEA and its relation with DFMEA. 

Information/documentation requirements For a successful FMEA/FMECA analysis a number of documents are necessary. The variety of information/ documentations necessary for DFMEA/DFMECA and PFMEA/PFMECA will be different. Also there wiU be variations in documentations for functional and hardware FMEA/FMECA approaches ... 

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