Context is Worth 20 IQ/EQ Points

By Greg Hutchins

September 5, 2023 / 9am Pacific Time

Understanding context is important for making smart risk-based decisions and solving tough problems.

Understanding context is important to ensure that you are solving the right problem correctly. Understanding context helps you understand the root cause of the problem and the key stakeholders. It helps you develop effective solutions. It helps you define your assumptions and biases.

Understanding context is important to making smart decisions. Understanding context helps you understand the scope and impacts of your decision. It helps you develop a process for deciding how to decide. It helps you understand the risks and obstacles in your decisions.

Greg will discuss the importance and provide examples of context in:

• ISO and standards-based decision making.
• Organizational problem-solving and decision-making.
• Personal problem-solving and decisional.
• AI autonomous decision-making.

Reliability is More than Testing

By Fred Schenkelberg

September 12, 2023 / 9am Pacific Time

I turned down a job during the interview when I learned the hiring manager expected me, a potential new reliability engineer on the team, to only conduct tests. Creating and assembling a reliable product or service takes more than testing.

Reliability engineering is about influencing the entire team to make better decisions focused on achieving the reliability goals in balance with all the other constraints and expectations. Testing is one method to create information, yet not the most useful or effective.

Let’s talk about what is and isn’t reliability engineering along with the importance of focusing on influencing key decisions and creating value.

What You Need to Know About the Cause Mapping® Template

By Aaron Cross

September 1, 2023 / 8am Pacific Time

The template, which we provide for free, is a workbook in Microsoft Excel created specifically to allow users to document, analyze and present their root cause analysis within one file. Each worksheet has a specific purpose within the investigation and allows you to document the different parts of a complete incident investigation. This free webinar will explain the purpose of each of the worksheets included in the file, as well as offer a few helpful tips and tricks to complete your investigation.

Part Two: Threats, Failure Modes, Watch-Outs, Challenges, Obstacles

By Ben Amaba

September 5, 2023 / 8:30am Pacific Time

Addressing CyberSecurity issues and the role that ISEs can play in addressing Failure Modes as AI continues to roll out in business and industry. Other panelists will weigh in on broader failure modes and watch-outs for consideration and mitigation.

Sustainability in Maintenance and Reliability: The Role of Technology in Supporting Sustainable Practices

By Michael Mills

September 6, 2023 / 8am Pacific Time

Let’s face it, the dotted line to your organization’s sustainability goals is quickly solidifying. With global shifts towards emissions tracking, identifying waste streams, and utility usage, organizations are under heavy scrutiny to account for risks and define their approach toward sustainability and ESG. All while facing the challenge of producing products or services within a reasonable cost and profit margin, safely & with consistent quality, which is no small task.

In this session, we will discuss the importance of sustainability in ensuring long-term operational efficiency and how technologies can extend asset lifespan through proactive maintenance strategies, reduce environmental impact, and enhance equipment reliability, and solidify your place in your corporate initiatives.

Vibration Sensor Cabling Considerations

By Tom LaRocque and Peter Eitnier

September 6, 2023 / 11am Pacific Time

Selecting the right cable assembly for a vibration sensor is highly dependent on the environment in which the sensor will operate. In a rugged industrial setting, a cable assembly may be called on to protect against water or dust ingress, extreme temperatures, corrosive elements, sharp objects, EMI, RFI, and radiation. In this webinar, you will learn to select the cable, protection level, and connector fittings to ensure data reliability in your unique plant environment.
Learning Takeaways:

• Match your cable assembly to your vibration sensor and data acquisition system.
• Match your cable assembly to your plant conditions.
• Achieve reliable transmission of your condition monitoring data in any environment.

Statistical Process Control (SPC)

By Elaine Eisenbeisz

September 7, 2023 / 7am-1pm Pacific Time

$895

This 6-hour online seminar for Statistical Process Control Training contains a performance of the steps and techniques used to count erraticism in manufacturing methods and to promise excellent products.

The ideas and info presented in this course for Statistical Process Control Training will be most anxious to numerical procedure control: obtaining monitoring information (data) that is impartial, impartial, and beneficial for result making. Stress will be placed on the set-up and use of control charts.

The objective of the seminar for Statistical Process Control Training is to deliver data that can be used directly by the personnel involved in production operations, and by administrators and management in decision making. Although the presentation involves the use of statistical techniques, the presentation of arithmetical concepts will be imperfect to only what is needed by the attendees to comprehend and device processes and monitoring tools within the statistical framework.

Presented examples will include an emphasis on the manufacturing processes and quality assurance needs of products in the medical device and pharmaceutical industries.

Maximize Performance: Leveraging Data for Maintenance Planning in Processing & Manufacturing

September 7, 2023 / 10am Pacific Time

In this session, you’ll learn:

• Which maintenance metrics you should be tracking to optimize maintenance operations
• The process for setting appropriate goals around your maintenance metrics to improve performance
• How to action your maintenance data for performance improvements and reporting

Steps to Help Avoid Backing Vehicle Incidents

By Mark Galley

September 8, 2023 / 8am Pacific Time

This webinar shows an investigation of a truck backing into an overhead door. As with all our investigations, the analysis begins very simply with just a few why questions. It then expands into a more thorough explanation of exactly how the incident occurred. In this case, we’ll review a 5-Why and a 15-Why Cause Map™ diagram. Understanding how to reactively dissect this type of incident reveals specific solutions that help organizations reduce risk in other areas of their operations.

Value Stream Mapping

By Charles H Paul

September 8, 2023 / 10-11:30am Pacific Time

$150

This webinar will begin by defining value stream mapping and the key terms that comprise the VSM process. The purpose of VSM, important to participant focus, will also be discussed.

Next, the concept of current and future state VSM, foundational to process improvement, will be described and discussed. Examples of VSM and how the process is used to remove waste and improve workflows will be presented to enhance learning and ensure understanding of the concept.

Finally, the VSM development process will be broken into discrete steps and described from the viewpoint of the performer in terms of those actions that must be accomplished to achieve the goals of the process.

Why Are We Cleaning No-Clean?

By Mike Konrad

September 12, 2023 / 8am Pacific Time

It seems like an oxymoron, cleaning no-clean flux. Really? Really… While cleaning no-clean flux may seem redundant, counter-intuitive, and even illogical, there are many reasons so many assemblers are now cleaning no-clean. When no-clean flux was first introduced in the late 1980’s, so many things were different. The residue tolerance of circuit assemblies is substantially less today than it was when the concept of using a no-clean flux was first introduced.

This webinar will present the reasons assemblers are now cleaning their assemblies, especially those reflowed with no-clean flux. Contamination-related failure mechanisms will be reviewed and residue tolerance assessment considerations will be discussed.Is residue removal right for your assemblies? Maybe, maybe not. Join us for an informative discussion on the subject of cleaning no-clean and determine if it is right for your assemblies.

During the webinar, you will have the opportunity to ask questions of the presenter and each other.

The Important Connection Between RCA and FMEA

By Mark Galley

September 12, 2023 / 8am Pacific Time

Root cause analysis (RCA) is typically used for investigating why a problem did occur so that specific solutions can be implemented to prevent it from occurring again. Failure modes effect analysis (FMEA) is used to understand how a problem could happen in the future, to identify what actions should be taken to prevent it. Learn how to connect these two approaches to improve the way your organization analyzes, documents, communicates and prevents problems.

Electrical Engineering, Electronics & Energy

By Prof. Michael Pecht

September 12, 2023 / 12pm Pacific Time

Li-ion batteries are commercially successful power sources for a diverse range of applications. However, the characteristics of Li-ion batteries make them susceptible to both swelling and thermal runaway, resulting in failed products, and occasionally in fires and explosions. In some cases, defects in lithium batteries are not detected prior to use. For example, recently GM, Chysler, Hyundai and Stellantis had to recall their EVs due to defects in their batteries, which caused performance issues and in many cases, fires. In addition, there has been numerous fires of batteries in e-bikes, vaping devices, and consumer products. In other cases, some companies manufacture batteries with inadequate safety features or misrepresent the true nature of their battery by re-using, re-wrapping or counterfeiting batteries. To mitigate safety hazards prior to the occurrence of thermal runaway, various strategies have been applied for battery cells, as well as battery packages. This webinar reviews the safety issues and safety strategies for Li-ion batteries.

Damage Domain: Characterization of the HALT/HASS Process

By Steve Smithson

September 13, 2023 / 8:30-11:30am Pacific Time

$300

Inspired by the non-traditional excitations of pneumatic random shock (RS) machines and the product response-driven nature of the HALT (Highly Accelerated Life Tests) and HASS (Highly Accelerated Stress Screening), applying a Fatigue Damage Spectrum (FDS) in provides a tool for management and analysis of these processes. Overcoming decades of shortcomings, a Fatigue Damage Spectrum and its scalar FDS sum, can be used beyond generating and accelerating equivalent damage random test profiles.

Damage domain tools can benchmark RS excitations and product responses to correlate multiple applications within the HALT/HASS and ESS process to facilitate decisions. Metrics can complement anecdotal HALT/HASS results. FDS and the ∑FDS can also be applied to ED shakers used to benefit from ESS, HASS and even HALT.

The course is not a HALT/HASS tutorial and is vibration-oriented only, acknowledging the importance of thermal and power cycling or other stimuli or detail UUT failure modes. Define opportunities and inter-relationships Although FDS and ∑FDS are Imperfect metrics, they incorporate relevant variables to decision-making by improving upon the inadequate frequency domain tools that lack validity and relevance for real-life, and especially RS vibrational excitations. The FDS characterization of severity and cumulative damage can be interpreted as relative product strength or robustness.

The course will provide examples of HALT/HASS process applications, RS system characterization, End-Use-Environments (EUE) and ED shakers, thus quantifying severities of different excitations and product field performance for Analysis including reliability. Attendees will receive the complete presentation deck and are invited to submit questions and suggestions to enhance their benefit from the Damage Domain.

Estimating and Demonstrating Product Reliability

By Steven Wachs

September 13, 2023 / 10-11:15am Pacific Time

$199

Product Reliability requirements must be satisfied like all other performance requirements prior to product launch. However, since reliability is a function of time, the methods for verifying that reliability performance has been verified differ than for most other performance characteristics. This webinar will present several approaches for verifying that reliability targets or specifications have been achieved at the desired level of confidence. Specifically, approaches using time-to-failure data to estimate reliability metrics as well as demonstration tests, where minimum reliability may be demonstrated with zero or few failures are discussed.

This webinar provides methods that allow the risks of field failures due to inadequate designs or misunderstanding of product use conditions to be managed. Also, the webinar provides options to verify and demonstrate that customer reliability requirements have been achieved.

Design for Total Productive Maintenance (DFTPM)

By Michael D Ford

September 14, 2023 / 9am Pacific Time

Have you ever tried to perform a seemingly simple auto repair, only to discover it requires special tools or the need to put your car on a lift? How many times has your computer slowed or crashed, resulting in endless hours on the phone or the need to bring it to a shop? Have you ever had to ask your kids, or grandkids, to help you reprogram the TV/VCR or restart an app on your smart device? This session will describe the value of design in developing products that the customer is able to conveniently and inexpensively service themselves

2023 State of Maintenance Community Report Finding

By Ryan Chan

September 14, 2023 / 11am Pacific Time

Over the past few months, we connected with over 100 industry professionals, including technicians, maintenance managers, planners, reliability engineers, and more, to hear about the current challenges and insights into the maintenance, reliability, and operations landscape. Each interview was an opportunity to connect with thought leaders, industry experts, and passionate individuals who shared their experiences and expertise. Their valuable insights have formed the foundation of this report, and we are excited to share some of the key learnings that emerged from these conversations.

The Future of Control Valve Maintenance: 24/7 Online Diagnostics

By Marco Vercesi

September 19, 2023 / 11am Pacific Time

This webinar will discuss the benefits of connecting control valves positioners to the cloud. By connecting positioners to an accessible portal, users can access real-time diagnostics, which can help them identify and address potential problems. This can lead to reduced downtime, increased efficiency and improved safety.

Learning objectives:

• Understand the benefits of connecting control valves positioners to the cloud.
• Learn about the different ways to connect control valves positioners to the cloud.
• Gain insights into the future of on-line diagnostics for control valves positioners.
• Utilize OEM SMEs to provide preventive measures to avoid production disruptions.

Origins and Basics of Electrical Fire and Shock Protection

By Mike Sherman

September 19, 2023 / 4-6pm Pacific Time

The basic needs for fire and shock protection for electrical equipment emerged during a tumultuous period in the late 1880s and early 1890s.

This presentation looks at that history, summarizes current best protection practices, and adds some hard earned lessons from 30 years of electrical product safety work experience.

5-Why DOs and DON’Ts

By Mark Galley

September 22, 2023 / 8am Pacific Time

A widely known tool that is regularly misused. An accurate 5-Why provides a simple way to start a cause-and-effect analysis. This webinar covers some important DOs and DON’Ts that will explain how the technique is confused and how it should be used. Topics will include 5-Why Basics and Benefits, Drawbacks and Misuse of a 5-Why, Does a 5-Why align with a Cause Map™ diagram?

System Reliability Assessment and Simulation

By Dr. Rong Pan

September 27, 2023 / 8:30-11:30am Pacific Time

$300

System reliability is an important aspect of ensuring the performance and safety of various types of systems. It involves using mathematical models and computer simulations to predict the likelihood of system failure, identify potential weak points, and determine strategies for improving reliability. In this webinar we will discuss several different methods used in system reliability assessment and simulation, including Reliability Block Diagrams (RBDs), Fault Tree Analysis (FTA), and Markov Analysis. Furthermore, Monte Carlo method, a commonly used technique in system simulation, will be explained in detail. This method allows for the incorporation of uncertainty and variability in the system into reliability prediction.

This webinar will provide a brief introduction of software packages such as ReliaSoft BlockSim, JMP Pro and R, and demonstrate their functions of system reliability simulation.

Overall, this webinar aims to provide valuable insights into system designs by utilizing simulation tools so that potential reliability issues and the ways to mitigate them can be systematically investigated.

DFM Considerations often Overlooked

By Adam Hook

September 27, 2023 / 9am Pacific Time

Free for members / $25 non-members

This 40 minute presentation will cover some of the often overlooked Design for Manufacturing considerations when designing circuit boards. Getting ahead of issues allows for faster time-to-market and improved satisfaction with internal and external customers.

A strong Design for Manufacturing knowledge drives quality rigor and gives R&D teams the ability to design enhanced features at nominal cost increase to customer.

Target audience is Design Engineers and NPI Engineers.