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M A G A Z I N E
T H E F I N A L T O L L G AT E
Wave Solder
Process Improvement
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2
T H E F I N A L T O L L G AT E
The Final Tollgate features a Six Sigma project as it would presentation. It is assumed that the project leader has been
be presented to a panel of company executives at the final making regular presentations at each tollgate and that the
project review. The objectives of such a presentation are to executives in the audience have a basic understanding of
1) communicate significant results of the project, 2) share Six Sigma. The content for this project was assembled for
highlights of how results were achieved and 3) gain agree- illustration purposes. It is based on fabricated data from a
ment to close the project. The slides are the Black Belt’s fictional company. Any similarities to an actual project are
visual presentation and the accompanying text is the verbal coincidental.
Do you have an exemplary Six Sigma project to share? Would you like to see it here? Submit it to us at isixsigma.com/submit
DEFINE D M A I C
RTY
• Reduce current wave soldering defects
40%
• Reduce indirect manpower and quality costs
30%
• Implement controls to ensure repeatable
20% 23%
wave soldering process performance
10%
Project Metrics and Corresponding 0%
Objectives Month Month Month Month Month Month
• Process metric: rolled throughput yield (RTY) 1 2 3 4 5 6
– Increase Wave Solder RTY from 23% to 80% Time
• Financial metric: number of indirect wave solder support personnel
– Reduce number of indirect support personnel from 3/shift to 1/shift
– Savings: $50K/person/year x 2 persons x 3 shifts
Define This project utilized both Lean and Six Sigma tools
In the current process, 100 percent of all final printed and demonstrated the complementary nature of the two
circuit boards (PCBs) are functionally tested. Through this methodologies. Reworking of PCBs and inefficient use of
testing, 99.9 percent of solder defects are detected and production personnel are examples of waste that can and
subsequently reworked, fixed or scrapped. Because nearly should be eliminated under the directive of Lean. Six
all solder defects are addressed before products reach the Sigma helps by improving the process to allow for this
customer, these defects do not represent a significant waste elimination.
customer concern. They are, however, quite costly to the
company. Measure
Due to an unacceptably high level of solder defects, In the Measure phase, we began by confirming the
the company spends $500,000 annually on the poor project scope and mapping the process. These activities
performance of the wave soldering process, including were straightforward because we were dealing with a highly
excessive operating costs, poor quality rework, reduced tangible, visible process. The outputs of these exercises are
yield and extra labor. shown on the left side of the Measure slide.
The manufacturing leaders tasked our team to improve Next, a 30-piece, three-operator attribute and variable
the performance of the process to reduce defects and conse- measurement system analysis was conducted to verify the
quently reduce the need for and dependency on indirect ability of operators to discern good solders from bad ones,
quality support personnel called the “solder specialists.” and voids from shorts. Even though solder defects are
Additionally, and most importantly, they requested that we attribute in nature (i.e., a short either exists or it doesn’t),
implement proper performance controls to ensure ongoing because of the sheer quantity of defects, we were able to
process capability. Two relevant project metrics were count them on a unit-by-unit basis and treat the counts as
defined to support the initiative: wave solder rolled variable data as well.
throughput yield and number of supporting indirect per- The results of the attribute gage study shows that our
sonnel. If our team could improve the process, reduction in operators do a reasonable job – 90 percent screen effec-
labor costs would yield $300,000 in annual cost savings. tiveness – of discerning good from bad and are able to
Project Glossary
• Solder (SOD'-der)
– (noun) A tin or lead alloy that, when
melted, fuses electrical component leads
to a printed board, providing a
conductive path for electricity.
– (verb) The act of attaching components
to the board using the alloy.
• Flux
A typically liquid compound used to clean
circuit boards prior to soldering. Boards
must be clean for proper solder adhesion.
Flux is activated at high temperatures.
• Wave soldering
A process which utilizes a machine to auto-
matically spray flux and then solder compo-
nent leads to PCBs.
• Solder short
When solder bridges between two
electrical connections that are normally
not connected. The most common solder
defect. Also know as a “short circuit.”
• Solder open
When a solder joint has insufficient solder
to ensure a reliable electrical connection.
Also called a “void.”
MEASURE D M A I C
find shorts and voids. The variable gage results show that and Sigma level are better estimates because they account
more than 90 percent of the variation in our measure- for differences in the complexity of the units. We recalcu-
ments is coming from the parts and not the measurement lated more accurate capability measures by adding up all
system. This is all good news because it means that our the defects and dividing by all the opportunities. This
inspection process can measure defects accurately. We also allowed us to compute an overall DPMO of 3,053 and a
found comfort in knowing that although our operators baseline Sigma level of 2.74, as shown.
will miss occasional defects, our final functional test The new characterization of baseline process perform-
(which is necessary to detect problems beyond solder ance required us to make an addition – one in terms of
defects) will catch anything missed. DPMO – to our objective statements from the Define
The last deliverable for the Measure phase was the phase. Originally, our objective was to increase wave
capability analysis. In a sample of 380 units, 558 defects solder RTY from 23 percent to 80 percent. Because
were found. This yielded a defects per unit (DPU) of management is comfortable and familiar with the meaning
1.47 and an estimated rolled throughput yield (RTY) of of RTY, we elected not to discard this objective statement.
23 percent. Instead, we simply added an additional objective: Reduce
Before moving on, I want to comment on the limitation wave solder DPMO from 3,053 to 465.
of these capability estimates. The 380 units in the sample
represented several different part numbers, and each Analyze
unique part number has a unique number of defect oppor- The objective of the Analyze phase is to determine the
tunities. For example, a complex PCB might contain as primary root cause or causes of the problem. We tackled this
many as 550 opportunities for defects, whereas a simpler by creating a comprehensive process FMEA and then using
PCB might contain just 216 defect opportunities. DPU graphical tools, statistical methods and industry expertise to
and RTY are valid estimates of capability only when the reduce a list of many possible Xs to the vital few.
complexity of units is approximately the same for all units The development of a comprehensive process FMEA
in the sample. was a long and tedious, but important, team exercise,
In our case, defects per million opportunities (DPMO) which helped identify many of our possible Xs. The final
ANALYZE D M A I C
Not controllable
! #1 Part number N: Must run all Chi-Squared Test Yes Practical Problem
complexity part numbers (shown) Is defect level related to complexity of parts?
Vital to Y
! #2 PCB Flatness N: Trust supplier Visual inspection Yes Statistical Problem
! #3 Al Lead Length N: Trust supplier Visual inspection Yes H0: Defect level is independent of part complexity
★ #4 Al comp solderability Y: IQC Lab test IQC tests Yes Ha: Defect level is NOT independent of part
#5 Manual comp SOP (not shown) Yes complexity
solderability Raw Data
Controllable
Vital to Y
★ #6 PCB Pallet Seating Y: Mfg SOP Chi-Squared Test Yes Complexity Defects Units
(not shown) Low 23 50
★ #7 Flux Level Y: Automatic filler Visual inspection Yes Medium 203 110
★ #8 Wave solder pot level Y: Mfg SOP Visual inspection Yes High 332 220
✘ #9 Conveyor speed Y: Mfg SOP <Not applicable> No Chi-Squared Test
Not vital to Y
Controllable
✘ #10 Conveyor height Y: Mfg SOP <Not applicable> No Chi-Sq = 27.558, DF = 2
✘ #11 Solder temp Y: Auto equipment <Not applicable> P-Value = 0.000
adjust No Statistical Conclusion
✘ #12 Solder cleanliness Y: Mfg SOP <Not applicable> No Reject H0
✘ #13 Pallet cool down temp Y: Mfg SOP <Not applicable> No
Probably vital
Practical Conclusion
Controllable
? #14 Flux density Y: What level? DOE <Probably; Defect level is NOT independent of part
TBD by DOE> complexity
? #15 Preheat temp 1 Y: What temps? DOE <Probably;
Less complex part numbers had fewer defects
#16 Preheat temp 2 TBD by DOE>
IMPROVE D M A I C
CONTROL D M A I C
Conducted by 1
“wave operator”
had not been assigned to the new wave operator position three pages in length, we spelled out how each and every
was to conduct the functional test. Because our process critical X of the process was to be controlled.
improvements were yielding extremely low soldering Finally, we updated our metric charts to confirm the
defect levels, this job no longer required hours and hours reduction of defect levels as measured by both RTY and
of defect rework time. Basic time study analysis showed us DPMO. We exceeded our preliminary objectives for both
– and the candidates applying for the new wave operator metrics and achieved a RTY of 90 percent and a DPMO of
position – that what used to take three persons per shift 252. These improvements yielded an annual savings of
(one unload operator plus two solder specialists) to $300,000 through the reduction of required labor.
accomplish could now be done by one. Although the wave solder process is automated, it still
Because the issue was extremely sensitive – fewer jobs took very careful training and communication of all
being needed – we handled it sensitively. First, from the impacted personnel at every step of every phase. These
early phases of the project, we made sure that all of the employees included shift supervisors, all operators, main-
unloaders and solder specialists across all shifts were part tenance technicians, quality technicians, quality engineers
of our extended team. Second, the unloaders and solder and even our operations managers. Their buy-in at each
specialists conducted the time study analyses to make sure phase of the project was crucial toward moving us forward
they were comfortable with the findings. Last, we solicited and finally making sure that our process ran smoothly
their recommendation for how many workers would be into the future. u
needed to support our improved process.
Next, we updated our workmanship and standard Ilona Kirzhner started her Six Sigma career as a Black Belt
operating procedures. These instructions spelled out in in 1995 and worked up to mentoring boardroom executives as
extreme detail how the process is to be operated. Photos a deployment consultant. Along the way, she co-founded
were included to illustrate key activities. Breakthrough Management Group Inc. Most recently, she
At this point, we created and implemented a control elected to step out of the business and lives a quiet life as a
plan, which supported the FMEA and the work instruc- new mom, executive MBA student, and independent
tions as a living document. In the control plan, which was consultant from her home in Reston, Virginia, USA.