Aegis Software enables paperless defect mapping

Sechan Electronics is a contract manufacturing services company committed to developing, testing and manufacturing military electronics systems and subsystems for the US Department of Defense and Prime Contractors. Sechan’s relationship with Aegis Software extends back over 11 years, beginning with the initial purchase of software modules CircuitCAM and CheckPoint. So when Sechan need a replacement for its paper-based defect mapping process, it chose Aegis’s Quality System - a decision that has paid off handsomely for the company.

“We purchased Aegis CircuitCAM and Check Point initially for work instruction and machine program generation. Given the great performance of those products and Aegis, we took the next step with their shop floor solutions,” commented Matthew Leber, CCA Manager at Sechan. “I have been working in the electronic manufacturing field since 1990 and these products add up to the single greatest tool I have seen to drive process improvement. Defects are identified down to the pin level, while the Aegis software also includes traceability, part number association and numerous other valuable features.”

The Aegis software solution gives Sechan a manufacturing operating system that fulfils its long-held strategic ambitions - and not just for real-time control. The company uses the electronic data captured to calculate DPMO levels and drive quality initiatives for continuous process improvement. All activities are supported by the software’s automatic generation of standard reports, and custom reports can usually be produced in a few minutes. Additionally, reports triggered by real-time events have proved useful in ensuring that all personnel are notified immediately of any event affecting them.

Sechan’s Aegis environment now extends to over 75 licences covering NPI, manufacturing, inspection, test and quality functions for the entire production area. The company has also implemented Aegis xLink technology to electronically capture data from Viscom AOI and AXI systems as well as flying probe and in-circuit test equipment to complement manual data collection. The Aegis installation covers Sechan’s 11,150 m² facility, which now houses three surface mount lines, one wave solder and one selective solder process. Production activities include circuit card assembly, cable and wire harness assembly, and electromechanical assembly.

This environment of extensive manufacturing information and on-demand paperless reporting contrasts greatly with the set-up it replaced. Data from the previous QA system was weak, with limited reference pointers. Deriving reports was a cumbersome exercise, with no drilldown or useful data provided. These drawbacks made driving process improvements difficult and time-consuming.

Aegis software is regarded by Sechan as a comprehensive, well-integrated system that accomplishes the company’s goals in an easy and user-friendly format. Personnel from Sechan’s manufacturing engineering, QA and IT departments participated in the implementation effort, using phone support from Aegis when small issues arose. Sechan feels that Aegis has always been quick to investigate any such issues, resolving these with appropriate fixes. Aegis deployment engineers assisted with the initial training for, and implementation of, automated report generation, xLink connections with the AOI and test systems, and general system checks as needed in an efficient manner. Sechan’s Quality Management system is in full compliance with AS9100:2009 and ISO 9001:2008, with demonstrated CMMI Level 3 capabilities.

In the future, Sechan intends to make further use of Aegis in refining its quality environment. Dashboards will display production and quality metrics as actionable data for the operators on the factory floor. The company also plans to expand the capture of other critical quality and test data to further reduce the number of disparate data sources in the factory; reports and metrics will become available from one integrated manufacturing solution.