I
iso factotum
My company manufactures cable harnesses. Our auditor wants the engineer to control a harness board. Any suggestions or ideas on how that could/should be done?
Thanks!
Thanks!
Control of a Harness Board - Our auditor wants the engineer to Control
I
iso factotum
Re: Control of a Harness Board
Sure. It is an actual board (a piece of MDF, I believe) that has large pins in it so that cables may be routed through them. The cable has been modified from time to time, so from time to time, the pins need to be moved or added to, etc. Our auditor wants the engineer to "control" the versions somehow on the physical board. Needless to say, we have ECOs controlling the drawing changes and the changes to the manufacturing plan, but we are at a standstill with how to appropriately control the board itself.
Hope that was helpful.
Sure. It is an actual board (a piece of MDF, I believe) that has large pins in it so that cables may be routed through them. The cable has been modified from time to time, so from time to time, the pins need to be moved or added to, etc. Our auditor wants the engineer to "control" the versions somehow on the physical board. Needless to say, we have ECOs controlling the drawing changes and the changes to the manufacturing plan, but we are at a standstill with how to appropriately control the board itself.
Hope that was helpful.
Re: Control of a Harness Board
I googled a bit... And I'd say the auditor is wrong.
The board is a design tool. You should control the output of the board (the design) not the board itself.
Unless I'm misunderstanding, controlling the board is like asking a draftsman to control his drawing table and square. Is that a fair analogy?
Can you type, verbatim, the finding? That would be very helpful.
Sure. It is an actual board (a piece of MDF, I believe) that has large pins in it so that cables may be routed through them. The cable has been modified from time to time, so from time to time, the pins need to be moved or added to, etc. Our auditor wants the engineer to "control" the versions somehow on the physical board. Needless to say, we have ECOs controlling the drawing changes and the changes to the manufacturing plan, but we are at a standstill with how to appropriately control the board itself.
Hope that was helpful.
I googled a bit... And I'd say the auditor is wrong.
The board is a design tool. You should control the output of the board (the design) not the board itself.
Unless I'm misunderstanding, controlling the board is like asking a draftsman to control his drawing table and square. Is that a fair analogy?
Can you type, verbatim, the finding? That would be very helpful.
I
iso factotum
Re: Control of a Harness Board
As I read the finding, it actually states that the document control procedure does not address the control of harness boards. That's quite different from what I was lead to believe.
However, I'm not exactly sure what he wants the procedure to say. We already address ECOs and changes to MPs.
As I read the finding, it actually states that the document control procedure does not address the control of harness boards. That's quite different from what I was lead to believe.
However, I'm not exactly sure what he wants the procedure to say. We already address ECOs and changes to MPs.
Re: Control of a Harness Board
No, it isn't. The board is an assembly fixture.
Since you mentioned that the harness design gets revised and changes over time and the assembly board has to to be reconfigured to reflect the latest revision of the harness, the board should be "controlled". Something as simple as identifying in a corner of the board the revision level of the harness being assembled there and/or the ECO number for the latest revision of the harness.
D
Duke Okes
It sounds to me like the harness board is a jig/fixture that is changed to keep in alignment with product and/or process design level. In this case I would agree it needs to be controlled. That control might include labeling which part number(s) it is relevant for and their engineering/process levels, as well as occassional verification that it is still ok (e.g., maintenance/calibration).
here's a question - do you keep a harness board for each design and build a new board when you do a new design? And do you use these boards for reference like you would use a drawing?
If that's the case then I can see a point to controlling them.
But if you pull the pins and clear the board once the design is finalized and the final configuration is controlled via a drawing then I go back to what I originally stated.
Edit - I posted this before I saw Sidney's comment that it is an assembly fixture, not a design tool.
But I kind of think I worled my way towards that point.
If that's the case then I can see a point to controlling them.
But if you pull the pins and clear the board once the design is finalized and the final configuration is controlled via a drawing then I go back to what I originally stated.
Edit - I posted this before I saw Sidney's comment that it is an assembly fixture, not a design tool.
But I kind of think I worled my way towards that point.
I
iso factotum
The drawings are controlled via the regular ECO process. If they are in house drawings they are controlled via our internal control process. If they are external drawings, they are controlled via our external document control process.
The harness boards are for long-term use. They are not broken down (as of yet) because we have continued to produce the harnesses over and over.
Thank you for everyone's input so far. I truly appreciate all your perspectives.
The harness boards are for long-term use. They are not broken down (as of yet) because we have continued to produce the harnesses over and over.
Thank you for everyone's input so far. I truly appreciate all your perspectives.
