FMEA means Failure Modal Analysis and Effects and it is a methodology which consists of dissecting the design of a product, which has not yet been produced, to study possible mistakes that I could present. What is FMEA analysis and why is it so important?

What is FMEA analysis and why is it important?

The idea of FMEA analysis is to dissect a product down to the level of a component and study the failures that the design of this product could have in the future. Also analyzed are the causes and effects that arise from these possible errors. The FMEA analysis must be run on each and every one of the elements of a production process, taking into account the Data collected of the company's history.

What is FMEA analysis? Its definition can be summarized in the following points:

• Systematic method that consists of investigating the product and process weaknesses.
• technique that allows quantify and evaluate the risk of product and process failures.
• A method used to reduce failures and improve safety of products and processes.
• Strategy you are looking for prevent injuries on the end user and comply with safety regulations.

The importance of FMEA analysis

The FMEA analysis is carried out by various industrial sectors with the aim of identifying potential failures and errors not only on the products, but also on the different phases of the production process. That is, it is applied to the design of the products, their manufacturing and the process of mounting of these, as well as the application either use by users.

Basically, FMEA analysis allows you to evaluate possible risks associated with these failures, classify them and prioritize the problems. In this way, production teams can take measures and actions to avoid these errors. It is important to note that the FMEA analysis prioritizes failures as follows:

• By severity of its consequences.
• According to frequency with which they occur.
• By ease to detect them.

With FMEA analysis it is possible prevent and reduce the risk of harm for users of the products, but also for companies.

Types of failure modal analysis and effects

The types of FMEA analysis that can be executed today are:

• Systemic-functional. This is the highest level of analysis of an entire system. The functions of the subsystems and possible failures are examined.
• Design. This analysis verifies the potential risks of a design, that is, before the product is manufactured. It can also be applied on a modified design phase of a product and that could have repercussions on the user experience.
• Process. The risks in process changes are studied, taking into account the steps of the production process, failures and effects on the process, as well as the end user.
• FMEA about the service. Product failures associated with a service are identified and prevented. These failures could occur during installation, maintenance, operation, and even ineffective repair.
• Of software. This analysis evaluates the System design or the software which could damage its performance. In this way the security of the system is guaranteed.
• Machinery. This analysis helps to analyze the machinery failures that is used in the production process.

How is an FMEA analysis performed?

The first thing is to identify the scope of analysis. For this, the schemes of product design, as well as flowcharts of processes and manufacturing steps. The analysis must be carried out by a team of people who have various knowledge related to the product to be analyzed, as well as the user needs.

To the run FMEA analysis are identified functions, including the Product design, the quality of the materials, the manufacturing process; Also analyzed are the results of the tests, the maintenance and even supplier purchases, reliability, sales and customer service. As you can see, the FMEA analysis can be performed not only on the product itself, but on all the aspects related to this, from its manufacturing, until it reaches the end user.

As the analysis runs, each of the process steps and if a failed. This is when we study how these errors could occur and how they could impact the product, rating its severity. To carry out this phase of the process, tools of analysis and possible causes for failures are listed.

It is at this point that all pertinent notes are taken to know how to prevent possible errors and, in general, what can be done to improve the product. Of course, the consequences of any errors that the product may present and how they would impact the user and the company are analyzed.

In our engineering section, we help you execute rigorous FMEA analysis that guarantee the maximum reliability and security of products and processes.