Hey Steve,

Amen to everything already said.

I'm gonna rant...

Okay . . .

I know the documentation paper trail can be daunting with DOD assemblies,
but is correcting the design to specify current assembly standards too much
to ask? It can only enhance the assembly reliability...

Daunting is right.  I kill toner cartridges when I print hardcopies of the
documentation we need.   In addition to the people with engineering
responsibility over those parts, there are alot of non-technical people
involved in supplying DOD with parts.  Your initial customer is probably a
nontechie.  And as everybody knows, you can't make changes without customer
approval.  So the customer (or rather their engineering support) need
testing done to demonstrate that it meets or exceeds the design's intended
use and will survive in the "wild".  If you ordered something out of a
catalog you wouldn't want them to make a substitution without asking?

We make suggestions to improve manufacturability and/or reliability during
the bidding process.  Sometimes they are accepted other times not.  If there
isn't money for design modification the customer might not be able to make
the changes no matter what.  You could write up a "Best Practices for PCB
Assembly" (the hints of what makes your life easier) and provide that to
customers.

The wall I hit is obsolescence.  The design drawings and BOM may look
complete until you actually try to build the little darlings.

Here's one I could use some help on.  I'm looking for a connector pin
(solder plated with a copper base) that looks like a thumb tack/nail.  It
was originally used/made by Applied Technology (A Division of Itek
Corporation).  I checked with Amp and they don't make one like it.  Anybody
know of a custom connector manufacturer who does small batches  - 750?

I am expecting replies from lazy designers that don't want to "buck the
system"... I'm saying that to get some people to speak-up.....

Should I point out that lazy designers wouldn't reply or be on the list?
This list is not for the lazy.

Later,

Hans

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hans M. Hinners
Materials (Process & Manufacturing) Engineer
Warner Robins Air Logistics Center
Avionics Production Division
Manufacturing Branch
380 Second Street, Suite 104
Building: 640, Mail Stop: LYPME
Robins AFB, GA 31098-1638
Voice: (912) 926 - 1970 Fax: (912) 926 - 7164
mailto:[log in to unmask]
http://www.robins.af.mil

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