iNEMI » cms » projects » ba » dpmo.html
Print Version
Overview
Board Assembly
Environmentally Conscious Electronics
Thermal Management
Medical
Optoelectronics
Product Lifecycle Information Management
Substrates
Board & Systems Manufacturing Test
Deployment Status Reports
Project Webinars & Reports

Projects

DPMO (Defective Parts per Million Opportunities) Project

This project, which was completed in 2004, was organized to develop a database that would help predict defect rates by package type.  The 2002 iNEMI Roadmap called for a reduction in conversion costs, which can be achieved through higher quality.  Having a predicted defect spectrum allows manufacturers to understand their costs and quality levels and take steps to improve them.  Yield can be misunderstood and predictions misguided if defect opportunities are not taken into account.  DPMO by package, manufacturing process and defect type are key to predicting the defect spectrum and quality levels.

The iNEMI DPMO Project focused on defect rate by package type, an area that had not received much attention.  The goal was to provide tools such that each participating company could draw responsible conclusions from the data and respond/react in a manner that would improve quality, lower costs, and lead to better deployment of restrained resources, etc.  Where possible, data was gathered such that DPMO values could be calculated per IPC standards (IPC-9261, In-Process DPMO and Estimated Yield for PWAs, and IPC-7912, Calculation of DPMO and Manufacturing Indices for PCBAs).  The iNEMI project aligned its efforts with other industry organizations, such as IPC and the SMART Group (Europe).

Although the database, compiled and managed by Georgia Institute of Technology, was shared only among participants, the project team also made certain information available to industry, including methodology, database format, and data classifications; statistics detailing the size and content of the database; and DPMO level for all board types averaged together within each company.

Data Consolidation Process
This project required consolidation of data from multiple sources such that DPMO metrics per package and technology could be calculated. To ensure availability and integrity, the team defined strict data stratification and classification criteria and utilized a database methodology to enforce the requirements. This methodology has been made available for public use. The supporting documents are as follows:

NEMI DPMO Database Architecture

NEMI DPMO Database Template (.mdb file)

Database Data Entry Guidelines


Press releases

NEMI Launches DPMO Project (05.01.03)

Presentations

NEMI DPMO Project Forum - APEX 2004