The Right Approach: FOD and the Aerospace Industry
October 4, 2016 | Steve Williams, The Right Approach Consulting LLCEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Introduction
Unless you are currently building aerospace product to AS9100[1] you are probably saying, “What the heck is FOD?” What started out as a requirement to prevent damage to aircraft parts such as engines has been flowed down to any component or assembly including PCBs.
What is FOD?
Foreign object debris/foreign object damage (FOD) is defined by Boeing[2] as, “A substance, debris or article alien to an aircraft or system, which would potentially cause damage.” Foreign object debris can lead to foreign object damage. The classic examples of FOD are things like a wrench or other hand tool left in a jet engine after maintenance has been performed. From a printed circuit board perspective, it means things that can become a permanent part of the product like dirt, dust or other debris that can be entrapped under soldermask or during lamination. It also means surface contamination that could be cleaned off but hasn’t been.
Why is FOD Important?
In an industrial environment, when a part doesn’t work the machine may go down. When something malfunctions in an automobile, the occupants have a high chance of survival. When something malfunctions in a plane, the plane goes down and people die. Aside from the human cost, an airplane is probably one of the most expensive pieces of equipment your product can go into. For example, it can cost more than $1 million to overhaul a McDonnell Douglas MD-80 engine after FOD, $10 million to replace it, with the cost of the entire airplane at around $50 million. A Boeing 747-8 costs in excess of $357 million!
FOD Area Levels FOD programs typically use a three-tier system of controls for activities with different titles in work areas. The system described in this document uses:
1. FOD Awareness Area
2. FOD Sensitive Area
3. FOD Critical Area
To read this entire article, which appeared in the September 2016 issue of The PCB Magazine, click here.
Suggested Items
Cicor Records Solid Growth in Q1
04/16/2024 | CicorThe Cicor Group continued to grow in the first three months of the year. Quarterly sales increased by 11.8% to CHF 107.3 million compared to the first quarter of the previous year (Q1/2023: CHF 96.0 million).
TT Electronics Awarded Contract with Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace
04/11/2024 | TT ElectronicsTT Electronics, a leading provider of global manufacturing solutions and engineered technologies, announced today that its Fairford UK business has been awarded a new contract with long-standing customer Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace (Kongsberg) for the production of complex cable harness solutions.
Cicor Successfully Completes Acquisition of TT Electronics IoT Solutions Ltd.
04/03/2024 | CicorThe Cicor Group has successfully completed the acquisition of TT Electronics IoT Solutions Ltd. with three production sites in the UK and China.
Absolute EMS Successfully Recertifies ISO 9001:2015 and AS9100 Standards
03/26/2024 | Absolute EMS, Inc.Absolute EMS, Inc., an award-winning EMS provider of turnkey contract manufacturing services, is proud to announce the successful recertification of its ISO 9001:2015 and AS9100 Rev D SAE International Aerospace Standards.
Arlon EMC Receives IPC-4101 QPL Recertification
03/20/2024 | Arlon Electronic MaterialsArlon Electronic Materials has successfully completed an intensive two-day recertification audit by IPC Validation Services that examined Arlon’s manufacturing processes and testing procedures to assure that they are in conformance to the requirements of IPC-4101E-WAM1, the Specification for Base Materials for Rigid and Multilayer Printed Boards.