EPMA reports success of Quality for Powder Metallurgy Seminar
July 9, 2018
Attendees at the EPMA’s Quality for PM seminar in Seville, Spain (Courtesy EPMA)
The European Powder Metallurgy Association (EPMA) held its Quality for Powder Metallurgy Seminar in Seville, Spain, from May 17-18, 2018. The two-day technical seminar, hosted at the NH Sevilla Viapol, focused on a number of aspects relating to quality techniques and technology for PM structural parts.
The seminar was attended by more than thirty individuals from the PM supply chain to enhance their understanding of a range of quality management subjects, with topics including Advanced Product Quality Planning, Techniques for Continuous Improvement and Basic Metrology Characteristics and Measurement Methods. A number of relevant case studies were also presented for discussion.
According to the EPMA, the seminar sessions were devised to cover some of the areas that end-users are becoming involved with in the hope that by increasing skill levels throughout the supply chain, companies will be able to offer a competitive advantage when negotiating new components. For example, the lecture ‘New Mobility, Automated Driving, New Business Models – Challenges for Warranty and Reliability Management’, presented by Dr.-Ing. Andreas Braasch, Institut für Qualitäts und Zuverlässigkeitsmanagement GmbH (IQZ), examined the increased expectation of warranty periods for components in the automotive sector, from 24 months through to 72+ months.
The lecture looked at the techniques the supply chain employ and how it can adapt to meet the challenges set out by the OEM customers, addressing overall company organisation and the importance of up-to-date internal processes. Robust contract management and methodical reporting on tooling and production capacities, and adherence to quality management initiatives such as reliability analysis & prognosis during service life, were some of the areas Braasch highlighted.
