Aegis Software Enables Paperless Defect Mapping at Sechan

October 26, 2012. Aegis Software announced that Sechan Electronics Inc., a contract manufacturing services company, chose Aegis’ Quality System as a replacement for Sechan's paper-based defect mapping process. Sechan develops, tests, and manufactures military electronics systems and subsystems for the Department of Defense and Prime Contractors. The companies said Sechan’s relationship with Aegis Software extends back over 11 years, beginning with Sechan's initial purchase of CircuitCAM and CheckPoint—software modules that are now integrated into iLaunch.

“We purchased Aegis CircuitCAM and Check Point initially for work instruction and machine program generation. Given the great performance of those products and Aegis we took the next step with their shop floor solutions,” commented Matthew Leber, CCA manager at Sechan. “Defects are identified down to the pin level, while the Aegis software also includes traceability, part number association, and numerous other valuable features.”

Sechan said it uses the electronic data captured to calculate its DPMO levels and drive quality initiatives for continuous process improvement. All activities are supported by the software’s automatic generation of standard reports, and custom reports can usually be produced in a few minutes. Additionally, reports triggered by real-time events have proven useful in ensuring that all personnel are notified immediately of any event affecting them.

Sechan’s Aegis environment now extends to over 75 licenses covering NPI, manufacturing, inspection, test, and quality functions. The company has also implemented Aegis xLink technology to electronically capture data from Viscom AOI and AXI systems as well as flying-probe and in circuit test equipment to complement manual data collection. The Aegis installation covers Sechan’s 120,000 square-foot facility, which now houses three surface-mount lines, one wave-solder system, and one selective solder process. Production activities include circuit card assembly, cable and wire harness assembly, and electro-mechanical assembly.

Sechan described Aegis software as a comprehensive, well-integrated system that accomplishes goals in an easy and user-friendly format. Personnel from manufacturing engineering, QA, and IT departments participated in the implementation effort, using phone support from Aegis when small issues arose. Aegis deployment engineers assisted with the initial training for, and implementation of automated report generation, xLink connections with the AOI and test systems, and general system checks as needed.

Sechan’s Quality Management system is in full compliance with AS9100:2009 and ISO 9001:2008, with demonstrated CMMI Level 3 capabilities. In the future, Sechan intends to make further use of Aegis in refining its quality environment. Dashboards will display production and quality metrics as actionable data for the operators on the factory floor. The company also plans to expand the capture of other critical quality and test data to further reduce the number of disparate data sources in the factory; reports and metrics will become available from one integrated manufacturing solution.

Aegis Software, www.aiscorp.com

Sechan Electronics Inc., www.sechan.com