Xfmea 3 Training Guide 7th Printing - ReliaSoft

Software Training Guide

ReliaSoft’s

Xfmea

Born of ReliaSoft ingenuity... Bred to set new standards.

No part of this Training Guide may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, for any purpose, without the expressed written consent of ReliaSoft Corporation, Tucson, AZ, USA. ReliaSoft and Xfmea are trademarks of ReliaSoft Corporation.

©2003-2005 ReliaSoft Corporation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

ReliaSoft Corporation ReliaSoft Plaza 115 South Sherwood Village Drive Tucson, AZ 85710 USA Phone: +1.520.886.0366 Fax : +1.520.886.0399 Toll Free: 1.888.886.0410 (U.S. and Canada) [email protected] http://Xfmea.ReliaSoft.com

Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7

1 Xfmea Training Guide

1.1 About this Training Guide This training guide is intended to provide you with many examples to demonstrate the use of Xfmea. It begins with step-by-step examples and then proceeds into more advanced examples. At any time during the training, please feel free to ask the instructor(s) any questions you might have. Some of the examples in this training guide require you to access files that have been shipped with the Xfmea application. These files are located in the Training and Examples folders in your application directory (e.g. C:\Program Files\ReliaSoft\Xfmea3\Training or Examples). The Examples folder is also accessible by clicking the Open Examples Folder... link in the What do you want to do? window or by selecting Open Examples Folder... from the Help menu.

1.2 Xfmea Documentation Like all of ReliaSoft's standard software products, Xfmea is shipped with detailed printed documentation on the product (Xfmea User's Guide). This training guide is intended to be a supplement to that reference.

Introduction

Xfmea

1.3 Contacting ReliaSoft ReliaSoft can be reached at: ReliaSoft Corporation ReliaSoft Plaza 115 South Sherwood Village Drive Tucson, AZ 85710 USA Phone: +1.520.886.0366 Fax: +1.520.886.0399 E-mail: [email protected] For up-to-date product information, visit our Web site at: http://Xfmea.ReliaSoft.com

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2 Features Summary

The examples in this training guide have been designed to introduce you to the features available in Xfmea. This section presents a brief summary of these features. If you are already familiar with Xfmea’s capabilities, you can proceed to Section 3, First Steps.

2.1 Xfmea Standard and Enterprise ReliaSoft's Xfmea facilitates analysis, data management and reporting for failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) and failure modes, effects and criticality analysis (FMECA). The software supports all major standards (SAE J1739, SAE ARP5580, AIAG FMEA-3, MIL-STD-1629A, etc.) and provides extensive customization capabilities for analysis and reporting, allowing you to configure the software to meet your organization's specific analysis and reporting procedures for all types of FMEA/FMECA. ReliaSoft offers two versions of the software, Xfmea Standard and the Xfmea Enterprise edition. The Enterprise edition includes all applicable features of the Standard edition but instead of working with individual Access database files (*.rx3), it allows you to work with a single Microsoft SQL Server database on a network server. This allows for different access levels to be assigned to each user based on his/her Windows NT login and for efficient analysis management and interconnectivity when multiple users are working on the same projects at the same time. The examples in this Training Guide demonstrate the features of Xfmea Standard but most of the examples can be adapted to Xfmea Enterprise with some minor variations.

2.2 Support for Major Customization Options

Industry

Guidelines

plus

Extensive

Xfmea supports the major industry standards for all types of FMEA/FMECA analysis, including Design FMEA (DFMEA), Process FMEA (PFMEA), Machinery FMEA (MFMEA) and Criticality Analysis (FMECA), etc.

Features Summary

Xfmea

In addition to providing pre-defined profiles for the major industry standard reporting formats, the software provides extensive capabilities to customize the interface and the reports. This includes the ability to rename fields, hide/display fields, customize the RPN rating criteria and other options to allow you to determine the configuration for analysis and reporting.

2.3 Intuitive Interface, Easy Data Entry, Time-Saving Shortcuts Xfmea provides two complementary views to facilitate data entry. The worksheet view displays the analysis in the traditional tabular format for FMEA reports. The intuitive hierarchical view displays the item configurations at a glance along with the related functions, failures, effects, causes, controls and actions defined in your analysis. For consistency and to save effort, the software allows you to re-use descriptions from any existing analysis or to select phrases from pre-defined phrase libraries. The software also provides: •

Integration with ReliaSoft’s Weibull++, ALTA and BlockSim, as well as the capability to import data from ReliaSoft’s MPC 3 and Microsoft Excel.

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Ability to link or attach other files to the analysis, such as process flow charts, design drawings, etc.

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Ability to copy/paste and import/export sections among different analyses.

2.4 Risk Assessment: RPNs and Criticality Analysis Xfmea supports the Risk Priority Number (RPN) ranking method as well as Criticality Analysis. This includes automatic RPN calculation for both initial and revised RPNs, as well as optional "roll-up" capability to calculate RPNs for other analysis levels (such as Item or Failure) based on the RPNs for the potential causes of failure. The software is shipped with an extensive array of pre-defined rating scales for Severity, Occurrence and Detection and also allows you to create and manage your own rating scales. In addition, Xfmea supports both quantitative and qualitative criticality analysis methods. The software automatically calculates Mode and Item Criticalities and generates charts and reports of the criticality analysis.

2.5 Actions Management and Support for Team Effort Xfmea allows you to fully define and manage the recommended actions identified by the analysis in order to close the loop on corrective actions. Action management options include automated notifications via e-mail as well as useful reports and charts for progress tracking. Detailed reports on current controls are also available. The software has been designed to allow multiple users to work cooperatively on the analysis and provides flexible techniques to share portions of an analysis with other users as well as revision tracking mechanisms, the ability to limit access to authorized users and more.

2.6 Simultaneous Access by Multiple Users In Xfmea Enterprise and Standard (if you are working with a secure database), more than one user can have read/write permission to access the database at the same time. This means that multiple users can simultaneously edit different portions of the analysis in the database. If other users are editing a section in a database when you log in to it, then those sections of the database that are currently being edited by the other users will be marked as “read-only” for you and the section that you are currently editing will be marked as “read-only” for the other users.

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Features Summary

Xfmea

2.7 Revision Tracking In addition to the option to restrict database access to authorized users via password protection (in Xfmea Standard) or Windows NT login (in Xfmea Enterprise), Xfmea provides several levels of revision tracking functionality to protect the integrity of your analysis. The last update user and date/time stamp is clearly displayed for each record. The software also maintains a database log in history, with the user and date/time for every log in to the database. You can also create baseline versions of the database (in Xfmea Standard) or project (in Xfmea Enterprise) with the ability to "roll back" to previous versions if necessary. Finally, in Xfmea Enterprise, admin users and power users can use the Transaction Log to view the changes that have been made to the database.

2.8 Check Analysis Utility Xfmea allows you to check a particular analysis and identify any possible discrepancies and/or omissions via the Check Analysis utility. The utility will list the potential issues and you can make the decision of whether to address the issues. You will not be prevented from generating plots or reports even if issues are identified via the data check.

2.9 Query Utility The Query Utility allows you to query the current Xfmea project or database for the records that meet your specific query criteria. The results of the query are returned in spreadsheets that can then be exported to Microsoft Excel.

2.10 Automated Reporting and Charts Xfmea provides a complete set of print-ready reports for your analysis. In addition to the standard FMEA spreadsheet, you can generate summaries for items, failures, effects, causes, recommended actions, current controls and other reports. You can also generate a variety of graphical charts for the analysis. You can choose to generate each report in Microsoft Word or Excel, which provides maximum flexibility for customization and generation of HTML and PDF versions of the reports, as desired.

2.11 Control Plans, DVP&Rs and Process Flow Diagrams Xfmea provides several ways to integrate your FMEA with the requirements of the Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) guidelines. This includes the ability to generate a new Process FMEA (PFMEA) based on an existing Design FMEA (DFMEA) and also to create integrated Design Verification Plan and Report (DVP&R), Control Plan and/or Process Flow Diagram analyses.

2.12 Administrative Options and Database Tools Xfmea provides utilities that allow you to manage and maintain the databases that you create. In Xfmea Standard, the administrative options and database tools include: •

The Administrative Options window, which allows the database administrator to perform administrative options, such as changing the administrator information and managing the database users.

•

The Database Tools window, which gives you access to database maintenance options, such as compacting and repairing the current database, creating a backup of the database and restoring the backup of the database.

In Xfmea Enterprise, the administrative options include: •

The Manage Users window, which allows admin users to view, add and edit user accounts and their access levels.

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Features Summary

Xfmea

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The Define Notification Groups window, which allows admin users and power users to define groups of users that are sent notification e-mails for actions that have been assigned in a project.

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The E-Mail Notification Settings window, which allows admin users and power users to enable notification e-mails to be sent for actions that have been assigned in a project.

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The Enterprise Connection Settings window, which allows you to specify the settings to connect with the Xfmea Enterprise database and to test the settings. Please note that if you enter invalid connection settings in this window, you will not be able to use the Xfmea Enterprise application. If you are unsure which connection settings to use, please contact the IT administrator for Xfmea.

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The Project Categories window, which allows admin users and power users to maintain the categories that can be assigned to projects in the Project Properties window.

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The Profiles/Libraries Management window, which allows admin users and power users to manage the library and its profiles.

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The Transaction Log, which allows admin users and power users to view the changes that have been made to the database.

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The View Current Users window, which allows you to view the users who are currently logged into the system.

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3 First Steps

In addition to information on starting Xfmea and a brief overview of the software's main interface, this section allows you to experiment with the data management, analysis and reporting features of the software using a pre-defined analysis based on sample data. Working through this example will help you to become familiar with the software quickly and easily.

3.1 Starting Xfmea Xfmea is a 32-bit application that has been designed to work with Windows NT, 2000 and XP. To start Xfmea, from Start select Programs, ReliaSoft Office and then Xfmea 3. The Xfmea internal screens and commands are identical regardless of which operating system you are using, and this training guide is equally applicable. If you are using Xfmea Enterprise, some windows will look different from the ones shown in this guide, and some funtionalities will work differently.

First Steps

Xfmea

3.2 Multiple Document Interface Xfmea’s Multiple Document Interface (MDI) is the workspace within which you can create, edit and manage your FMEA/FMECA analyses. You can open one database at a time in the MDI and as many projects from that database as necessary. The MDI remains open until you close the program and closing the MDI terminates the program. The next figure displays the MDI and its components so that you can familiarize yourself with the options available within the MDI. Your screen may look slightly different from the one shown next, depending on the windows that are currently open.

The internal area of the MDI contains the active Xfmea windows, which can include the Project Explorer and the open Project window(s). The status bar that appears at the bottom of the MDI displays the path and filename of the database, whether Login Security is enabled for the database, whether the user has read and/ or write access to the database and the current date.

3.3 Getting Help in the Xfmea Environment ReliaSoft's Xfmea includes complete on-line help documentation. This help can be obtained at any time by pressing F1 or by selecting Contents from the Help menu.

3.4 First Steps Example 1 This example allows you to experiment with the data management, analysis and reporting features of the software. For this example, you will work with a sample database that has been prepared by ReliaSoft, which contains sample data related to imaginary products. Sample data sets are not intended to be realistic. At this time, we assume that you have started the application and, if this is the first time you have run Xfmea, that you are looking at the Setup Wizard.

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3.4.1 Complete the Xfmea Setup Wizard The Setup Wizard will be displayed the first time that you run the software. The purpose of the wizard is to introduce you to the Xfmea working environment while guiding you through the process to configure the software to fit the specific way that you work.

•

If you have not already completed the Setup Wizard, then you can do so now before proceeding with the examples. If you would prefer to begin the examples immediately, simply click Finish to accept Xfmea’s default configuration settings and close the window. If you would like to run the wizard again at a later time, click Run User Setup Wizard in the User Setup window, which is available from the File menu.

3.4.2 Open an Existing Database Xfmea Standard databases can be created with or without Login Security. If Login Security is enabled for a database, then each user must log in with an authorized username and password in order to gain access to the information in the database. If Login Security is not enabled for a database, then any user who has read/write permission to access the location where the database file is stored can view and edit the information contained in the database. By default, Login Security is not enabled for new databases. However, you can enable Login Security via the Settings (1) page of the User Setup. The database that you will access in this example is non-secure.


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When you launch Xfmea (or after you have completed the Xfmea Setup Wizard if this is the first time that you have started the software), the What do you want to do? window will be displayed. This window provides a quick way to create a new database or open an existing database.

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For this example, click Open Database to open an existing Xfmea database.

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In the Open Database window, select the file called FirstSteps.rx3 from the Training folder in your application directory (e.g. C:\Program Files\ReliaSoft\Xfmea3\Training), as shown next.

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Click Open to continue.

3.4.3 Open a Project Xfmea projects give you additional flexibility for managing your analyses to fit the particular needs of your organization. You can have one or many projects in the same database. Every analysis within a given project will have the same characteristics, including the fields that are enabled/disabled in the interface and reports, the rating scales that are available for risk assessment and the menu options that are available for codified information, such as Action Categories, Classification labels, etc. These properties can be set automatically based on pre-defined profiles and libraries and are fully customizable.

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Xfmea

After you have opened the existing database, the Project Explorer will appear, which allows you to create, edit, delete, and import or export projects within the current database. You can also duplicate and transfer projects using the Project Explorer. The Project Explorer is shown next with the First Steps Project, which we will be working with in this example.

As can be seen in the Project Explorer, the First Steps Project is based on the Comprehensive profile. A profile is a pre-defined set of project properties, which includes selections for interface styles, rating scales and menu sets. The Comprehensive profile enables/displays all available record properties in Xfmea. •

From the Project Explorer, you can open the First Steps Project by double-clicking it, by selecting Open Project from the Project Explorer menu or by clicking the Open Selected Project icon.

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The Project window will appear. The Project window is the main window that you will use to perform your FMEA/FMECA analyses. It presents all of the items, functions, failures, effects, causes, controls, actions and related properties that you have defined within a particular project and provides all the tools required to add and edit these records. Notice that the project name, First Steps Project, appears in the caption bar at the top of the window. The Project window with Component A.1.1.1 selected is shown next.

The Project window is divided into two panels. The panel on the left displays the System Hierarchy, which includes all items that have been defined in the project and also provides access to linked/attached documents and supplementary analyses, such as Control Plans and DVP&Rs. The panel on the right displays the functions, failures, effects, causes, controls and actions associated with the item that is currently selected


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in the System Hierarchy panel. The columns that are displayed in both panels can be configured via the Hierarchies page of the User Setup. You can now take a moment to get familiar with the Project window by going through the menus and their commands. You can also view the properties windows for the records by double-clicking the record name in the Project window. For example, to view the Item Properties window for System A, double-click the name that appears in the Name column in the System Hierarchy panel. To view the Function Properties window for the first function, double-click the name that appears in the Description column in the Function Hierarchy panel.1 3.4.3.1 Copy and Paste Items You can copy items, functions, failures, effects or causes within a project and paste the record(s) to the same project or to another project within the same database. (Please note that if you want to share items between different databases, you must use the import/export functionality.) •

Copy System A by selecting it in the System Hierarchy panel and selecting Copy from the Edit menu or pressing Ctrl+C. When an item is copied, all next level items, functions, failures, effects and causes will also be copied, along with any attachments.

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Next, paste System A by selecting Paste as System from the Edit menu or press Ctrl+Shift+V.2 System A will be pasted as a system in the hierarchy, along with its related sub-items, as shown next.

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Rename the pasted System A by double-clicking its name in the System Hierarchy panel. The Item Properties window will appear.

1.

Please note that this first steps example is meant to give you a quick overview of the software. Subsequent examples in this chapter will take you through the steps of adding records and analysis properties to a project using the properties windows and will provide more explanation of the fields that appear in these windows. 2. When an item is copied, you can also use the Paste as Next Level Item command in the Edit menu or press Ctrl+V to paste (add) the copied item to the System Hierarchy panel as a next level item to the selected item. All associated next level items, functions, failures, effects and causes will also be pasted, along with any attachments.

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First Steps

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Edit the Item Name by typing System B in the corresponding field, as shown next.

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Click OK. Notice that the name has changed in the System Hierarchy panel.

3.4.3.2 Promote and Demote Items You can promote and demote the items within the System Hierarchy using the Promote and Demote commands available from the System Hierarchy menu or the Project toolbar.3 For example, if you have a system, subsystem and subsubsystem and you promote the subsubsystem up one position in the hierarchy, it will be on the same level as the subsystem. When an item is promoted, all associated next level items, functions, failures, effects and causes will also be moved. When an item is demoted, all associated next level items, functions, failures, effects and causes will also be moved. An item can only be demoted if there is another item on the same level and above the selected item that it can be demoted under. •

Promote the Component A.1.1.1 that appears under System B to the next higher level in the System Hierarchy panel by selecting it and then selecting Promote Item from the System Hierarchy menu or by clicking the icon on the Project toolbar.

3.

You can also move the records up and down within the FMEA Hierarchy using the Move Up and Move Down commands available from the corresponding record menu (e.g. Function menu, Failure menu, etc.) or the Project toolbar.


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Notice that the Component A.1.1.1 item now appears on the same level as Subsubsystem A.1.1, as shown next.

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Promote Component A.1.1.1 up two more levels until it is on the system level, as shown next.

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Now return Component A.1.1.1 back to its original position as an item below Subsubsystem A.1.1 by selecting it and then selecting Demote Item from the System Hierarchy menu or by clicking the icon. You will need to select the Demote Item command three times to return the item to its original position.

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Next, delete System B from the hierarchy by selecting it and then selecting Delete from the Edit menu. A window will appear to confirm that you want to delete the selected item. Click Yes.

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System B will be deleted, along with its associated next level items. The Project window will now appear as it did when you first opened it.

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3.4.4 View the Analysis in the Worksheet View Xfmea provides two complementary views of the analysis to facilitate data entry. The worksheet view displays the analysis in the traditional tabular format for FMEA reports. The hierarchical view displays the functions, failures, effects, causes, controls and actions defined in your analysis at-a-glance in a hierarchal tree structure. You have been looking at the hierarchical view, but you can easily switch to view the analysis in the worksheet view. •

To do this, make sure that the Component A.1.1.1 item is selected in the System Hierarchy and select Worksheet View from the View menu, press Ctrl-W or click the Toggle worksheet/tree view icon.

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You can see that the panel on the right side of the Project window now displays the information in a tabular format similar to typical FMEA worksheet reports, as shown next.

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When you display the worksheet, you may be in Edit mode (i.e. a cursor blinks in the currently selected cell). To exit Edit mode, press Esc.

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To display more of the worksheet within the window, click the Hide System Hierarchy icon.

The cells in the FMEA Worksheet view are color-coded according to their purpose/functionality. Cells that are white (or blue when selected) contain record properties (e.g. function name), green cells contain values that are automatically calculated by the application (e.g. RPNi) and grey cells are nonfunctional due to the layout of the analysis in this view. •

You can edit function, failure, effect, cause, control and action records directly within the cells of the worksheet and/or add and edit records by using the menus and shortcut menus to open the appropriate


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properties windows. For example, to open the Function Properties window, right-click the cell that contains the function description, as shown next, and select Edit Function from the shortcut menu.4

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You can also change the rating scales within the worksheet. To do this, scroll all the way to the right side of the worksheet so that you can see the revised ratings columns (i.e. Sr, Or, Dr and RPNr). Change the revised severity rating (Sr) for the first cause by double-clicking inside the corresponding cell. A menu will appear with the available ratings. Select 10 from the menu, as shown next.

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Click somewhere else in the worksheet to accept this change. Notice that the revised RPN (RPNr) has automatically been recalculated and has changed from 648 to 720.

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Now return to the hierarchical view by selecting Worksheet View from the View menu.

4.

Please note that the Worksheet view is not intended to have the same functionality as a Spreadsheet application, such as Microsoft Excel. The data entry and editing capabilities in the Worksheet view are limited and you may want to use the Properties window for the corresponding record when performing extensive data entry and/or editing.

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3.4.5 View the Records by Type When working in the Project window, you can filter the information displayed in the FMEA panel on the right to show all functions, all failures, all effects, all causes, all controls or all actions and specific related properties in a tabular view. To filter the FMEA information associated with the selected item, select View Records by Type from the View menu or click the Filter icon. A submenu will appear, as shown next.

•

Select View Actions. The FMEA Hierarchy will change to display only the action records and specific related properties, as shown next. (Please note that you may have to scroll and/or resize the window to view all the actions and their properties.)


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Next, select to view the causes by selecting View Causes from the Filter command. Only the cause records and specific related properties will appear, as shown next.

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You can sort the records that appear in this filtered view. Sort the cause records by their initial RPN by clicking the corresponding column header (RPNi). Notice that the records are now sorted by their initial RPN from lowest to highest. Click the column header again to sort the initial RPN from highest to lowest.

3.4.6 Highlight the Priority Xfmea allows you to highlight the records in the FMEA Hierarchy panel based on the priority, which can be determined based on RPN, severity, occurrence or detection. For example, if you specify that all records associated with an occurrence => 7 are considered to be high priority, then those records will be highlighted with a color that represents high priority issues. The priority ranges and colors can be set via the Priority page of the User Setup. •

To highlight the priorities, select Highlight Priority from the View menu or click the icon.

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The cause records will be highlighted, as shown next.

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Xfmea

To view the priority highlight settings for this project, select User Setup from the File menu and click the Priority tab. The Priority page is shown next.

This page allows you to select whether the records will be highlighted in the FMEA Hierarchy panel based on the cause RPN or an individual rating and to specify the high and low priority ranges. You can also specify whether you want the records that are highlighted in the FMEA Hierarchy panel to be based on the initial or revised RPN or rating and the colors used to highlight the records. In addition, you can specify to use colors in the quantitative criticality analysis matrix and qualitative criticality analysis matrix and specify the high and medium priority threshold. •

For this example, change the High Priority for the cause RPN to 200.

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In addition, change the medium priority color by clicking its corresponding Color Box in the Select Highlight Colors area of the window. The Color Palette will appear. Select another color and click OK. Click OK to accept your changes and close the User Setup.

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Notice that there are now 5 causes with high priority and 2 causes with medium priority and that the medium priority records are now highlighted in the new color.

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Remove the priority highlight by deselecting the command and remove the filter by selecting View Records by Type and then Remove Filter from the View menu. Display the System Hierarchy panel by selecting Screen Layout and then Restore/Split Screen from the View menu.


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3.4.7 Generate a Report of the Analysis Xfmea provides a complete set of reports for your analysis. Reports can be generated in Microsoft Word and/or Excel, which provides maximum flexibility for customization and the ability to create HTML and PDF versions of the reports, as desired. •

To open the Report Generation window, select Generate Reports from the Project menu in the Project window. The Report Generation window will appear, which allows you to specify the items and forms you want to include in the report and whether you want to create the report in Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel.

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Select the Component A.1.1.1 item to be included in the report by clicking the box next to the item in the Select Item(s) to include in the report area at the top of the window.

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In the Select Form(s) area of the window, select the Report Summary and Project and Analysis Properties options. Also select the Causes option.

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In the Select Output Type area of the window, select Microsoft Word Document. Note that you can also generate the report in Excel, which will be demonstrated in later examples.

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The window will now look like the one shown next.

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Click Generate Report. The Save Report As window will appear, which allows you to specify the name and location for the report. Specify to save the report as First Steps Report, as shown next.

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When you click Save, a blue progress bar will appear at the bottom of the MDI. When the progress is 100% complete, the report will automatically open in Microsoft Word. An example of the Project and Analysis Properties report form is shown next.

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Once you have finished viewing the report, leave it open.

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From Xfmea, close the Report Generation window by clicking the Close button.


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3.4.8 Generate Charts Based on the Analysis Xfmea also provides a complete array of plots and charts for graphical presentation of your analysis. •

To create plots and charts, select Plot Viewer from the Project menu.

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In the Select Items window that appears, select to include data associated with Component A.1.1.1 in the plots/charts, as shown next.

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Click OK.

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The Plot Viewer utility will appear. By default, the RPN Pareto plot will appear in the Plot Viewer. If you have already created a plot in Xfmea, the plot type of the last plot that you created will appear. If a plot other than the RPN Pareto plot appears now, select RPN Pareto from the Plot Type drop-down menu. Make the following selections: Record Type = Cause Display Range = 1 to 5 RPN Type = Initial Auto Refresh = Selected Show Legend = Not Selected Show Details in Pie = Selected Show User Information = Not Selected

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The plot will look like the one shown next.

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Next, select to view Initial and Revised as the RPN Type and select the Show Legend option. Since Auto Refresh is selected on the Control Panel, the Plot Viewer will be updated automatically to display the plot type you have selected.

The plot legend will now appear in the upper right corner of the plot and will show that the blue bars represent the initial cause RPNs and the green bars represent the revised cause RPNs. •

Additional plots are also available in the Plot Viewer. The plot types that are available in the Plot Type menu fall into three general categories: Pareto (bar) charts, pie charts and the occurrence/severity matrix. The options available on the Control Panel will vary somewhat for each type of chart. If desired, you can take some time now to create various types of charts for this analysis.


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3.4.8.1 Copy Plot Graphic and Legend Xfmea allows you to add the plot graphic and legend to other documents, such as FMEA reports. •

To do this, right-click inside the plot area and select Copy Plot Graphic from the shortcut menu that appears.

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Next, go to the First Steps Report that you created in Microsoft Word for this example and paste the graphic into the document.

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Now return to Xfmea’s Plot Viewer and right-click inside the plot area again or inside the legend panel. This time, select Copy Plot Legend from the shortcut menu and return to the report.

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Place the cursor below the plot graphic and paste the contents of the Clipboard into the report.

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You can save the changes you have made to the report, if desired, and then close Microsoft Word.

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Close the Plot Viewer by clicking Close.

3.4.9 User-Defined Queries The Query Utility allows you to query the current Xfmea project for the records that meet your specific query criteria. The results of the query are returned in tabular grids that can then be exported to Microsoft Excel, if desired.5 •

To access the Query Utility, select Query Utility from the Project menu. The utility will appear, as shown next.

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Select Component A.1.1.1 in the Limit Query by Specified Items area at the top of the utility. This indicates that query results will only include data associated with the selected component.

5. You can also use the Query utility for database level queries by selecting Query Database from the Tools menu in the MDI.

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Click the Query Actions tab to query the actions in the current project and to specify the query criteria.

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For Action Category, select Documentation from the drop-down menu.6

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You can specify which columns you want to appear in the query results. For this example, specify for the following columns to not be displayed in the query results by deselecting the following options on the Query Actions page: Completion Date Reviewed and Approved By Review/Approval Comments Approved Date

•

The window will look like the one shown next.

6.

Please note that the options that are available in the drop-down menu are based on the menu set for the current project and are therefore configurable by the user.


25

First Steps

•

Xfmea

Click Run Query. The query results will appear in the Query Results window, as shown next.

The criteria you specified for the query will appear at the top of the window. The results of the query will appear at the bottom of the window. These results will vary depending on the type of record and on the criteria you selected to include in the query, including the columns you selected to be displayed. You can sort the results in any of the columns by clicking the column header. •

Click Send to Excel to send the query results to a spreadsheet in Microsoft Excel.

•

A window will appear that allows you to specify the name and location to save the results to. Enter First Steps Query.

•

When you click Save, a blue progress bar will appear at the bottom of the Query Results window. When the progress is 100% complete, the query results will automatically open in Microsoft Excel.

•

Exit the query results by selecting Exit from the File menu. The query results have been saved to the file name and location you specified when the query results were sent to Excel.

•

Close the Query Results window.

•

From the Query utility, you can save the query criteria as a custom query by clicking the Save Query button. The Save Query window will appear, as shown next.

•

Type First Steps Query for the query name and save it as a custom query by clicking OK.

If you want to perform this custom query at a later time, click the Select Query button on the Actions tab. The Select Existing Query window will appear, which displays a list of the custom queries that you have created for the Actions tab. Select a query from the list and click Run Query to display the results in the Query Results window. Please note that when you save a query, it does not save the specified items or projects because the same queries can be used for either project or database queries. •

Close the Query utility.

26


First Steps

Xfmea

3.4.10 Close the Database You have completed the First Steps Example. You can now close the Xfmea Standard database. •

To close the database, select Close Database from the File menu or click the Close Database icon in the MDI.7

•

Notice that "No Current Database" appears in the caption bar and status bar at the top and bottom of the MDI, indicating that a database is not currently open in the MDI.

•

Proceed to the Step-by-Step Examples in Chapter 4.

7.

If you do not close the database, it will be closed automatically when you create a new database for the next example or open an existing database.


27

First Steps

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Xfmea

4 Step-by-Step Examples

4.1 List of Examples This chapter provides the following step-by-step examples, designed to introduce you to the features of the Xfmea software: •

Example 1 - Design FMEA for an Automotive Component - page 30

•

Example 2 - Quantitative Criticality Analysis - page 54

•

Example 3 - Process FMEA for Automotive Manufacturing Process - page 62

•

Example 4 - Machinery FMEA for Automotive Application - page 71

•

Example 5 - Add Authorized Users to Secure Database - page 78

•

Example 6 - Using the Plot Viewer Utility - page 81

•

Example 7 - Quantitative and Qualitative Criticality Analysis - page 93

•

Example 8 - Using the Check Analysis Utility - page 105

•

Example 9 - Excel Import/Export for Items and/or FMEAs - page 110

•

Example 10 - Integration with BlockSim via XML - page 112

•

Example 11 - Using Revision Tracking Features - page 117

•

Example 12 - Using Profiles/Libraries for Customization - page 121

•

Example 13 - Advanced Techniques for Profiles/Libraries - page 129

•

Example 14 - Perform Your Own FMEA/FMECA - page 136

Step-by-Step Examples

Xfmea

4.2 Example 1 - Design FMEA for an Automotive Component This example guides you through the process of performing a Design FMEA (DFMEA) for an automotive component and generating a report of the analysis in the SAE J1739 reporting format. For this example, you will work with sample data that is based on the Design FMEA sample on page 37 of the SAE J1739 standard document. The complete FMEA spreadsheet is reproduced in the Appendix, Section 5.

4.2.1 Enable Login Security The first step for this example is to configure the software so that the new databases that you create will require a username and password to access the database. •

To do this, select User Setup from the File menu and click the Settings (1) tab.

•

Select the Enable Login Security features for new databases option, as shown next.

•

Click OK to close the User Setup.

4.2.2 Create a New Database •

30

Create a new Xfmea Standard database by selecting New Database from the File menu or by clicking the New Database icon.



Xfmea

•

In the Create New Database window, type the name "QuickStart" as shown next and click Save to continue.

•

The Database Creation Wizard will be displayed, which guides you through three simple steps required to create a database in Xfmea Standard.

•

In Step 1 of the Database Creation Wizard, type "username" in the Username input box and type "password" in the Password input box. This will be the username and password that you will use to log in to the Xfmea Standard database. Type the password again in the Confirm input box to confirm it. Type the rest of the required information in the Creator/Administrator Information area (indicated with red text), as shown next with sample information.

•

Click Next> to continue.


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Xfmea

•

Step 2 of the Database Creation Wizard allows you to add authorized users to the Xfmea Standard database.

•

For this example, we will not add authorized users so select No, I may do so at a later time. Click Next>.

•

Step 3 of the Database Creation Wizard allows you to create a project for the Xfmea Standard database.

•

Select Yes, I would like to create a project now and click Finish>.

4.2.3 Create a New Project After you have created the new database, the next step is to create a project within the new database. The New Xfmea Project window allows you to set the properties that apply to all of the analyses within the given project. This includes: Interface Style: which determines which data fields will be enabled/displayed for the analysis (and what they will be called). This includes user-defined fields. Severity, Occurrence and Detection Rating Scales: which allow you to rate the relative severity of the failure effects and the relative likelihood of occurrence and detection for the failure causes.

32



Xfmea

Menus: which set the available options for menus throughout the analysis, such as Action Categories, Control Types, etc. •

In the New Xfmea Project window, type Design FMEA for the project name. At the bottom of the window, click the Use Profile to set properties button and select the J1739 DFMEA profile from the drop-down menu, as shown next.

•

You can then click each of the tabs in the window (Interface Style, Severity, Occurrence, etc.) to view the properties that have been set automatically by selecting the J1739 DFMEA profile. The Interface Style tab for the J1739 DFMEA profile is shown next with the analysis properties displayed.

•

Click OK. The Project window will appear. The Project window is the main window that you will use to perform your FMEA/FMECA analyses. It presents all of the items, functions, failures, effects, causes, controls, actions and related properties that you have defined within a particular project and


33


Xfmea

provides all the tools required to add and edit these records. Notice that the project name, Design FMEA, appears in the caption bar at the top of the window.

The Project window is divided into two panels. The panel on the left displays the System Hierarchy, which includes all items that have been defined in the project. The panel on the right displays the functions, failures, effects, causes, controls and actions associated with the item that is currently selected in the System Hierarchy panel. For this example, we will use the hierarchical view of this information.

4.2.4 Define the System Configuration For this example, the analysis will be performed on the Front Door L.H. item, which is a component of the "Closures" subsystem in the "Automobile" system. - Automobile - Closures - Front Door L.H.

Each project contains one system hierarchy (which could contain one or more system-level items) and the functions, failures, etc. associated with any of the items in the system hierarchy. •

To define this configuration and the specific properties of the item that is currently undergoing analysis, select Add System from the System Hierarchy menu to open the Add System window.1

•

In the Add System window, accept the default item number, 1, that appears in the # input box.2

1.

Notice that the data fields that are not required to perform a Design FMEA in accordance with the SAE’s J1739 standard are disabled within the interface. You can also select to hide those fields by selecting the Make disabled fields invisible option on the Settings (2) page of the User Setup. 2. The item # will automatically be set for you if the Autonumber new Items option is selected on the Settings (2) page of the User Setup. If it is not automatically set, type 1 in the # input box.

34



Xfmea

•

Type Automobile in the Item input box. The Add System window will look like the one shown next.

•

Click OK to add the system to the system hierarchy.

•

Next, add the Closures subsystem to the system configuration by selecting the system, Automobile, and then selecting Add Next Level Item from the System Hierarchy menu.

•

In the Add Item window that appears, accept the default item number, 2, and type Closures in the Item input box. Click OK.

•

Repeat these steps to add the Front Door L.H. item to the Closures subsystem.

Once all three items have been added to the system hierarchy, your Project window will look like the one shown next.


35


Xfmea

4.2.5 Define the Analysis Properties The Analysis Properties window allows you to define the "header" information that will be displayed at the top of the FMEA spreadsheet report. This includes such information as the document number, the name of the person who prepared the document, the revision date, etc. •

To define these properties for this example, select the Front Door L.H. item in the System Hierarchy panel and then select Analysis Properties from the System Hierarchy menu.3

•

On the Analysis Details page of the Analysis Properties window, type the information that will appear in the header of the FMEA spreadsheet report in the corresponding input boxes, as shown next.

•

Click the Product and Other Details tab to type the product information in the corresponding input boxes, as shown next.

•

Click OK to save your data entries.

3.

To open the Analysis Properties for a particular item, you can also click the Analysis button in the Item Properties window or right-click the item and select Analysis Properties from the shortcut window.

36



Xfmea

4.2.6 Define the Functions The following functions have been identified for the item in this example: Ingress to and egress from vehicle. Occupant protection from weather, noise and side impact. Support anchorage for door hardware including mirror, hinges, latch and window regulator. Provide proper surface for appearance items – paint and soft trim.

For this example, the functions will be entered together within the same record.4 •

To add the functions to the analysis, select the Front Door L.H. item in the System Hierarchy panel and then select Add Function from the System Hierarchy menu. The Add Function window will be displayed.

•

Type the description for each function (Ingress to and egress from vehicle, etc.) on a separate line in the Function input box by pressing Enter after each description, as shown next.5

4.

Xfmea also allows you to enter functions in groups. Individual functions are placed into separate rows in the FMEA spreadsheet report. Grouped functions allow you to define each function individually but place all descriptions into the same row of the FMEA spreadsheet report. 5. Please note that these quick overview examples are meant to show you one method for defining descriptions for the records in your project. However, Xfmea provides several techniques for easy data entry, which includes selecting from pre-defined and/or existing descriptions. These are described in the Xfmea User’s Guide.


37


•

Xfmea

Click OK. The functions will appear in the FMEA Hierarchy of the Project window, as shown next.

4.2.7 Enable a Phrase Library to Facilitate Data Entry For the rest of this example, you can use a pre-defined phrase library that has been created to save you time during data entry. •

To activate this phrase library, first select User Setup from the File menu to open the User Setup window. Then click the Descriptions tab.

•

Select Current Database and choose All Projects to indicate that all unique descriptions for the record type (i.e. function, failure, effect, etc.) that have been defined within any of the projects in the current database will be available when you add and edit records.

•

Select Active Phrase Set(s) and choose Examples for Automotive FMEAs to indicate that the descriptions from the chosen phrase set will also be available. In order to limit the number of descriptions that are displayed when you are adding/editing records, it is recommended that you de-

38



Xfmea

activate any other phrase sets during this example (such as the Standard phrase set that is activated by default when you install Xfmea).

•


4.2.8 Define the Potential Failures One potential failure has been identified for this example: Corroded interior lower door panels.

•

To define a failure, select the function group in the FMEA Hierarchy in the Project window and select Add Failure from the Function menu.

•

The Add Failure window will appear, which allows you to add failures to your project. Notice that the failure number, which appears in the # box next to the Potential Failure Mode input box, is set by the application and is based on the position of the failure in the hierarchy. Xfmea maintains a consistent numbering scheme for function, failure, effect, cause and control records within a given project.

•

Click the Select Existing icon on the right side of the Potential Failure Mode text box.


39


Xfmea

The Select Existing window that appears will display all of the failure descriptions that meet the criteria that you specified on the Descriptions page of the User Setup.6

•

Select the description that begins Corroded interior... and click OK (or double-click the description) to place the text into the Add Failure window. Click OK to save the changes and return to the Project window, as shown next.

•

Click OK. The failure will appear in the FMEA Hierarchy in the Project window, as shown next.

4.2.9 Define the Potential Effects of Failure One potential effect of failure has been identified: Deteriorated life of door leading to: - Unsatisfactory appearance due to rust through paint over time. - Impaired function of interior door hardware.

•

To define an effect, select the failure in the FMEA Hierarchy in the Project window and select Add Effect from the Failure menu. The Add Effect window will appear, which allows you to add effects to your project.

6.

You can also filter these descriptions by entering one or more keywords into the Find input box. In addition, the Options tab allows you to change your selections for the source of the descriptions.

40



Xfmea

•

Type the description of the potential effect of failure into the Potential Effect(s) of Failure input box. You can click the arrow at the bottom of the text box to expand the text box so that you can view all descriptions without scrolling, as shown next.

•

To return the text box to its original size, simply click the arrow again.

•

In the Initial Severity area of the window, select 7 – High from the drop-down menu. The initial severity is a numerical rating that estimates how serious the effects will be if the failure occurs. The available options in the drop-down list will be determined based on the rating scale that has been assigned to the current project. Please note that a severity rating must be defined in order for the RPN to be calculated automatically.7

•

In the Revised Severity area of the window, select 7 – High from the drop-down menu. The revised severity rating is based on the assumption that all recommended actions for the cause(s) of failure have been performed. The available options will be the same as the options in the Initial Severity drop-down list.

7.

Please note that in this example, you will enter the initial and revised ratings in the same step even though this may not necessarily be the procedure you use in an actual FMEA analysis. Typically, the initial ratings are entered before the recommended actions have been defined and the revised ratings are entered after all recommended actions for the cause have been performed. However, these steps have been combined in this example to save time.


41


•

The Add Effect window will look now like the one shown next.

•

Click OK. The effect will appear in the FMEA Hierarchy in the Project window, as shown next.

42


Xfmea


Xfmea

4.2.10 Define the Potential Causes of Failure Six potential causes of failure have been identified. The cause descriptions and the properties associated with those causes are presented in the following table. Cause Description

Upper edge of protective wax application specified for inner door panel is too low. Insufficient wax thickness specified. Inappropriate wax formulation specified. Entrapped air prevents wax from entering corner/edge access. Wax application plugs door drain holes. Insufficient room between panels for spray head access.

Initial Initial Revised Revised Occurrence Detection Occurrence Detection 6

7

2

2

4

7

2

2

2

2

2

2

5

8

1

3

3

1

3

1

4

4

1

1

•

To define a cause, select the effect in the FMEA Hierarchy in the Project window and select Add Cause from the Effect menu. The Add Cause window will appear, which allows you to add causes to your project.

•

Type "Upper edge of protective wax application specified for inner door panel is too low" into the Potential Cause(s)/Mechanism(s) of Failure input box.

•

In the Initial Ratings area of the window, select 6 – Moderate: Occasional failures from the Occurrence drop-down menu. The initial occurrence is a numerical rating that estimates the probability of occurrence for the potential failure cause. The options available in the drop-down list will be determined based on the rating scale that has been assigned to the current project.

•

Next, select 7 – Very Low from the Detection drop-down menu. The initial detection is a numerical rating that estimates the probability that the problem will be detected before it reaches the customer or end user. The options available in the drop-down list will be determined based on the rating scale that has been assigned to the current project.

•

In the Revised Ratings area of the window, select 2 – Low: Relatively few failures from the Occurrence drop-down menu. The revised occurrence rating is based on the assumption that all recommended actions for the cause have been performed. The available options will be the same as the options for Initial Occurrence.

•

Next, select 2 – Very High from the Detection drop-down menu. The revised detection is based on the assumption that all recommended actions for the cause have been performed. The available options will be the same as the options for Initial Detection.


43


Xfmea

•

The Add Cause window will now look like the one shown next.

•

Click OK. The cause will appear in the FMEA Hierarchy in the Project window.

•

Repeat these steps to define the other five causes. The Project window will look like the one shown next after all of the causes have been added.

4.2.10.1 Automatic RPN Calculation After you have fully defined the causes of failure for this example, you will notice that the initial and revised RPNs for each cause have been automatically calculated. Cause RPN = Effect Severity x Cause Occurrence x Cause Detection Because both initial and revised RPNs have been calculated, the software also automatically calculates the % reduction from initial to revised RPN in each Cause Properties window.

44



Xfmea

RPN – RPN RPN i

i -r % Reduction = --------------------------------

In addition, Xfmea gives you the option to automatically calculate RPNs at higher levels in the analysis based on the RPNs that have been calculated for the causes. The higher level RPNs are simply the sum of all cause RPNs that are associated with that record. The initial failure RPN for this example is 931, which is the sum of all initial RPNs for the causes associated with the failure: 294 + 196 + 28 + 280 + 21 + 112 = 931 You can determine whether RPNs will be rolled up within the interface to effects, failures, functions and/or items from the Settings (1) page of the User Setup. 4.2.10.2 Define and Classify the Current Controls For each cause, you can identify the controls that are currently in place to reduce or eliminate the risk associated with the potential cause of failure. The causes and the controls associated with those causes are presented in the following table. Cause Descriptions Upper edge of protective wax application specified for inner door panel is too low.

Current Design Controls Vehicle general durability test veh. T - 118 T - 109 T - 301 Insufficient wax thickness specified. Vehicle general durability testing- as above. Inappropriate wax formulation specified. Physical and Chem Lab test Report No. 1265. Entrapped air prevents wax from entering Design aid investigation with corner/edge access. nonfunctioning spray head. Wax application plugs door drain holes. Laboratory test using “worst case” wax application and hole size. Insufficient room between panels for spray Drawing evaluation of spray head head access. access.

•

Type Detection

Detection Detection Detection Detection Detection

To identify a control, select the Upper edge of protective wax application specified for inner door panel is too low cause in the Xfmea hierarchy and select Manage Controls from the Cause menu. The


45


Xfmea

Controls Manager window will appear, which allows you to add, edit and view the controls associated with the cause.

•

Click the Add Control button at the bottom of the window. The Add Control window will appear.

•

Type the first design control in the Current Design Controls input box. Select Detection from the Control Type drop-down menu, as shown next.8

8. The options that will appear in the Control Type drop-down menu are determined based on the selected Menu Set for the project.

46



Xfmea

•

Click OK to create the control record. The control will appear in the Controls Manager window, as shown next.

•

Click Close.

•

Repeat these steps to define the controls for the other five causes. The Project window will look like the one shown next once all controls have been added. Notice that the number of controls (1) assigned to each cause appears in the Controls Count column (indicated by a C) in the FMEA Hierarchy. You can also double-click inside this column to open the Controls Manager for the cause.


47


Xfmea

4.2.10.3 Identify and Assign the Recommended Actions You also have the ability to define the actions to be performed and to track the progress of those actions. The recommended actions and actions taken are presented for each cause in the following table. Responsibility (Can be entered in Target Action Description First Name, Last Actions Taken Completion Date Name and/or Company fields) Upper edge... Add laboratory A. Tate 3/14/2003 Based on test accelerated Body Engineering results (Test No. corrosion testing. 1481) upper edge spec raised 125 mm. Insufficient wax... Add laboratory 3/14/2003 Test results (Test accelerated No. 1481) show corrosion testing. specified thickness is adequate. Conduct Design of A. Tate 3/14/2003 DOE shows 25% Experiments (DOE) Body Engineering variation in on wax thickness. specified thickness is acceptable. Inappropriate wax... Entrapped air... Add team Body Engineering 3/14/2003 Based on test, & Assy Ops additional vent evaluation using holes will be production spray provided in equipment and affected areas. specified wax. Wax application... Insufficient Add team Body Engineering 3/14/2003 Evaluation showed room... evaluation using & Assy Ops adequate access. design aid buck and spray head. Cause Description Begins...

48



Xfmea

•

To assign the first action, select the Upper edge of protective wax application specified for inner door panel is too low cause in the FMEA Hierarchy and select Manage Actions from the Cause menu. The Actions Manager window will appear, which allows you to add, edit and view the actions.

•

Click the Add New Action button at the bottom of the window. The Add Action window will appear. Type the action properties in the corresponding input boxes, as shown next.

•

Click OK to save the action record.


49


Xfmea

•

The action will appear in the Actions Manager window, as shown next.9

•

Click Close.

•

Repeat these steps to define the actions for the other causes. Note that one of the causes has two actions and not all the causes have actions.

•

The Project window will look like the one shown next once all actions have been assigned. Notice that the number of actions assigned to each cause appears in the Actions Count column (indicated by an A) in the FMEA Hierarchy.

9.

Xfmea gives you the ability to send notifications via e-mail for the actions that have been assigned. Depending on the way that you have configured the software (via the User Setup in Xfmea Standard), these notifications can be sent automatically when the action is created and/or modified. You can also send a notification e-mail manually at any time.

50



Xfmea

4.2.11 Generate a Report of the Analysis Xfmea provides a complete set of reports for your analysis. Reports can be generated in Microsoft Word and/or Excel, which provides maximum flexibility for customization and the ability to create HTML and PDF versions of the reports, as desired. •

To open the Report Generation window, select Generate Reports from the Project menu in the Project window. The Report Generation window will appear, which allows you to specify the items and forms you want to include in the report and whether you want to create the report in Microsoft Word or Microsoft Excel.

•

Select the Front Door L.H. item to be included in the report by clicking the box next to the item in the Select Item(s) to include in the report area at the top of the window.

•

Select the Report Summary and Rating Criteria and Classifications forms. Also select the FMEA Spreadsheet form with J1739 selected from the Select Style drop-down menu.10

•

In the Select Output Type area of the window, select Microsoft Word Document. Note that you can also generate the report in Excel, which will be demonstrated in Example 2.

•

The window will now look like the one shown next.

•

Click Generate Report. The Save Report As window will appear, which allows you to specify the name and location for the report. Specify to save the report as Design FMEA Example Report.

10. J1739

will be selected by default because it matches the profile used to set the project properties.


51


Xfmea

•

Click Save. The report will be created and will automatically open in Microsoft Word. An example of the FMEA spreadsheet report is shown next.

•

Once you have finished viewing the report, leave it open.

•

From Xfmea, close the Report Generation window by clicking the Close button.

4.2.12 Generate Charts Based on the Analysis Xfmea also provides a complete array of plots and charts for graphical presentation of your analysis. •

To create plots and charts, select Plot Viewer from the Project menu.

•

In the Select Items window that appears, select for the Front Door L.H. item to be included in the plots/ charts, as shown next.

•

Click OK.

52



•

Xfmea

The Plot Viewer utility will appear. By default, the RPN Pareto plot will appear in the Plot Viewer. If you have already created a plot in Xfmea, the plot type of the last plot that you created will appear. If a plot other than the RPN Pareto plot appears now, select RPN Pareto from the Plot Type drop-down menu. Make the following selections: Record Type = Cause Display Range = 1 to 6 RPN Type = Initial Auto Refresh = Selected Show Legend = Not Selected Show Details in Pie = Selected Show User Information = Not Selected

The plot will look like the one shown next.


53


Xfmea

•

Next, select to view Initial and Revised as the RPN Type. Since Auto Refresh is selected on the Control Panel, the Plot Viewer will be updated automatically to display the plot type you have selected.

•

Additional plots are also available in the Plot Viewer. The plot types that are available in the Plot Type menu fall into three general categories: Pareto (bar) charts, pie charts and the occurrence/severity matrix. The options available on the Control Panel will vary somewhat for each type of chart. If desired, you can take some time now to create various types of charts for this analysis.

•

Close the Plot Viewer by clicking Close.

•

Close the Project window and leave the database open, then proceed to Example 2.

4.3 Example 2 - Quantitative Criticality Analysis Example 2 takes you through the steps of performing a quantitative criticality analysis (FMECA) and generating a report of the analysis in the MIL-STD-1629A reporting format.

4.3.1 Create a New Project for Criticality Analysis In order to perform the criticality analysis required for the second example, you will need to create a new project in the QuickStart.rx3 database. •

To do this, first select View Project Explorer from the File menu or click the View Project Explorer icon from the MDI toolbar.

•

The Project Explorer window will then be displayed on top of any other windows that are currently open in the MDI. Open the New Xfmea Project window by selecting Add New Project from the Project Explorer menu or clicking the New Project icon.

54



Xfmea

•

On the General Page of the New Xfmea Project window, type Criticality Analysis for the project name. Next, click Use Profile to set properties and select MIL-STD-1629A from the drop-down menu, as shown next. This profile has been pre-defined with the settings required to perform criticality analyses in accordance with the military standard guidelines.

•

Note that criticality analysis factors have been enabled in the Interface Style for this project. To confirm this, go to the Interface Style tab and select Ranks from the Display Interface Style for menu. You can see that the Show Criticality Analysis Factors option has been set to be Enabled/Displayed in the interface and reports, as shown next.

•

Click OK to close the window and create the new project.


55


Xfmea

4.3.2 Define the Item and Function For this example, the item under consideration is an imaginary mechanical component called (unimaginatively enough!) a Widget. •

Create a new top level item with Widget as the name and accept the default item number that is assigned by the software.11

•

In addition, click the Other tab in the Add System window and enter RD12345 in the Reference Drawing input box, as shown next. This will appear at the top of each page in the analysis report (or at the top of the first page).

The reliability of the component has been obtained through in-house reliability testing and has been determined to follow a Weibull distribution with Beta = 2.5 and Eta = 1000. •

To specify the reliability of the component, click the Reliability button. The Item Reliability window will appear.

11. Note

that Xfmea allows you to change the item number to a number with significance within your organization or accept the sequential numbers that can be automatically assigned by the software. These numbers do not have to be unique within the project. To disable the automatic numbering so that you will be required to enter a number each time you create a new item, de-select Autonumber new Items on the Settings (2) page of the User Setup.

56



Xfmea

•

Type “In-house reliability testing” in the Data Source input box. Select Time Dependent Life Distribution and then Weibull. Enter the values for Beta and Eta into the corresponding input boxes, as shown next.

•

Click OK.

•

Next, specify the analysis properties for the component by clicking the Analysis button in the Item Properties window. The Analysis Properties window will appear, which allows you to define the analysis properties for the selected item in the System Hierarchy panel. The analysis properties are displayed at the top of each page in the analysis report (or at the top of the first page).

The analysis properties can also be defined for multiple items in the system hierarchy. For example, if you define the analysis properties for an item that is at the system level, the analysis properties will also apply to all items below the system in the system configuration hierarchy as long as the first item is selected when creating the report. •

On the Analysis Details page of the Analysis Properties window, enter the information as it appears in the picture above.


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Xfmea

•

Click the Product and Other Details tab in the Analysis Properties window and type Mission description in the Mission input box. Click OK.

•

Click OK again in the Item Properties window.

For the purpose of this example, the Widget’s functional requirements can be described with the phrase: Performs unnamed mechanical function.

•

To define a function for the component, select the Widget item in the System Hierarchy panel and then select Add Function from the System Hierarchy menu.

•

The Add Function window will appear. Type Performs unnamed mechanical function in the Function input box. Notice that the function number, which appears in the # input box, is set by the application and is based on the position of the function in the hierarchy.

•

Once the function has been added, the Project window will look like the one shown next.

4.3.3 Define the Failures, Effects and Causes The potential causes and effects of failure that have been identified for the component are presented in the following table, along with the criticality analysis factors that apply to each failure mode. Failures Defective part.

Improper installation.

Criticality Analysis Factors Failure Mode Ratio of Item Unreliability = .15 Probability of Loss = .9 Failure Mode Ratio of Item Unreliability = .3 Probability of Loss = .5

Improper lubrication. Failure Mode Ratio of Item Unreliability = .55 Probability of Loss = 1

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Effects Widget fails to perform intended mechanical function.

Causes

Quality Assurance controls for manufacturing do not function adequately. Widget performs Quality Assurance intended function at 50% controls for assembly do - 75% capacity. not function adequately. Repair personnel did not install new component properly. Maintenance personnel Widget fails to perform intended function and did not provide sufficient adversely affects the lubrication. performance of related A leak caused the components. accelerated depletion of lubricating material.


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•

Add the failures, effects and causes to the analysis using the information from the table. The criticality analysis factors can be defined in the Criticality Analysis Factors area of the Failure Properties window, as shown next for the “Defective part” failure mode.12 The Failure Mode Ratio of Unreliability input box allows you to enter the percentage of the item’s unreliability that can be attributed to the failure mode. The Probability of Loss input box allows you to rate the severity of the effect of the failure mode with a number from 0 to 1, where 1 is the most severe effect.

•

Once the failures, effects and causes have been added, the Project window will look like the one shown next.

12. You

can either define the criticality analysis factors in each Failure Properties window or you can wait and assign them via the Criticality Analysis Utility.


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4.3.4 Perform the Criticality Analysis In addition to the automatic RPN calculation demonstrated in Example 1, Xfmea also supports both quantitative and qualitative criticality analysis methods described in MIL-STD-1629A. This example demonstrates a quantitative criticality analysis. •

To open the Criticality Analysis Utility, select Criticality from the Project menu.

•

In the Select Items window that appears, select the item that you want to perform the analysis on, Widget.

•

Click OK to display the Criticality Analysis worksheet for the selected item.

You can see that the Criticality Analysis factors that you defined in the Failure Properties windows are displayed in columns on the right side of the window. Because the SUM of the Mode Ratio of Unreliability values for each set of failure modes must equal 1, the Ratio Sum is also displayed in a column. If this column contains any number other than 1, you will not be able to calculate the criticality until you have adjusted the mode ratios of unreliability to equal 1. If necessary, you can change the Criticality Analysis factors within the Criticality Analysis window and the changes will apply to the appropriate failure records. •

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Enter 750 for Operating Time and click Calculate to calculate the Mode and Item Criticalities at that time. You can see that the Unreliability column has been updated with the unreliability of the item at the specified time (based on the time-dependent distribution that you defined in the Item Reliability



Xfmea

window). In addition, the Mode Criticality and Item Criticality columns have been updated with the calculated values, as shown next.

4.3.5 Generate Criticality Reports You are now ready to generate the criticality reports. •

In the Select Forms area of the Criticality Analysis window, select the FMECA Report Summary, Criticality Analysis (MIL-STD Quantitative) and Criticality Ranks forms.

•

In the Select Output Type area, select to generate the report in an Excel Spreadsheet. The window will now look like the one shown next.

•

Click Generate Report. The Save Report As window will appear, which allows you to specify the name and location for the report. Specify to save the report as Criticality Analysis Example Report and click Save.


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The report will be created and will automatically open in Microsoft Excel. The first page of the report displays a summary of the forms included in the report. •

Click the tabs in the report to view the report summary, criticality analysis and criticality ranks forms.

An example of the criticality analysis form is shown next.

•

Exit the report by selecting Exit from the File menu. The report has been saved to the file name and location you specified when the report was generated.

•

Close the Criticality Analysis window by clicking the Close button.

4.3.6 Close the Projects and Database You can now close both projects and the database. Remember that once you have created an Xfmea Standard database file, it is not necessary to continually save the *.rx3 file. The information was saved automatically each time you clicked OK in one of Xfmea’s record properties windows. Therefore, you can select Close Database from the File menu or click the Close Database icon in the MDI.13

•

Proceed to Example 3.

4.4 Example 3 - Process FMEA for Automotive Manufacturing Process This example will guide you through the process to create a Process FMEA (PFMEA) in accordance with the AIAG FMEA-3 guidelines. For this example, you will work with sample data based on the Automotive Process FMEA (PFMEA) sample on page 36 of the AIAG FMEA-3 standard document.

13. If you do not close the Xfmea Standard database, it will be closed automatically when you create a new database or open an existing database.

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The following spreadsheet presents the data required for the analysis. In addition, the complete FMEA spreadsheet report output is reproduced in the Appendix, Section 5.3.

4.4.1 Create a New Database •

Create a new database by selecting New Database from the File menu or by clicking the New Database icon.

•

In the Create New Database window that appears, type AutoExamples for the file name and click Save.

•

The Database Creation Wizard will appear, which guides you through the steps required to create a database.14

•

In Step 1 of the Database Creation Wizard, type username in the Username input box and type password in the Password input box. This will be the username and password that you will use to log in to the database. Type the rest of the required information in the Creator/Administrator Information area (indicated with red text) and click Next>.

•

Step 2 of the Database Creation Wizard allows you to add authorized users to the database. For this example, we will not add authorized users so select No, I may do so at a later time. Click Next>.

•

Step 3 of the Database Creation Wizard allows you to create a project for the database. Select Yes, I would like to create a project now and click Finish>.

14. Note:

If you changed Xfmea’s default settings in Example 1, then the new databases that you create will have Login Security enabled and these instructions apply. If you prefer to work with databases without Login Security enabled and have not changed this setting via the User Setup or Setup Wizard, then you can skip ahead to Section 4.4.2.


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4.4.2 Create a New Project The New Xfmea Project window will appear, which allows you to create a project within the new database. •

In the New Xfmea Project window, type Process FMEA for the project name.

•

At the bottom of the window, click the Use Profile to set properties button and select the AIAG PFMEA profile from the drop-down menu, as shown next. This profile has been pre-defined with the settings required to perform analyses in accordance with the AIAG guidelines.

•

You can then click each of the tabs in the window (Interface Style, Severity, Occurrence, etc.) to view the properties that have been set automatically by selecting the AIAG PFMEA profile.

•

Click OK to display the Project window.

4.4.3 Define the System Configuration For this example, the analysis will be performed on the Front Door L.H. item, which is a component of the "Closures" subsystem in the "Automobile" system. •

To define this configuration and the specific properties of the item that is currently undergoing analysis, select Add System from the System Hierarchy menu to open the Add System window.

•

In the Add System window, accept the default item number that is set by the application. Type Automobile in the Item input box and click OK to add the system to the system hierarchy.

•

Next, add the Closures subsystem to the system configuration by selecting the Automobile item in the system hierarchy and then selecting Add Next Level Item from the System Hierarchy menu.

•

Type Closures in the Item input box and click OK to add the subsystem to the system hierarchy.

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Repeat these steps to add the Front Door L.H. item to the system hierarchy. Once you have finished adding the items, the Project window will look like the one shown next.

4.4.4 Define the Analysis Properties •

To define the analysis properties for this example, select the Front Door L.H. item and then select Analysis Properties from the System Hierarchy menu.

•

On the Analysis Details page of the Analysis Properties window, type the information that you want to appear in the header of the FMEA spreadsheet report in the corresponding input boxes, as shown next.


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•

Click the Product and Other Details tab to enter the additional product information that will appear in the header of the report, as shown next.

•

Click OK.

4.4.5 Define the Functions •

For this example, you will use the worksheet view to enter the data. To do this, select the Front Door L.H. item and select Worksheet View from the View menu or click the Toggle worksheet/tree view icon.

•

You can see that the panel on the right side of the Project window now displays the information in a tabular format similar to typical FMEA worksheet reports. To display more of the worksheet within the window, click the Hide System Hierarchy icon.

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The Project window will now look like the figure shown next.

•

To add a function, click inside the Process Function/Requirements column and type the following function description. Press Ctrl+Enter to insert a carriage return between the two descriptions. Manual application of wax inside door. To cover inner door, lower surfaces at minimum wax thickness to retard corrosion.

•

Click OK to add the record to the analysis.

4.4.5.1 Editing Records in Worksheet View When you are editing data in the Worksheet View, keep the following tips in mind. •

When the cell has a blinking cursor inside, it is in “Edit” mode and you can edit the text by typing directly within the cell. To initiate the “Edit” mode, simply click inside the cell or press Enter to display a blinking cursor inside the cell. When you are in the “Edit” mode, you can press Tab to edit the text in the cell to the right, Shift+Tab to edit the text in the cell to the left or Enter to edit the text in the cell below. • In this mode, the shortcut menu allows you to cut, copy, paste, delete or select the text within the cell.

•

When the cell has a blue background, the record is selected but not in “Edit” mode. To stop the “Edit” mode, press Alt (which will save your last text change) or Esc (which will not save your last text change). When you are not in the “Edit” mode, you can use the navigation arrows to move up, down, right or left within the Worksheet. • In this mode, the shortcut menu allows you to add, insert, edit, delete, copy and paste entire records.

4.4.6 Define Potential Failure Modes •

Enter the following potential failure mode: Insufficient wax coverage over specified surface.


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4.4.7 Define the Potential Effects of Failure •

Enter the following potential effect: Deteriorated life of door leading to: -Unsatisfactory appearance due to rust through paint over time. -Impaired function of interior door hardware.

•

To assign the initial and revised severity ratings, select 7 from both menus. The severity rating scale that has been assigned to this project was obtained from the AIAG FMEA-3 guidelines and pre-defined in Xfmea's profiles and libraries.

4.4.8 Define the Potential Causes of Failure •

Define the four causes for this example with the following properties. Cause Description Manually inserted spray head not inserted far enough. Spray head clogged -Viscosity too high. -Temperature too low. -Pressure too low. Spray head deformed due to impact. Spray time insufficient.

Initial Occurrence

Initial Detection

Revised Occurrence

Revised Detection

8

5

2

5

5

5

1

5

2 8

5 7

2 1

5 7

4.4.9 Define and Classify the Current Controls •

Define the six controls for this example with the following properties. Cause Description Begins… Manually inserted spray head… Spray head clogged…

Spray head deformed...

Spray time insufficient…

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Control Description Visual check each hour - 1/shift for film thickness (depth meter) and coverage. Test spray pattern at start-up and after idle periods, and preventive maintenance program to clean heads. Visual check each hour - 1/shift for film thickness (depth meter) and coverage. Preventive maintenance program to maintain heads. Visual check each hour - 1/shift for film thickness (depth meter) and coverage. Operator instructions and lot sampling (10 doors/shift) to check for coverage of critical areas.

Control Type Detection Prevention

Detection Prevention Detection Detection


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4.4.10 Identify and Assign Recommended Actions •

Define the four actions for this example with the following properties. Cause Description Begins… Manually inserted…

Spray head clogged…

Spray head deformed... Spray time insufficient…

Responsibility (Can be entered Target Action Description in First Name, Completion Action Taken Description Last Name and/or Date Company fields) Add positive depth stop to Mfg Engrg 3/10/2003 Stop added, sprayer sprayer. checked on line. Automate spraying. Mfg Engrg 3/10/2003 Rejected due to complexity of different doors on same line. Use Design of Experiments Mfg Engrg 3/10/2003 Temp and press limits were (DOE) on viscosity vs. determined and limit temperature vs. pressure. controls have been installed - control charts show process is in control Cpk = 1.85. Install spray timer.

Maintenance

3/10/2003

Automatic spray timer installed - operator starts spray, timer controls shutoff- control charts show process is in control Cpk = 2.05.

When you have added all of the data, the worksheet will look similar to the figure shown next. Note that you will have to scroll horizontally to view all worksheet columns.

4.4.11 Generate a Report of the Analysis •

To open the Report Generation window, select Generate Reports from the Project menu in the Project window.

•

Select the Front Door L.H. item to be included in the report by clicking the box next to the item in the area at the top of the window.


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•

Select the FMEA Report Summary, Rating Criteria and Classifications and Project and Analysis Properties forms. In addition, select the FMEA Spreadsheet(s) form with AIAG selected from the Select Style drop-down menu.

•

In the Select Output Type area of the window, select Word Document.

•

Click Generate Report. The Save Report As window will appear, which allows you to specify the name and location for the report. Specify to save the report as Process FMEA Example Report and click Save.

•

The report will be created and will automatically open in Microsoft Word. The complete FMEA spreadsheet report output is reproduced in the Appendix, Section 5.3.

•

Close Microsoft Word and then close the Report Generation window.

4.4.12 Last Steps •

To restore the Project window to its default appearance with the System Hierarchy on the left and the FMEA Hierarchy on the right, click the Toggle worksheet/tree view icon again to toggle back to the FMEA Hierarchy. To display the System Hierarchy, select Screen Layout then Restore/Split Screen from the View menu or click the Restore/Split Screen icon.

•

Close the project but leave the database open for use in the next example.

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4.5 Example 4 - Machinery FMEA for Automotive Application This example will guide you through the process to create an automotive Machinery FMEA (MFMEA) according to the J1739 guidelines. You will add the new project to the database that you created in Example 3 (AutoExamples.rx3). In addition, you will import the Design FMEA (DFMEA) project from the database that you created for Example 1 (QuickStart.rx3). As a result, you will have one single database that contains three separate but complementary projects: a Design FMEA, Process FMEA and Machinery FMEA for automotive components. For this example, you will work with sample data based on the Automotive Machinery FMEA (MFMEA) sample on page 45 of the SAE J1739 standard document.

4.5.1 Create a New Project •

View the Project Explorer by selecting View Project Explorer from the File menu or by clicking the View Project Explorer icon.

•

Select Add New Project from the Project Explorer menu or click the Add New Project icon.

•

In the New Xfmea Project window, type Machinery FMEA for the project name.

•

At the bottom of the window, click the Select Profile from Library button and select the J1739 MFMEA profile from the drop-down menu, as shown next.

•

Click OK to create the project.


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4.5.2 Define the System Configuration •

Create a system named “Brake System Evac & Fill” and a next level item named “Vacuum Pump,” as shown next.

4.5.3 Define the Analysis Properties •

Next, define the "header" information that will be displayed at the top of the FMEA spreadsheet report by selecting the Vacuum Pump item and then selecting Analysis Properties from the System Hierarchy menu.

•

On the Analysis Details page, type the information that will appear in the header of the FMEA spreadsheet report in the corresponding input boxes, as shown next.

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•

On the Product and Other Details page, type the product information, as shown next.

•

Click OK.

4.5.4 Define the Functions Enter the following function: VACUUM PUMP: Provides vacuum to evacuate brake system. Achieve X millimeters in Y seconds at the furthest wheel from the vacuum source.

4.5.5 Define the Potential Failures Enter the following potential failure mode: Partial or complete loss of air, water and power supply to the weld gun.

4.5.6 Define the Potential Effects of Failure Enter the following potential effect of failure: Moderate downtime in replacing the dressing. Downtime varies from 10-30 minutes for replacement.


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•

For Initial Severity, select 4 – Very Low from the drop-down menu. For Revised Severity, select 3 Minor, as shown next.

•

Click OK.

4.5.7 Define the Potential Causes of Failure Enter the following potential cause of failure: Flexing, rubbing of cables, jumpers and hoses with each other during welding.

•

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For Initial Occurrence, select 6 – Failure occurs every month. For Initial Detection, select 5 – Medium. For Revised Occurrence, select 4 – Failure occurs every 6 months. For Revised Detection, select 4 – High, as shown next.



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Click OK.

4.5.7.1 Define and Classify the Current Controls Enter the following current control. The Control Type is Prevention. Robot dressing practices. Recommended jumper and cable lengths. Preventive maintenance. Water Savers Machinery Controls stop the process.

4.5.7.2 Identify and Assign the Recommended Actions Enter the following recommended actions and related properties:

Action Description

Investigate longer life cables, hoses and jumpers. (Reduce occurrence) Investigate use of abrasion resistant protective covering for cables and hoses. (Reduce occurrence) Split cabling for water hoses/ cables to minimize length of replacement. (Reduces downtime/effects severity) Utilize infrared thermography to predict robot dressing failure. (Improves detection)

Responsibility (Can be entered in Target First Name, Last Action Taken Description Completion Date Name and/or Company fields) Jim Manufacturing, with longer life than originally specified. Joe Dressing, be used at points that are subject to high wear and tear. Joe Dressing, Supplier

Joe Dressing, Assembly Plant 123

incorporated into predictive maintenance plans.


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Notice that the number of controls (1) and actions (4) assigned to the cause appear in the Controls Count (C) and Actions Count (A) columns in the FMEA Hierarchy, as shown next.

4.5.8 Generate a Report of the Analysis •

Open the Report Generation window by selecting Generate Reports from the Project menu in the Project window. The Report Generation window will appear.

•

Select the Vacuum Pump item and the following forms: • FMEA Spreadsheet(s) - J1739 style • Actions (Summary) - sorted by Action #

•

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Select to generate the report in Microsoft Word. The window will look like the figure shown next.



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•

Click Generate Report, type Machinery FMEA Example Report for the filename and click Save.

•

The report will be created and will automatically open in Microsoft Word. When you are finished reviewing the report, close Microsoft Word and then close the Report Generation window.

4.5.9 Import Design FMEA To import the Design FMEA (DFMEA) that you created during the first example, first you will need to display the Project Explorer window for the current database. •

To do this, click the View Project Explorer icon, select View Project Explorer from the File menu or press F2. The Project Explorer will be brought to the front of any open windows in the MDI.

•

In the Project Explorer, select Import Project from the Project Explorer menu or click the Import Project icon.

•

When you are prompted to select the database that you want to import the project from, select QuickStart.rx3 then click Open.

•

Because the QuickStart.rx3 database has Login Security enabled, you will be prompted to provide a valid username and password for the database. Enter username and password into the Login Information window and click OK.

•

The Import Projects window will display a list of the projects that exist in the database. Select the project called Design FMEA by clicking inside the box that appears next to it.

•

Click Import to import the selected project from the QuickStart.rx3 database to the current database, AutoExamples.rx3.

•

Click OK in the window that appears to tell you that the project was imported successfully and click Close in the Import Projects window to return to the Project Explorer.

You can see that the Design FMEA project has now been added to the AutoExamples.rx3 database. This project is completely independent of the project in the QuickStart.rx3 database and changes made to one project will not be reflected automatically in the other. •

Close all projects but leave the database open for use in the next example.


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4.6 Example 5 - Add Authorized Users to Secure Database This example will guide you through the process to add authorized users to the AutoExamples.rx3 database. When you are working with databases that have Login Security enabled, keep in mind that the following special functions and considerations apply: •

Access to the database is restricted to individuals who have an authorized user account for the database.

•

The database can be accessed simultaneously by more than one authorized user. These users will have read-only permission to access to any portion of the database that is currently being edited by another user and will have read-write permission to access to the rest of the database.

•

Each record properties window will display the date/time and the name of the user who last edited the record.

•

The application will maintain a list of every login to the database, which includes the name of the user and the date/time of the login.

•

Users will have the ability to "lock" entire projects in the database or specific sections of the analysis. This prevents other users from editing the material while the lock is in place.

The next sections will guide you through the steps to add an authorized user to a database and import an existing user account from another database.

4.6.1 Add a User to the Database •

With the AutoExamples.rx3 database open, select Administrative Options from the Tools menu. In the Administrative Options window that appears, enter the administrative username and password that you established when you first created the database and click Login. If you followed the instructions in Section 4.4.1, this will be "username" and "password."

•

After you have entered a valid administrative password, the Administrative Options window will change to display two buttons, as shown next.

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Click Manage Database Users to open the Manage Users window. This window displays a list of all user accounts (except the administrative account) that have been defined for the current database.

These users are authorized to view and edit the material contained in the database but they do not have the ability to add, edit or delete the authorized user accounts that have been established for the database. •

To add a new user, click Add.

•

In the User Login and Contact Information window, enter the required fields to create a new user account. Enter the following information: First Name: Jane Last Name: User Username: janeuser Password: password 15 Confirm: password E-Mail: [email protected]

15. Note that Xfmea prevents multiple users from having the same username but it does not require the passwords to be unique.


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Your screen will look like the figure shown next.

•

Click OK to create the account.

You can see that the new user account has been added to the list of authorized users. Note: In addition to the ability to add new users, you can use the Edit and Delete buttons in the Manage Users window to manage existing user accounts.

4.6.2 Import a User from Another Database You can also import user accounts from another database with Login Security enabled. •

To try this, click the Import button in the Manage Users window. You will be prompted to select the database that you want to import user accounts from.

•

Select AuthorizedUsers.rx3 from the Training folder in your application directory (e.g. C:\Program Files\ReliaSoft\Xfmea3\Training) and click Open. A list of the user accounts that have been defined in the selected database will now be displayed in the Import Users window, as shown next.16

•

By default, all users will be selected for import. Accept this selection and click Import to add the user accounts to the current database. These users are now authorized to view and edit the material in the AutoExamples.rx3 database.

16. Note

that if a user account in the source database already exists in the destination database, it will not be listed in the Import Users window.

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When you are finished investigating Xfmea's capabilities to manage authorized database users, close the Manage Users window and then close the Administrative Options window. If desired, you can close the database before proceeding to the next example.

4.7 Example 6 - Using the Plot Viewer Utility This example allows you to experiment with Xfmea's Plot Viewer Utility, which provides a variety of charts for graphical presentation of your analysis. This example will also introduce you to the use of databases without Login Security enabled and provide more practice with Xfmea's import/export functionality. For this example, you will work with a sample database that has been prepared by ReliaSoft, which contains sample data related to imaginary products. Sample data sets are not intended to be realistic.

4.7.1 Create a New Database without Login Security Enabled The first step is to configure the software so that the new databases that you create will not require a username and password to access the database. •

To do this, select User Setup from the File menu and click the Settings (1) tab.

•

De-select the Enable Login Security features for new databases option, as shown next.

•


•

Next, select New Database from the File menu or click the New Database icon.

•

Type PlotsExample for the database name and click Save to create the database.

4.7.2 Create a New Project Because you created a database without Login Security enabled, the Database Creation Wizard was not displayed. Instead, Xfmea takes you immediately to the New Xfmea Project window, which allows you to create a project for your new database. •

Type Data for Charts for the name and select the Comprehensive profile to set the project properties.

•

Click OK to create the project.


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4.7.3 Import Items to Obtain Data In order to save time, you will obtain the data for this example from projects that have already been created in another database. •

To do this, select Import Items and then From Database from the Project menu. Select the database called ChartsData.rx3 in the Training folder in your application directory (e.g. C:\Program Files\ReliaSoft\Xfmea3\Training) and click Open.

The Import Items window will be displayed, with the projects contained in the ChartsData.rx3 database displayed in the panel on the left and the items associated with the selected project in the panel on the right, as shown next.

The source database contains two projects and each project contains one or more items with functions, failures, effects, causes, controls and actions defined. •

To import the data from both projects in the ChartsData.rx3 database to the new project that you have created, simply select one of the projects in the panel on the left and then click to select all of the items displayed in the panel on the right. Select Import Items from the File menu or click the Import Items icon.

A blue progress bar will appear at the bottom of the Import Items window to show you the progress of the import action. When the import is 100% complete and the blue bar disappears, a message will appear to notify you that the selected items have been successfully imported. Click OK. The Import Section open will remain open to allow you to import additional items. •

Select the other project in the ChartsData.rx3 database and repeat the process to import all of the items associated with the second project.

•

When the import is complete, select Close from the File menu or click the Close icon in the top right corner of the window to exit the Import Items window and return to the Project window.

You can now see that all of the items from the ChartsData.rx3 database have been added to the System Hierarchy for the current project. In addition, all functions, failures, effect, causes, controls and actions

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associated with those items were also imported. With System 12345, selected, the Project window will now look like the figure shown next. Note: the exact appearance will vary depending on which item is currently selected, which columns have been selected to be displayed in each hierarchy, etc.

4.7.4 Generate Pareto Charts You can now use this fictional data to experiment with Xfmea's Plot Viewer. •

To begin, select Plot Viewer from the Project menu or press Ctrl+Shift+P. The Select Items window displays all of the items that have been created in the System Hierarchy for this project and allows you to select one or more items to be included in the plots/charts that you create.

•

Since the item called "System 12345" was selected in the Project window, it will also be selected in the Select Items window. With this item selected, click OK to open the Plot Viewer.

The Plot Viewer provides 16 different plot types to choose from and all of these plot types provide additional options to allow you to select the information to be displayed in the plot. When you first open the Plot Viewer, it will automatically create a chart based on the current data and the plot type and options for the last plot that you created. •

Select RPN (Pareto) from the Plot Type menu. The appearance of the Control Panel will change to display the options available for RPN bar charts. Make the following selections: Record Type = Cause Display Range = 1 to 5 RPN Type = Initial and Revised Sort By = Initial Auto Refresh = Selected Show Legend = Not Selected Show Details in Pies = Not Selected Show User Information = Not Selected


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The Plot Viewer window will now look like the figure shown next.

You can see that the plot area has been updated to display the top five causes associated with the selected item, ranked by initial RPN (in blue) with the revised RPN displayed (in green) to the right of each blue initial RPN bar. In addition, the legend panel at the bottom of the Plot Viewer window has been updated with the details associated with the current chart. This includes the pathname/filename for the database, the project name, the numbers and names of the items included in the chart and the details for the cause records that are represented in the chart. •

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If desired, you can change the options in the Control Panel to display other variations of the RPN Pareto chart. For example, you can enter a Display Range from 1 to 10 and select Initial from the RPN type menu to display a chart like the one shown next. Many other combinations are also available.



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Causes Ranked by Initial RPN (1 to 10) 700 648

600

Initial RPN

500

400

300 252 216

216 192

200

108 100

96

90

90 42

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Cause

The other pareto (bar) charts available in Xfmea's Plot Viewer have a similar appearance and similar options. •

You can take some time now to experiment with the following charts by selecting the chart from the Plot Type menu and then making the appropriate selections in the Control Panel. • RPN % Reduction Pareto • Effect Severity Pareto • Cause Occurrence Pareto • Cause Detection Pareto

•

As you experiment with the plot types and Control Panel options, please be aware that if the Auto Refresh option is not selected, you will need to click the Redraw/Refresh Plot icon to update the plot area to reflect the new selections.


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4.7.5 Generate the Severity/Occurrence Matrix •

Next, select Occurrence/Severity Matrix from the Plot Type menu and, if necessary, click the Redraw/Refresh Plot icon to update the plot area. The Plot Viewer window will now look similar to the figure shown next.

The Severity/Occurrence Matrix displays the severity ratings on the X-axis and the occurrence ratings on the Y-axis. The matrix displays a point for each cause that is associated with the selected item(s), at the location where the severity and occurrence ratings intersect. The matrix also includes two priority lines that are intended to differentiate the high, medium and low priority causes, based on severity and occurrence ratings. The coordinates for these lines are set in the Priority Area Coordinates area of the control panel. •

Click any of the points in the matrix to display additional details about the cause(s) that it represents. This information is also displayed in the legend panel at the bottom of the Plot Viewer window.

4.7.6 Generate Pie Charts •

Next, select Action Category Pie from the Plot Types menu and set the following options in the control panel: • Auto Refresh = Selected • Show Legend = Selected • Show Details in Pies = Not Selected • Show User Information = Not Selected

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The Plot Viewer window will look similar to the figure shown next.

This chart shows the percentage of all actions associated with the currently selected item that have been assigned to each of the Action Categories.


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•

You may wish to take some time now to experiment with the options available with Xfmea's pie charts. For example, you can hide the legend information and show the details directly within the pie instead, as shown next.

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Notice that if you change the size of the window or change the information that is displayed in the chart, the pie graphic may change from a circle to an elliptical shape. To restore the circular shape for the pie, simply click the Redraw/Refresh Plot icon to re-draw the chart.

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The other pie charts available in Xfmea's Plot Viewer have a similar appearance and similar options. You can take some time now to experiment with the following chart types by selecting the chart from the Plot Type menu and then making the appropriate selections in the Control Panel. • Effect Severity Pie • Cause Occurrence Pie • Cause Detection Pie • Action Status Pie • Action Priority Pie • Control Type Pie

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4.7.7 Edit Plot Setup You can use the Plot Setup window to customize the appearance of the charts that you create in Xfmea. •

To access this utility, right-click inside the plot area and select Plot Setup from the shortcut menu or click the Plot Setup icon.

You can also right-click inside the legend panel and select Plot Setup from the shortcut menu. The Plot Setup provides many customization options, which are described in detail in the Xfmea User's Guide. For this example, you will make a change to the settings for Occurrence/Severity Matrix charts. •

To do this, click the Occ/Sev Matrix tab to display a page like the one shown next. This page presents all of the customization options for the high, medium and low priority points and lines displayed in the Occurrence/Severity Matrix chart.

•

To increase the thickness of the High Priority and Low Priority lines (displayed diagonally within the matrix based on the coordinates that have been established), simply select a larger number from the Thickness menu associated with each line (abbreviated as "Thick"). To increase the size of the points, drag the marker on the size scale for each point.


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•

In the figure shown next, the thickness of the lines has been increased from 1 to 2 and the size of each point has been increased from 0.1 to 0.15 percent of the plot size.

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Click OK to close the Plot Setup and return to the Plot Viewer window.17 Now select Occurrence/ Severity Matrix from the Plot Type menu to redraw that chart. You can see that the red and green lines that represent the boundaries between low, medium and high priority issues are thicker than they originally were and the points are slightly larger.

If you like the appearance of the thicker lines and larger points, you can leave current settings in the Plot Setup. If you prefer the thinner lines, you can re-open the Plot Setup and change the thickness of the lines back to 1 and the size of the points back to 0.1.

4.7.8 Send Plot to RS Draw As in most of ReliaSoft's other software products, Xfmea's plotting utility provides integration with the RS Draw metafile (vector) graphics editor. You can use RS Draw to edit and annotate the chart graphics that you create in the Plot Viewer and also to save plot graphics as Windows metafiles (*.wmf). •

With the Severity/Occurrence Matrix chart displayed in the Plot Viewer, right-click inside the plot area or legend panel and select Edit Plot from the shortcut menu or click the Edit Plot icon.

17. Note: The modifications to the plot appearance will apply to the plots that you create during this session with Xfmea's

Plot Viewer. If you want the settings to apply the next time you open the Plot Viewer utility, click the Set as Default button.

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The RS Draw utility will be opened with the current chart displayed, as shown next.

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You can expand the title for the chart to include the number and name of the item analysis that the chart is based on. To do this, click the Text tool from the toolbar on the left side of the window.

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The cursor will turn into an arrow with a T next to it. Click inside the plot in the area of the title and drag the mouse down for a short distance before releasing the left mouse button. A blinking vertical line will be placed into the graphic at the location where you placed the cursor and the length of this line will depend on how far you dragged the cursor.

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Type the following text into the plot and the press Enter to create the new text object. For System 12345

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Click the Select tool from the toolbar on the left side of the window and then use it to right-click the new text object.


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Select Object Properties from the shortcut menu and use the Properties window to change the appearance of the text to match the original plot title. Change the Font Color to black and the Font to 12 point Tahoma then click Set to close the window and apply the properties.

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Now use the Select tool to drag the text object into the desired position, centered below the original plot title.18 Click the white background of the plot to de-select the new text object. The RS Draw window will now look like the figure shown next.

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You can follow similar procedures to make other annotations to the plot graphic. For example, you might identify each of the points in the high priority area of the chart, as in the figure shown next.

18. If

desired, you can use RS Draw's Align Objects tool to exactly center the original title and the new subtitle. Simply press Shift while selecting the original title and then the new subtitle. When both text objects are selected, choose Center from the Align Objects icon to center align the text objects automatically.

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To save the annotated plot graphic as a Windows metafile that can be inserted and edited in other applications, select Save from the File menu. Specify the name and location of the *.wmf file and click Save.

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Now, select Exit from the File menu or click the X in the top right corner of the window to close RS Draw.

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Close the Plot Viewer.

4.7.9 Make Login Security Selection for New Databases After completing the examples up to this point, you have will now have worked with both secure and nonsecure Xfmea databases. For the rest of the examples in this training guide, you can decide whether or not you want to enable Login Security for the new databases that you create. •

If you prefer to work with databases that require login with an authorized username and password, then select the Enable (activate) Login Security features for new databases option on the Settings (1) page of the User Setup. If not, leave the setting as it currently is.

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You can now close the project and database before proceeding to the next example.

4.8 Example 7 - Quantitative and Qualitative Criticality Analysis This example will guide you through the process to perform both quantitative and qualitative criticality analyses in accordance with the MIL-STD-1629A guidelines. This example will also demonstrate Xfmea's direct integration with ReliaSoft's Weibull++ life data analysis software and the capabilities to work with files created with other software, which are linked or attached to the Xfmea analysis. For this example, you will work with a sample database that has been prepared by ReliaSoft, which contains sample data related to imaginary products. Sample data sets are not intended to be realistic.


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4.8.1 Open an Existing Database and Project •

To begin, select Open Database from the File menu or click the Open Database icon.

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Select the CriticalityExamples.rx3 file from the Training folder in your application directory (e.g. C:\Program Files\ReliaSoft\Xfmea3\Training) and click Open to display the Project Explorer for the selected database.

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Double-click the project name, Quantitative Criticality, to open the project that has already been created in this database. With Component A selected, the Project window will look like the figure shown next.

4.8.2 Use Weibull++ to Set Item Reliability Now, you can use ReliaSoft's Weibull++ life data analysis software to define the reliability characteristics for each of the items in this project. Note: Although you must have Weibull++ installed to use this function, you can still work through the example if it is not installed on your computer by manually entering the parameters, which will be shown in this guide.

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First, double-click Component A to open the Item Properties window. Click the Reliability button in the bottom left corner to open the Item Reliability window. For Data Source, type In-house testing and Weibull++ analysis.

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Then click the Weibull++ icon.

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The Select Weibull++ Folio window will appear, as shown next.

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Select Open an Existing Folio. The Select file to open window will appear.


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Select the file called Example 5 Data.rw6 from the Training folder in your application directory (e.g. C:\Program Files\ReliaSoft\Xfmea3\Training) and click Open. The Data Folio will look like the figure shown next.

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Select Distribution Wizard from the Data menu or click the Distribution Wizard icon.

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In the Distribution Wizard window, click Begin Auto Run. When the process is complete, the window will look like the figure shown next.

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Click Implement Suggestion to apply the top ranking distribution and analyze the data. The Data Folio will now look like the figure shown next.

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Click the Close button in the toolbar and answer Yes when prompted to save the changes you made to the Weibull++ Data Folio. Then answer Yes when prompted to update the Item Reliability window with the distribution and parameters calculated in Weibull++.

The Item Reliability window will now look like the figure shown next.

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Click OK to apply the changes and close the window.


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Follow a similar procedure to define the reliability characteristics of Component B and Component C. The data sets for these components have been entered into additional sheets in the same Weibull++ Data Folio, Example 5 Data.rw6. The Item Reliability window for Component B will look like the figure shown next.

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The Item Reliability window for Component C will look like the figure shown next.

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4.8.3 Link and Attach Files to the Analysis Xfmea allows you to link and/or attach files that were created in other applications to your analyses in Xfmea. This allows you to keep supporting documentation all together in the same place with the analysis. For links, Xfmea stores the full pathname/filename of the file and allows you to open and/or print the file directly from within Xfmea (as long as the necessary software is installed on your computer and the link is valid). The file is not stored inside the database and the link does increase the size of the database. For attachments, Xfmea stores a complete copy of the file inside the database. If you transfer the database, the attached file will be transferred with the database. If you update the information in the attached file, you can save your changes and the modified file will automatically replace the existing file. The attachment will increase the size of your database. •

To attach the Weibull++ Folio that you used to obtain the Item Reliability distributions and parameters, right-click the item called Component A and select Attachments and then Item Attachments from the shortcut menu.

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Click the Attach File button, then select the file called Example 5 Data.rw6 in the Training folder in your application directory (e.g. C:\Program Files\ReliaSoft\Xfmea3\Training) and click Open. A window will appear to notify you that the file has been successfully attached. Click OK.

•

The Item Links and Attachments window will now look like the figure shown next.

You can see that the file has been added to the list of attached files at the bottom of the window, with the file name, size, extension and date/time of attachment displayed. To delete the attachment, simply select the file in the list and click Delete File. To create a copy of the file that you can edit on your computer, select the file and click Export File. When you close the Item Links and Attachments window and return to the Project window, you will see that a paper clip icon has been added to the Attachments column in the System Hierarchy, if displayed, to indicate that the item has one or more linked or attached files.


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4.8.4 Perform the Quantitative Criticality Analysis •

To perform the quantitative criticality analysis, select Criticality from the Project menu and then select all of the items to be included in the analysis and click OK. The Criticality Analysis window will look like the figure shown next.

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You can use the horizontal and vertical scroll bars to view the full analysis or re-size the window as needed to display the full analysis without scrolling.

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Change the Operating Time to the time of interest for this analysis, 1000, and click Calculate to update the Unreliability, Mode Criticality and Item Criticality columns. The window will now look like the figure shown next.

The Unreliability values are based on the operating time that you entered and the reliability characteristics that have been defined for each item. The Mode Criticality values are calculated by multiplying the Unreliability x Mode Ratio x Prob of Loss. The Item Criticality values are the sum of all Mode Criticalities associated with each item. You can see that Component A has the highest criticality, followed by Component B and Component C, which have very similar criticalities. The first failure mode for Component A, called Failure Mode 1, has the highest criticality among the modes. •

If desired, you can create a report of the analysis. When you are finished, click Close to exit the utility and return to the Project window.

4.8.5 Create a Duplicate Project The criticality analysis examples that have been presented in this training guide so far have followed the quantitative criticality analysis procedures described in MIL-STD-1629A (i.e. they use the Item Unreliability that has been obtained quantitatively). The rest of this example will demonstrate Xfmea's features for qualitative criticality analysis. •

Keep the current project open and click the View Project Explorer icon to bring the Project Explorer to the front of all open windows.

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Create a duplicate project of the Quantitative Criticality project by selecting it in the Project Explorer and then selecting Duplicate Project from the Project Explorer menu.

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The duplicate project will appear in the Project Explorer and will be named “Copy of Quantitative Criticality.”


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Select the Copy of Quantitative Criticality project and select Project Properties from the Project Explorer menu. In the Edit Project Properties window that appears, change the project name to Qualitative Criticality. Notice that the rest of the project properties are the same as those for the Quantitative Criticality project, including the MIL-STD-1629A profile.

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Click OK to save the changes and close the window.

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Open the Qualitative Criticality project. Notice that all items in the Quantitative Criticality project also appear in the new project.

4.8.6 Define the Qualitative Criticality Analysis Factors The next step is to define the qualitative criticality analysis factors for each of the failure modes in the analysis. •

To begin, select Component A and double-click Failure Mode 1.

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In the Criticality Analysis Factors area of the Failure Properties window, click the arrow to the right of the Failure Probability input box and select Level C - Occasional from the Select Failure Probability window, as shown next.

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Click OK (or double-click the selection) to update the Failure Properties window with your selection. Then, follow a similar procedure to assign Category II - Critical to describe the Severity Classification.

Note that the qualitative Failure Probability and Severity Classification scales are the Occurrence and Severity scales that have been defined within the Project Properties for this project. Because you have selected the pre-defined MIL-STD-1629A profile, these scales have been pre-defined to match the criteria presented in the standard. For your own qualitative criticality analyses, you may choose to use any of the pre-defined rating scales or your own custom scales to make these assignments. •

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Click OK to save the changes and close the window. You could repeat the procedure to define the qualitative criticality analysis factors for all of the remaining failure modes via the Failure Properties window. However, you can also make these assignments quickly and easily within the Criticality Analysis window. This method will be described next.



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4.8.7 Perform the Qualitative Criticality Analysis •

Select Criticality from the Project menu and then select all items to be included in the analysis. When the Criticality Analysis window opens, select the Show Columns for Qualitative Analysis option on the right side of the window. This will add additional columns to the analysis spreadsheet.

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Scroll all the way to the right to view the new columns. Then, click inside the Severity Class column for Failure Mode 2 to display the Select Severity Class window, as shown next.

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Select Category IV - Minor and click OK to assign the rating to the selected failure mode.

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Follow a similar procedure to make the rest of the Severity Class and Failure Probability assignments. A complete list of the assignments is presented in the following table, including the ones you have already made. Failure Mode Failure Mode 1 Failure Mode 2 Failure Mode 3 Failure Mode 4 Failure Mode 5 Failure Mode 6 Failure Mode 7

Severity Class Category II - Critical Category IV - Minor Category II - Critical Category III - Marginal Category III - Marginal Category I - Catastrophic Category IV - Minor

Failure Probability Level C - Occasional Level B - Reasonably Probable Level D - Remote Level C - Occasional Level E - Extremely Unlikely Level D - Remote Level A - Frequent


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When you are finished, the window will look like the figure shown next.

4.8.8 Generate the Report •

Make the following selections in the Generate Criticality Reports area of the Criticality Analysis window.

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Click Generate Report.

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Type Qualitative Criticality for the report name and then click Save to generate the report in Microsoft Excel.

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Once the report has been generated and the Excel spreadsheet opens, click the Criticality - MIL Qual tab to view the qualitative spreadsheet report. You will notice that instead of calculated criticality values, this report displays the Severity Classifications and Failure Probabilities that you assigned to each failure mode.

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Click the Criticality Matrix - MIL Qual tab to view the qualitative matrix. For the qualitative analysis, this matrix displays the Severity Classification on the X-axis and the Probability of Occurrence on the

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Y-axis. You may notice that this is similar to the Severity/Occurrence matrix that is available in the Plot Viewer.19

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When you are finished investigating the features of the Criticality Analysis utility, click Close to close the window and return to the MDI and open projects. You can now close both of the projects and the database before proceeding with the next example.

4.9 Example 8 - Using the Check Analysis Utility This example demonstrates the capabilities of Xfmea's Check Analysis Utility, which identifies any possible discrepancies and/or omissions in each FMEA analysis. The utility lists the potential issues and you can make the decision of whether or not to address each issue. For this example, you will work with sample data that has been prepared by ReliaSoft. Sample data sets are not intended to be realistic.

4.9.1 Open an Existing Database and Project •

Create a new database called CheckAnalysis.rx3. When prompted to create a new project, click Cancel.

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Select View Project Explorer from the File menu or click the View Project Explorer icon.

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Select Import Projects from the Project Explorer menu or click the Import Projects icon.

19. The colors used in the criticality matrix represent the high, medium and low priority thresholds. The colors used and the threshold limits can be specified on the Priority page of the User Setup.


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When prompted to select a database to import from, navigate to the Examples folder in the application directory (e.g. C:\Program Files\ReliaSoft\Xfmea3\Examples) and select the database called Demonstration.rx3. The Import Projects window will be displayed, as shown next.

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Select the project called 4 - Check Analysis Data and click Import to import the project into the current database. Click Close to close the import window.

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Open the project that you imported. With Component 1.1.1 selected, the Project window will look like the figure shown next.

4.9.2 Run the Check Analysis Utility •

Select Check Analysis from the Project menu to open Xfmea's Check Analysis Utility.

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Click Select All to check the analyses associated with all of the items in the current project and then click Check to perform the checks. While the checks are being performed, a progress bar will be

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displayed at the bottom of the MDI. When the process is 100% complete, the Analysis Check Results area of the window will be updated with the results. The window will look like the figure shown next.

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By scrolling through the results, you can see that the utility first compares all selected items to see if they have the same names and/or numbers. Next, the utility checks the analysis associated with each individual item and identifies any possible omissions or discrepancies.

4.9.3 Change the Options and Re-Check the Analysis •

Now, click the Options tab to display the settings that determine which checks will be performed on the selected items.

•

As you can see, all available options are selected by default. However, for this example, suppose that you are not interested in whether records have duplicate descriptions or whether at least one control and one action have been defined for each cause. In addition, it is only necessary to check the items that have analyses associated with them (i.e. the items in the lowest level of each branch of the System Hierarchy).


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To configure the Check Analysis Utility to perform only those checks that are of interest to you, simply de-select the items and checks that you do not want to include in the results. The window will now look like the figure shown next:

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Note that you must scroll to view all of the items that can be included in the analysis. The following items should be selected: • Component 1.1.1 • Subsystem 2.1 • Component 3.1.1.1 • Component 3.1.1.2 • Component 3.1.2.1 • Component 3.1.2.2 • Component 3.1.3.1 • Component 3.1.3.2

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Now, click the Analysis Check Results tab to return to the page where the results are displayed and click Check to re-check the analysis, performing only those checks that have been selected for the selected items.

By scrolling through the results, you can see that the second set of check analysis results are less comprehensive than the original results.

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4.9.4 Modify the Analysis and Re-Check Finally, you may wish to modify the analysis and then re-check to make sure that the issue(s) that you addressed have actually been resolved. For this example, you will correct the first two issues that have been identified for Component 1.1.1. •

To begin, click Close to exit the Check Analysis Utility and return to the Project window. Then select Component 1.1.1 from the System Hierarchy and double-click the first potential effect associated with the first potential failure, Effect 1.1.1.

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Change the Revised Severity rating from 2 - Very slight effect to 9 - Serious effect and click OK to save the changes and close the window.

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Next, double-click the second potential cause associated with the first potential failure, Cause 1.1.1.2. Set the Revised Detection rating to 6 - Low and click OK.

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Finally, re-open the Check Analysis Utility and click Check to re-check the analysis for Component 1.1.1 only. As you can see, there are no longer any issues for the current analysis, based on the checks that are enabled on the Options page.

4.9.5 Print, Save or Copy the Results If desired, you can print, save and/or copy the results generated by Xfmea's Check Analysis Utility. •

To send the results directly to the default printer on your computer, click Print. To save the results as a rich text format document (*.rtf), click Save. To copy the results to the Clipboard, click Copy Text.

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When you are finished experimenting with the Check Analysis Utility, click Close to exit the utility and then close the sample project and database before proceeding to the next example.


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4.10 Example 9 - Excel Import/Export for Items and/or FMEAs This example guides you through the process to import/export system configuration data and FMEA data from Excel files that meet Xfmea’s required format for import.

4.10.1 Export a System Configuration to Excel •

Open the Export to XML project in the BlockSimExample.rx3 database located in the Training folder in your application directory (e.g. C:\Program Files\ReliaSoft\Xfmea3\Training).

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Select Export Items then To Excel Spreadsheet from the Project menu.

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Type System Configuration for the name of the new Excel file and then click Save to start the export process.

The progress bar at the bottom of the MDI indicates that all of the items in the project’s System Hierarchy panel are being exported to an Excel spreadsheet. Any information in the Item Properties window and on the Reliability page of the Item Reliability window will also be exported. When the process completes, the Excel file will open automatically. •

After you have reviewed the export file, close Excel and return to Xfmea.

4.10.2 Create a New Database and Project •

Create a new database called ExcelExample.rx3 and a new project called Import and Export. Use the Standard FMEA profile to set the properties for the new project.

4.10.3 Import the System Configuration from Excel •

In the new project, select Import Items then From Excel Spreadsheet from the Project menu.

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Navigate to the System Configuration.xls file that you just created. (Note: It will be in the C:\Program Files\ReliaSoft\Xfmea3\Reports folder if you have not changed any of the defaults for the software.)

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Click Open to start the import process.

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When the progress bar at the bottom of the MDI completes, a message will indicate that the process was completed successfully. Click OK. You will see that the system configuration information from the Excel spreadsheet has been imported into the current project.

4.10.4 Import Item’s Functional Failure Analysis (FMEA) from an Excel File When importing functional failure analysis (FMEA) data from Excel, you can choose from two import templates that are installed in the Examples folder of the application directory (e.g. C:\Program Files\ReliaSoft\Xfmea3\Examples). The basic template (called “ImportSpreadsheet.xls”) allows you to import functions, failures, effects, causes, controls and actions along with a few additional properties of those records. The comprehensive template (called “ImportSpreadsheetComprehensive.xls”) allows you to import all of the properties for these records. For this example, we will be using a sample data file that follows the basic template.

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First, make sure that the software is configured to use the basic import template. To do this, select User Setup from the File menu and go to the Settings (2) page of the User Setup, as shown next.

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If the Use comprehensive template for importing Item’s FMEA from Excel option is selected, please de-select the option and click OK.

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Right-click the item called “Component A.1.1.1” in the project’s System Hierarchy and select Import/ Export Item’s FMEA and then Import from Excel from the shortcut menu.

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Navigate to the Import from Excel Data.xls file located in the Training folder in your application directory (e.g. C:\Program Files\ReliaSoft\Xfmea3\Training) and click Open. During the import, a progress bar will be displayed at the bottom of the MDI.

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When the process is 100% complete, a message will be displayed to indicate that the information has been imported. Click OK to continue.

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You can see that the functions, failures, effects, causes, controls and actions defined in the Excel spreadsheet have been automatically added to the analysis in Xfmea, as shown next.


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If desired, you can take some time now to examine the analysis. You can open any of the properties windows, switch to the Worksheet View to view the information (including controls and actions) in the tabular format, generate plots and/or reports based on the analysis, etc.

4.10.5 Export Item’s Functional Failure Analysis (FMEA) to an Excel File You can also export the functional failure analysis from any Xfmea project to Microsoft Excel. •

To export the analysis in the current project, right-click Component A.1.1.1 and select Import/Export Item’s FMEA and then Export to Excel from the shortcut menu.

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Type Excel Export for the filename and click Save to start the process. The progress bar will once again be displayed at the bottom of the MDI. When the export is complete, the new spreadsheet will be opened automatically in Microsoft Excel.

This exported file fits the basic template format required for automatic import into Xfmea. You can see that each unique entry is displayed in a separate column and specific types of data must always exist in a specific column. For example, the function description must be in the first column, the initial Occurrence rating must be in the twelfth column, etc. •

When you have finished investigating Xfmea's import/export functionality with Microsoft Excel, close the Excel spreadsheet, the project and the database before proceeding with the next example.

4.11 Example 10 - Integration with BlockSim via XML Xfmea provides integration with ReliaSoft's BlockSim system reliability, maintainability and availability analysis software. You can generate blocks and diagrams in BlockSim based on the system configuration information that you have defined in Xfmea. This example guides you through the process of exporting items from an Xfmea project to an XML file that can be opened with BlockSim. For this example, you will work with a sample database that has been prepared by ReliaSoft, which contains sample data related to imaginary products. Sample data sets are not intended to be realistic. Note: BlockSim 6 (Standard or FTI) is required to perform this example.

4.11.1 Open an Existing Database and Create a New Project •

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For this example, open the sample project called Export to XML that has already been created in the BlockSimExample.rx3 database file that is located in the Training folder in your application directory (e.g. C:\Program Files\ReliaSoft\Xfmea3\Training).



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With the FMEA Hierarchy panel hidden and the Subsubsystem A.1.1 item selected in the System Hierarchy, the Project window will look like the figure shown next.

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You can take some time now to examine the system configuration that has been defined for this project.

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Next, open the properties windows (e.g. Item Properties windows and Item Reliability windows) for the items to view the reliability characteristics and other properties that have been defined for the items. You will also notice that reliability characteristics have been defined for the cause associated with the last item. This information will also be transferred to BlockSim.

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When you are finished, close the Project window so that only the Project Explorer is displayed.

4.11.2 Export Project from Xfmea The next step is to export the system configuration that has been defined in Xfmea to an XML file (*.xml) that is accessible by the BlockSim software. •

To do this, select Export XML Project from the Project Explorer menu in the Project Explorer.

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Accept the default filename, “Export to XML,” and click Save to transfer the data to an XML file (*.xml).

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When the window appears to inform you that the XML file has been created successfully, click OK.

4.11.3 Open XML File in BlockSim •

When the export to XML is complete, leave the Xfmea database open and activate the BlockSim 6 software.


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In BlockSim, choose to open an existing project. Select XML Files (*.xml) from the Files of type menu, as shown next.

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Locate the XML file called Export to XML that you just created in Xfmea and click Open.

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BlockSim will create a project that contains diagrams and blocks to represent the system configuration that was defined in Xfmea, as shown next.

The system configuration and probability data from Xfmea is represented in BlockSim with diagrams, subdiagrams and blocks. For example, a system from Xfmea will be represented by a diagram that consists of subdiagrams or blocks for every associated sub-item and cause.

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To demonstrate this, open the Diagram Sheet called System B by double-clicking its name in the Project Explorer. This Diagram Sheet represents the System B top level (system) item from the Xfmea configuration. The diagram contains two subdiagram blocks to represent the two subsubsystems in the next level of the configuration, Subsystem B.1 and Subsystem B.2.

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Right-click the Subsystem B.2 block and select Open Subdiagram from the shortcut menu. The Subsystem B.2 Diagram Sheet will appear, which contains a subdiagram block to represent Subsubsystem B.2.1, two blocks to represent the Component B.2.2 and Component B.2.3 items and a subdiagram block to represent Component B.2.4 and its associated cause, as shown next.

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Now double-click the Component B.2.2 block to open the Block Properties window for that item. In the Block Properties window, click the Reliability tab.


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On the Failure Distribution page of the Reliability tab, you can see that the reliability properties for the block have been defined based on the information defined in Xfmea, as shown next.

In addition, the text that was entered into the Item Description field in the Xfmea Item Properties window is displayed on the Comments & Attachments page of the General tab in the Block Properties window. •

Close the Block Properties window for Component B.2.2 by clicking OK and open the diagram linked to the Component B.2.4 subdiagram block, as shown next.

This diagram contains one block to represent the cause that has been defined for Component B.2.4 in the original Xfmea project.

4.11.4 Close BlockSim •

When you are finished investigating the system configuration defined with the diagrams, subdiagram blocks and blocks in BlockSim, exit the BlockSim application by selecting Exit from the File menu. If desired, you can save the BlockSim 6 project.

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Return to the Xfmea application and proceed with the next example.

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4.12 Example 11 - Using Revision Tracking Features This example allows you to experiment with Xfmea's revision tracking capabilities and guides you through the process to create and manage baseline versions of an Xfmea database. For this example, you will work with a sample database that has been prepared by ReliaSoft, which contains sample data related to imaginary products. Sample data sets are not intended to be realistic.

4.12.1 Open and Log In to an Existing Database Open the database called “AuthorizedUsers.rx3” in the Training folder in your application directory (e.g. C:\Program Files\ReliaSoft\Xfmea3\Training). Log in with the following administrative user account: • Username: username • Password: password

4.12.2 Create a New User Account Select Administrative Options from the Tools menu and then use the same account information to log in to the administrative utilities for this database. Click Manage Database Users and then create a new user account for yourself.

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Close the Manage Users window and then close the database and open it again, logging in with your new user account.

4.12.3 Edit Record and View Last Updated Username and Timestamp •

Next, open the project called Sample Project.

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Double-click the item called Component 1.1.1 in the System Hierarchy to display the Item Properties window. Type RS12345 for the Part Number, 1 for the Qty per System and 1 for the Qty per NHLA.

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Then click OK to save the changes and close the window.


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Double-click the item again to re-open the properties window. You can see that the status bar at the bottom of the properties window now displays the date/time when you made the change to the item record and the first and last name associated with the user account that you logged in under.

4.12.4 Open the Revision Tracking and Management Window •

Now, select Revision Tracking from the Tools menu to open the Revision Tracking and Management window, as shown next.

You can see that the top of the window displays some information about the current database. Note that the appearance of the window on your computer will vary depending on the specific attributes of the database that you are using. In addition, the window provides revision tracking options on two pages, separated by tabs. The Manage Baselines page allows you to create and manage baselines of the current database, which are exact replicas of the database at a particular point in time. You may wish to use a baseline to "roll back" to an exact state that the database was in. You will notice that one baseline has already been created for this sample database. The Database Logins page allows you to view a record of every login to the current database, including the date/time of the login and information on the user who performed the login.

4.12.5 Store a Baseline Within the Database You can store baselines inside the current database or as separate files outside of the database. •

To create a baseline inside the database, click Create Baseline in Database. A window like the one shown next will be displayed.

You can use this window to type notes about the baseline that you are in the process of creating. These notes can be used to identify the purpose and/or contents of the baseline at a later time.

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Type the following text and click OK to proceed. To archive the database before proceeding with the Training Guide example.

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A message will be displayed that indicates that the baseline was created successfully. Click OK. The window will now look like the figure shown next.

This baseline file is stored inside the database and will be transferred with the database if you e-mail the database to a colleague or create a copy of the database in another location, etc. However, storing the baseline inside the database also takes up space within the database, which may become an issue for very large databases. If space inside the database is (or becomes) a concern, you may prefer to create the baselines as separate files outside of the database. This process is described next.

4.12.6 Store a Baseline Outside of the Database •

To create a baseline as a separate file outside of the database, click Create Baseline in Separate File.

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A window will be displayed to explain that if the link does not remain consistent (e.g. if you move the baseline file or transfer the database to another user who does not have access to the baseline file in the same location), then you will not have full baseline management capabilities for that baseline. In other words, you will not be able to replace the current database with the selected baseline if the file does not exist in the original location. Likewise, you will not be able to create a new database from a selected baseline if the link is not consistent. Click Yes.

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You will again be prompted to enter notes to help identify the baseline. Type the following text and click OK. Sample baseline stored outside of the database.

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Next, you will be prompted to specify the location and filename for the new baseline file. Type BaselineExample and click Save to create the file.


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Click OK to close the confirmation message that is displayed. The window will now look like the figure shown next.

You can see that the full path/filename for the new baseline file is displayed with the entry in the list of existing baselines. Only the link (and not the actual file) is stored inside the database and only the link will be transferred with the database.

4.12.7 Create a New Database from a Baseline You can use the baselines that you have stored (both inside the current database and outside the database in separate files) to either replace the current database or to create a new database. If you select to replace the current database with a selected baseline, this will have the effect of "rolling back" the database to the exact state it was in at the time that the baseline was created. This action cannot be undone and will overwrite any changes that have been made to the database since the creation of the baseline. If you select to create a new database from a selected database, the current database will remain exactly the same and a new database will be created that re-creates the state of the database at the time that the baseline was saved. •

To create a new database from one of the baselines in the current database, select any of the existing baselines and click Create New Database from Selected Baseline.

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You will be prompted to enter the path/filename for the new database. Type BaselineDatabase for the filename and click Save.

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A message will be displayed that indicates that the database was created successfully. Click OK.

4.12.8 Open the New Database The new database, BaselineDatabase.rx3, will be an exact replica of the current database at the time that the baseline was created. •

To confirm this, click Close to close the Revision Tracking and Management window and then open the new database that you just created.

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You can take some time now to review the new database to confirm that it is an exact replica of the original database at the particular point in time.

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4.12.9 Re-Open the Original Database and Review Database Logins •

Now re-open the original database for this example, AuthorizedUsers.rx3, then select Revision Tracking from the Tools menu.

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Click the Database Logins tab to display the second page of the Revision Tracking and Management window, as shown next.

The appearance of the window will vary depending on the particular properties of your database. It will display a list of every login that has been made to the current database, including the date/time and information on the user who performed the login. By default, all records will be displayed. However, you can filter the records based on username or based on the most recent login date/time using the corresponding drop-down menus. •

When you have finished investigating Xfmea's revision tracking functionality, click Close to exit the window. Then close the project but leave the database open while you complete the next example.

4.13 Example 12 - Using Profiles/Libraries for Customization This example allows you to experiment with Xfmea's profiles and libraries functionality and guides you through the process to create your own custom libraries and profile. Xfmea's profiles and libraries have been designed to allow flexible configuration of the software to fit the wide variety of FMEA/FMECA styles that exist within industry. You can manage these configuration resources with the Profiles/Libraries Management window.


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4.13.1 Open the Profiles/Libraries Manager •

To open Xfmea's Profiles/Libraries Management window, select Profiles/Libraries Manager from the Tools menu. A window like the one shown next will be displayed.

This window allows you to manage the libraries and profiles that are available to use in your Xfmea analyses.

4.13.2 Create a Custom Interface Style As the previous examples in this training guide have demonstrated, an interface style is a pre-defined set of instructions to determine which data fields will be enabled/displayed in the Xfmea interface and report output, and what those fields will be called. For example, if your organization captures three levels of effect description (e.g. Local Effect, Next Level Effect and End Effect), then you can define the interface style to enable/display all three fields. If not, then you can define the interface style to enable/display only one field and rename the field to be called “Effect Description” or whatever terminology is appropriate for your application. •

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To create your own custom interface style, which can be applied to the projects that you create in Xfmea, begin by clicking the Interface Styles tab in the Profiles/Libraries Management window. This page displays a list of existing interface styles.



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Click Add to open the Add Interface Style window.

4.13.2.1 Copying an Existing Style Note that if there is an existing interface style that comes close to meeting your particular needs, you can copy the style and modify it as necessary to define the new custom style, following the steps described in the sections that follow. If this does not apply to you, you can skip ahead to the next section. •

To set the properties in your new style automatically based on the properties of an existing style, click Copy Existing and then select the style from the Select Interface Style window that is displayed, as shown next.

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Click OK to update the settings for the new interface style you are creating with the settings from the existing style. You can use these settings as a starting point and modify them as necessary to meet the specific needs that will be addressed by the new style.

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For Interface Style Name, type a name for the new interface style that will be meaningful to you, such as the name of your company and perhaps the type of analysis that the style is appropriate for (e.g. “ReliaSoft DFMEA” or “Acme FMECA”). This name must be unique among the interface styles that have been created on your computer.

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If desired, type a more detailed description of the purpose for the style in the Interface Style Description field.


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4.13.2.2 Record Properties Tabs The Item, Analysis, Function, Failure, Effect, Cause, Action, Control, Control Plan and DVP&R tabs of the Add Interface Style window allow you to determine which fields will be enabled/displayed in the interface and reports when this style is applied to the project and what the fields will be called. Each tab displays all of the properties that are available for the selected record type in a table with three columns: • Property: Contains a list of all properties (data fields) that are available in Xfmea for the selected record type. You cannot change the information in this column. • Display/Report Name: Contains the names that will be used within the interface and report output to identify each property. You can change this name by clicking inside the cell and editing the text. • Enabled/Displayed: Contains an indication of whether or not the property (field) will be enabled/displayed in the interface and report output. You can set this to Yes or No by clicking inside the cell to toggle the selection. •

Take some time now to review the fields that are available for each type of record. Determine whether each field will be displayed and, if so, what it will be called in the interface and reports for projects that use this interface style.

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For example, if you want to display the “Part Number” field for item records but you want to call the field “Part #” instead of “Part Number,” set the Enabled/Disabled column to Yes for that property and type “Part #” in the Display/Report Name column, as shown next.

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As you review the properties available for each record type, you will notice an additional option on the Action and Control tabs of this window (displayed above the table), as shown next for the Action tab.

If you de-select the Enable Actions for Causes option on the Action tab of the Interface Style window, then you will not be able to define actions for the analyses in projects that use this interface style. Any selections that have been made for Display/Report Name and Enabled/Displayed will be ignored by Xfmea because the Actions windows will not be available at all. De-selecting the Enable Controls for Causes option on the Control tab will have a similar effect for controls. 4.13.2.3 Ranks Tab The Ranks tab allows you to determine whether Risk Priority Numbers (RPNs) and/or Criticality Analysis will be enabled for the projects that use the current interface style.


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Make the required selections to meet your particular needs and click OK to create the new interface style.

4.13.3 Create Custom Severity, Occurrence and Detection Scales A rating scale is a pre-defined range of ratings and criteria (often from 1 to 5 or from 1 to 10) that can be used to rate the severity, probability of occurrence and likelihood of detection for the issues that you identify through your analysis. These rating scales are used to calculate Risk Priority Numbers (RPNs) and for qualitative criticality analyses. •

To create your own custom severity scale, which can be applied to the projects that you create in Xfmea, begin by clicking the Severity tab in the Profiles/Libraries management window. This page displays a list of existing severity scales.

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Click Add to open the Add Severity Scale window.

This window also provides the ability to apply the properties of an existing scale into the new scale and requires a unique name for the scale (as described for interface styles in Section 4.13.2.1). In addition, you can use a table with three columns to add, edit and delete values within the scale. • Value: The numerical rating that will be applied to the record. Note that each value must be unique within the scale and the values can be whole numbers or decimals. Xfmea will automatically order the numbers from smallest to greatest when you save the scale. • Description: The short text description that will be associated with the numerical rating in the menus within the interface (i.e. Effect Properties, Cause Properties and/or Failure Properties). • Criteria: A longer text description of the specific criteria used within the organization to determine whether the rating will be assigned to the issue. This will be displayed in the Select window that can be accessed from within the interface. The window shown next provides an example of what your screen might look like as you add entries to the new custom severity scale. The appearance will vary, of course, based on the information that is appropriate to your particular needs.

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When you have fully defined the scale, click OK to save the changes and add the new custom scale to the list of available severity scales.



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Next, follow a similar procedure to create your own custom occurrence and detection scales.

4.13.4 Create a Custom Menu Set A menu set is a pre-defined set of options that will be available in the menus that appear throughout the Xfmea interface. •

To create your own custom menu set, which can be applied to the projects that you create in Xfmea, begin by clicking the Menu Sets tab in the Profiles/Libraries management window. This page displays a list of existing menu sets.

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Click Add to open the Add Menu Set window.

This window also provides the ability to apply the properties of an existing menu set into the new set and requires a unique name for the menu set (as described for interface styles in Section 4.13.2.1). In addition, each of the five tabs displayed in this window allows you to set the options available within a particular menu. The tabs include: • Classification: Allows you to set the options that will be available for the Classification menu that can be enabled/displayed in the Cause Properties window. • Control Type: Allows you to set the options that will be available for the Control Type menu that can be enabled/displayed in the Control Properties window. • Action Category: Allows you to set the options that will be available for the Action Category menu that can be enabled/displayed in the Action Properties window. • Action Priority: Allows you to set the options that will be available for the Action Priority menu that can be enabled/displayed in the Action Properties window. • Prob of Loss: Allows you to set the options that will be available for the Probability of Loss menu that can be enabled/displayed in the Failure Properties window. Note that the order of the options in each menu reflects the order in which the options will appear in the menu within the interface. The following buttons allow you to manage the options that have been defined for each menu. • Delete Row deletes the currently selected option from the menu. • Insert Row inserts a new option above the currently selected option in the menu. • Move Up moves the currently selected option up one place in the menu. • Move Down moves the currently selected option down one place in the menu.


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The window shown next provides an example of what your screen might look like as you add entries to the Action Category menu for your new custom menu set. The appearance will vary, of course, based on the information that is appropriate to your particular needs.

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Define the menu options for each of the five menus and click OK to save the new menu set.

4.13.5 Create a Custom Profile As the previous examples in this training guide have demonstrated, profiles provide a quick and easy way for you to assign the interface style, rating scales and menu set to the projects that you create and manage with Xfmea. •

To create your own custom profile, which can be applied to the projects that you create in Xfmea, begin by clicking the Profiles tab in the Profiles/Libraries management window. This page displays a list of existing profiles.

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Click Add to open the Add Profile window.

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Type a unique name for Name and, if desired, type a more detailed text description for Description.

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Next, select the custom interface style that you created in Section 4.13.2 from the Interface Style menu, which displays a list of all existing interface styles defined on your computer.

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Then select the custom menu set that you created in Section 4.13.4 from the Menu Set menu.

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Finally, select the custom severity, occurrence and detection scales that you created in Section 4.13.3 from the Severity Scale, Occurrence Scale and Detection Scale menus.

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When you have made all selections, click OK to create the new profile. When you apply this profile to a new or existing project, the interface style, severity scale, occurrence scale, detection scale and menus used within the project will be updated automatically to fit the custom preferences that you have predefined.

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To investigate more advanced features of Xfmea's profiles and libraries, leave the Profiles/Libraries Management window open and proceed to the next example.

4.14 Example 13 - Advanced Techniques for Profiles/Libraries This example guides you through the processes required for more advanced profiles and libraries management techniques in Xfmea. With this example, you will obtain settings from another library, modify the project properties directly within a project, create a new library set based on the properties that have been defined for a particular project and create and activate your own custom phrase library.

4.14.1 About Library Files The profiles and libraries settings that have been defined on your computer are stored by default in the defaults.lb3 file in the Xfmea application directory on your computer (e.g. C:\Program Files\ReliaSoft\Xfmea3). Therefore, each user can manage the profiles and libraries stored on his/her computer independently of other users. If you want to obtain new or updated settings information from another user's computer, you can import that record from the library file on that user's computer to the defaults.lb3 file on your own computer. You can also export your custom settings to a new library and then set this library as the active library for the projects you create. In addition, you can set the active library location in a shared network location so that all users have the same profiles and libraries.

4.14.2 Export Library to Another File •

With the Profiles/Libraries Management window already open, click the Export Current Library button and type TrainingLibrary for the name of the new library file (*.lb3) that you are creating.

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Click Save to create the file.


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4.14.3 Delete a Rating Scale •

Go to the Severity page of the Profiles/Libraries Management window and select the Ten Pt (Sev) rating scale that is shipped with the software.

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Click Delete to delete the rating scale from the active library.

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Since there is no undo for delete, you will be prompted to confirm that you want to delete the rating scale. Click Yes to continue.

4.14.4 Obtain Settings from Another Library •

Click Add to open the Add Severity Scale window. Click the Copy Existing button to display a Select Severity Scale window like the one shown next.

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By default, this window displays a list of all the severity rating scales that have been defined in the active library on your computer However, you can click the Browse button at the top of the window to select a different *.lb3 file to import a rating scale from.

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After clicking Browse, choose the TrainingLibrary.lb3 file that you created in the previous step.

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You can see that the Import from Library field at the top of the window now displays the TrainingLibrary.lb3 file and the table has been updated with the severity scales that exist in that *.lb3 file.

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Select the rating scale called Ten Pt (Sev) and click OK. The Add Severity Scale window will now be updated with the properties of the rating scale that you imported from the other library file.

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Click OK to save the new rating scale into your library then close the Profiles/Libraries Management window.

4.14.5 Modify Project Properties Directly Within the Project Although the previous examples in this training guide have always set the project properties automatically with a pre-defined profile, you can also modify the project properties directly within a project. These changes apply to the project only and have no direct effect on the profile and libraries that were used to set the project properties originally. •

Open the AuthorizedUsers.rx3 database from the Training folder in your application directory (e.g. C:\Program Files\ReliaSoft\Xfmea3\Training). The Username is “username” and the Password is “password” for this login secure database.

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Next, open the Project Properties window for the project called “Sample Project.”

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As you can see, the properties for this project were originally set based on the Standard FMEA profile that is shipped with Xfmea. For this example, suppose that all of the properties from the Standard FMEA profile are appropriate for the project except that you would like to choose a different Occurrence scale and make a few adjustments to the interface style. •

To change the Occurrence scale assigned to this project, first click the Occurrence tab and then click the Apply Existing button at the bottom of the page. If a warning message is displayed, click OK to continue. This message simply reminds you that if you change the rating scale for the project and the project already has records that have been rated according to the old scale, you may need to re-set the ratings for those records according to the new scale in order to avoid inconsistencies in RPN calculations.

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After clicking the Apply Existing Occurrence Scale button, the menu to the right will become enabled and you can select a different Occurrence scale to apply for this project, as shown next.


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Select the ARP5580 (Occ) scale (created based on the SAE's ARP5580 guideline and shipped with Xfmea) to update the Occurrence scale for the current project, as shown next.

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Next, click the Interface Style tab to edit the interface style that has been defined for this project. On this page, click the Edit button to open the Edit Project Interface Style window.

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For this example, suppose that the standard interface style is acceptable except for the following: • Users will not be able to enter Design Engineer or Drawing Number for item records. • The Responsibility field for the Analysis Properties will be called "Design/Process Responsibility." • Users will be able to enter three levels of effect descriptions for effect records, called End Effect, Next Level Effect and Local Effect.

To make these changes, do the following: •

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From the Item page of the window, click inside the Enabled/Displayed column in the row for the Design Engineer property and set the value to No. Then disable the Drawing Number property as well.



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Next, click the Analysis tab and then click inside the Display/Report Name column for the Responsibility property. Edit the text to set the label as Design/Process Responsibility, as shown next.

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Finally, click the Effect tab and then enable the Next Level Effect Description and Local Effect Description properties, as shown next.

4.14.6 Create a New Library Set Based on Project Properties •

The changes that you have made to the interface style will be applied to the current project when you click OK. In addition, if you want to save the modified interface style in your library so that it will available to apply to the projects that you create and modify in the future, select the Add to Library option in the top right corner of the window. The Name and Description fields will become enabled.


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Type a name (required) and description (optional) for the new interface style that will be added to the library, as shown next.

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Now, click OK to apply the modified interface style to the current project and add it to the library for future re-use.

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Click OK to close the Project Properties window.

4.14.7 Create a Custom Phrase Set In addition to the settings that are applied in the Project Properties window, Xfmea allows you to manage other pre-defined resources within your library file: phrase sets, checklists, ground rules and assumptions lists and quality surveys. As the examples in this training guide have demonstrated, you can use phrase sets to quickly and easily enter descriptions for the records you create in your analyses. The other records are available for use in the software’s Analysis Planning utility. For this example, you will be creating a custom phrase set.

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To create your own custom phrase set, first select Profiles/Libraries Manager again from the Tools menu. Then click the Phrase Sets tab to display a list of all the phrase sets that have been defined in the active library, as shown next.

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Click Add to open the Add Phrase Set window. This window works in a similar fashion to the windows that you used to create your own custom interface style, rating scales and menu sets. Follow a similar procedure now to pre-define descriptions that may be of use to you when you are creating records in your FMEA/FMECA analyses. If you have phrase sets for functions, failures, etc. already defined in Excel, you can import them on the appropriate tabs of this window.

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When you have fully defined your own new custom phrase set, click OK to add the phrase set to the library.


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Click Close to close the Profiles/Libraries Management window and then select User Setup from the File menu to open the User Setup window. Click the Descriptions tab. You can see that your new custom phrase set has been added to the list of phrase sets that are available on your computer.

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If you would like to activate this phrase set so that its descriptions will be included in the Select Existing windows when you edit analyses on your computer, mark the checkbox next to the phrase set name and click OK.

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After you are finished experimenting with these advanced profiles/libraries management options, you can close the project and the database before proceeding with the next example.

4.15 Example 14 - Perform Your Own FMEA/FMECA This example guides you through the steps to perform an FMEA or FMECA analysis for one of your own products or processes. It has been designed to bring together all of the techniques that you have practiced by working through the examples in this training guide. The example will help you to focus your new skills toward performing a real analysis that will be of interest to you and your organization. All instructions for this example are very general and the appearance of the windows will vary depending on your particular processes and information.

4.15.1 Use the Setup Wizard to Configure the Software If you did not already go through each step of the Setup Wizard, which guides you through the process to configure Xfmea to fit the specific way that you and your organization work on FMEA/FMECA analyses, you may want to take some time to do so now. •

To open the Setup Wizard, select User Setup from the File menu and then click Run User Setup Wizard from the first page of the User Setup window.

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When you have completed all of the steps, click Finish to apply your own customized settings and close the wizard.

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4.15.2 Overview of Basic Analysis Steps The basic steps required to perform your own analysis are presented next. Specific instructions for performing each of these actions have been included within the previous examples of this training guide and/ or in the Xfmea User’s Guide. For this example, you will perform those steps that are applicable to your particular analysis requirements. •

Database: Create a database, with or without Login Security enabled. • Users: If the database has Login Security enabled, create an account for each authorized user.

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Project: Create a project with the appropriate properties to fit the requirements of your analysis. If applicable, use the custom profile that you created in Example 12 to quickly set the project properties.

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Items: Create one or more items in the System Hierarchy for the project.

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Analysis Properties: Define the analysis properties for one or more items in your project. These properties will be used to set the “header” information in printed report output and also the info in analysis properties reports.

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Item Reliability: If applicable, define the reliability characteristics for the item(s) in your analysis. This information will be included in item properties reports and used in quantitative criticality analyses, if performed.

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Functions, Failures, Effects and Causes: For each item that you want to analyze, define functions, failures, effects and causes, including all relevant properties.

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Controls: If applicable, define the current controls that have been identified for each cause in the analysis.

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FMEA/FMECA Risk Assessment: If applicable, use the Risk Priority Number or Criticality Analysis method to assess the risk associated with potential failure causes and to prioritize issues for corrective action.

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Actions: If applicable, define the recommended actions that have been identified for each cause in the analysis. • If desired (and possible on your computer), you may want to send notification e-mails to the people responsible for completing recommended actions. To enable this functionality, select the Enable action notification e-mails option on the E-mail page of the User Setup and set the related properties. • Monitor the progress on recommended actions.

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Check Analysis: Use the Check Analysis utility to identify any possible discrepancies and/or omissions within the project. Address the appropriate issues and use the Check Analysis utility to confirm that the issues have been resolved.

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Plots and Charts: Use the Plot Viewer utility to create a variety of pareto (bar) charts, pie charts and matrix charts based on the information within the project. • If desired, copy/paste the chart information into separate report documents and/or save the chart graphics as Windows metafiles (*.wmf) that can be used in other applications.

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Print-Ready Reports: Generate a variety of print-ready reports for the information contained within the project in Microsoft Word and/or Excel.

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Control Plans, DVP&Rs and Other Related Analyses: If desired, perform related analyses including transferring Design FMEAs to Process FMEAs, Process Flow Diagrams, Control Plans, DVP&Rs, Relationship Diagrams, etc.


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4.15.3 Share Your Experience If the analysis that you have prepared for this example contains non-proprietary and non-confidential information and you would like to share your work with other users who are learning the features of ReliaSoft's Xfmea, we invite you to send the database file to ReliaSoft Corporation for possible inclusion among the example files shipped with Xfmea. If you would like to share your analysis, please contact us via e-mail at [email protected].

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5 Appendix

This appendix includes the full FMEA and criticality analysis spreadsheet reports that will be generated based on the examples included in this training guide.


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Appendix

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5.1 Example 1 FMEA This example was prepared in Microsoft Word and was obtained from page 37 of the SAE J1739 standard document, entitled "Potential Failure Mode and Effects Analysis in Design (Design FMEA), Potential Failure Mode and Effects Analysis in Manufacturing and Assembly Processes (Process FMEA), and Potential Failure Mode and Effects Analysis for Machinery (Machinery FMEA)."

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5.2 Example 2 Criticality Analysis This example was prepared in Microsoft Excel using fictional information, which is not intended to be realistic.


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5.3 Example 3 Automotive Process FMEA (PFMEA) This example was prepared in Microsoft Word and was obtained from page 36 of the AIAG FMEA-3 standard document, entitled Potential Failure Mode and Effects Analysis: FMEA Third Edition.

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5.4 Example 4 Automotive Machinery FMEA (MFMEA) This example was prepared in Microsoft Word and was obtained from page 45 of the SAE J1739 standard document, entitled Potential Failure Mode and Effects Analysis in Design (Design FMEA), Potential Failure Mode and Effects Analysis in Manufacturing and Assembly Processes (Process FMEA), and Potential Failure Mode and Effects Analysis for Machinery (Machinery FMEA).


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5.5 Example 7 Quantitative Criticality Analysis This example was prepared in Microsoft Excel using fictional information, which is not intended to be realistic.

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5.6 Example 7 Qualitative Criticality Analysis This example was prepared in Microsoft Excel using fictional information, which is not intended to be realistic.


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