Let's Understand PPAP in 5 minutes

Introduction

PPAP is indeed a remarkable tool in the realm of PCB (Printed Circuit Board). It provides a unified "language" for defining quality standards and traceability of products and components.

For companies engaged in mass production, it is highly recommended to adhere to PPAP practices. PPAP acts as a checklist, guiding both customers and suppliers on the necessary steps involved in developing a new component. It sets a framework within which everyone operates.

1. What is PPAP?

PPAP (Production Part Approval Process), known as "生产件批准程序" in Chinese, is one of the five major tools of IATF 16949.

It is used to determine whether the supplier has correctly understood all the requirements of the customer's engineering design records and specifications, and whether the manufacturing process has the potential to produce products that meet customer requirements at the quoted production pace.

The purpose of the PPAP process is to confirm that the organization (supplier):

• Understands the customer's design requirements and specifications correctly.
• Can consistently produce products that meet customer specifications.
• Meets customer capacity (pace) requirements.

2. PPAP Process Requirements

A. Trial Production Requirements

For production parts used in PPAP, the products must be sampled from a significant production run. This production process should involve mass production lasting from 1 hour to 8 hours, and the specified production quantity should be at least 300 consecutive parts unless otherwise specified by an authorized customer representative.

The significant production run must utilize the same fixtures, measuring tools, processes, materials, and operators as the full-scale production environment. Parts from each production process, such as repeatable assembly lines and/or workstations, multi-cavity molds, forming dies, tools, or models at each position, must be measured and representative parts must undergo testing.

B. Documentation Requirements

According to the AIAG PPAP manual, a complete PPAP package needs to contain 18 items, as follows:

3. When PPAP Submission is Required

1. For a new part or product (i.e., a part, material, or color that has not been previously provided to a specific customer).

2. When there’s a correction of a previously supplied non-conforming part;

3. When there’s a change in product due to an engineering change in design records, specifications or materials;

When there are changes in the design or process of any existing product.

4. PPAP Submission Levels

According to the requirements of the AIAG PPAP manual, there are a total of 5 submission levels for PPAP. Regardless of the level requested by the customer, the supplier must complete all 18 elements of PPAP on-site.

Level 1 - Submission of the warrant only (providing an appearance approval report for specified visual items).

Level 2 - Submission of the warrant, product samples, and limited relevant supporting documentation.

Level 3 - Submission of the warrant, product samples, and complete relevant supporting documentation.

Level 4 - Submission of the warrant and additional requirements specified by the customer.

Level 5 - The warrant, product samples, and all supporting data are retained at the manufacturing site for review.

5. How to Truly and Effectively Implement PPAP?

Many people believe that PPAP is a simple "submission" activity, which is carried out in the fourth stage of APQP - "Product and Process Validation" and is an output of this stage (see the diagram below). This understanding can easily lead to:

• In actual work, the PPAP work is treated as the function and responsibility of a certain department or engineer in the organization, and the PPAP deliverables often need to be compiled and submitted within a relatively short period of time;
• The deliverables have many problems and do not meet the customer's requirements;
• The new product mass production process has not been fully and effectively verified, resulting in unstable quality in mass production and a very low qualified rate;
• The production capacity efficiency cannot meet the customer's needs, and the delivery time cannot be guaranteed;
• The process is extremely unstable, with internal problems emerging constantly, and the organization is busy putting out fires;

This actually misses the true meaning and role of the Production Part Approval Process (PPAP).

In the AIAG "APQP Second Edition" implementation manual, "Chapter 4 Product and Process Validation" involves the following PPAP content:

It's originally,?"Production Part Approval", abbreviated as PPA, not PPAP.

The missing P is Process. PPA is only a sub-activity of PPAP, emphasizing the "approval" action. To truly and effectively implement PPAP, we need to focus more on the Process, that is, how to implement the PPAP process?

The PPAP implementation process should run through the entire product development process. PPAP planning should start from the new product design stage and be completed before the new product is mass-produced.

Let's, summarize the 6-step PPAP implementation process ;

Step 1: PPAP Initiation

Timing: When a new project is approved and the product design stage begins, the PPAP initiation activity can be carried out.

Purpose:?To proactively plan the PPAP implementation process, clarify all the customer's requirements for PPAP deliverables, and develop a PPAP implementation plan to ensure the smooth execution of PPAP.

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Step 2: PPAP Document Pre-Review

Timing: During the product sample stage, i.e., the product design and development stage and the process design and development stage, regular PPAP document pre-review activities can be conducted.

Purpose: To emphasize that PPAP deliverables are the outputs from different stages of the product development process; during the product development process, timely review the relevant outputs, correct problems, and ensure the effectiveness of PPAP deliverables.

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Step 3: PPAP Production Preparation

Timing:?Before the product enters the pilot production stage, PPAP production preparation work should be planned and implemented.

Purpose: To proactively plan and prepare the PPAP production validation process to ensure that the PPAP production process is an "effective production process." (This "effective production process" is a key definition of PPAP, which can be found in the manual.)

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Step 4: PPAP Production Validation

Timing:?During the product pilot production stage, i.e., the product and process confirmation stage, PPAP production validation is conducted according to the PPAP production validation plan or customer requirements.

Purpose: To confirm that the product production process quality control is under control; to confirm that the products produced through an "effective production process" meet the customer's requirements; and to confirm that the production capacity can meet the customer's requirements.

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Step 5: PPAP Deliverable Submission

Timing:?After the PPAP production process validation is passed, the PPAP deliverables need to be organized and submitted immediately.

Purpose: To organize and submit objective evidence for the customer's final review and confirmation (the deliverables may not just be a file package!).

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Step 6: PPAP Approval

Timing: Before mass production of the product, PPAP approval must be obtained.

Purpose: To obtain the customer's recognition and be able to provide the product in large quantities.

Understanding and implementing the above 6-step process is the key to the successful and effective implementation of PPAP.