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The approvals explained below are
an important assurance that, throughout the chain of supply of components,
customer requirements will be met in full compliance with IECQ procedures.
Every approval granted under the
IECQ references a standard or specification that has been accepted
for use in the System.
Each approval carries the award
of a certificate.
Supplier
approval, which is applicable to manufacturers, distributors
and specialist contractors, is the first and obligatory level of
approval. It exceeds the relevant requirements of ISO 9001.
Approvals already granted by appropriate
certification bodies may be taken into account in any assessment
for supplier approval.
A manufacturer, having achieved supplier approval, may apply for
product approval through one or more of the following routes:
- Qualification
Approval, which is applicable to a component or range of components
which meet the requirements of the accepted specifications.
- Capability Approval, which defines
a manufacturer’s ability in respect of his manufacturing
processes and quality control methods, which may include design,
covering a specific component technology within a generic specification.
- Technology Approval, which focuses
on process control, and the continuous improvement of a manufacturing
technology. The manufacturer has to demonstrate his quality management
system through the application of a formal system, such as TQM
using in-process control methods (of which Statistical Process
Control (SPC) is an example) as appropriate for the manufacturer
of components in defined families.
Any component produced within the
scope of the above approvals is recognized as IECQ certified, and
can be released with a Declaration of Conformity if the user and
supplier so decide.
A specialist contractor, having
achieved supplier approval, may proceed to:
- Specialist Contractor Approval,
which allows firms serving the electronic component industry to
obtain approval under the IECQ as specialist contractors. Examples
of activities are ceramic package manufacture, printed board or
integrated circuit design and electroplating.
In association with supplier approval,
the following provisions apply to distributors and independent testing
laboratories:
- Distributor approval is available
to distributors of components acting independently of any manufacturer’s
production department and intending to stock and distribute approved
components under the authorization of an approved manufacturer.
- Independent Testing laboratory Approval is available to independent testing laboratories intending to
carry out tests on components within the IECQ. The approval
covers the type of tests to be carried out, the component ranges
to be tested and the facilities available, and exceeds the relevant
requirements of ISO/IEC 17025. Account is taken of any existing
and relevant accreditation.
ECMP - Electronic Components Management Plan
This is a relatively new field of
activity for IECQ and consists of auditing avionics OEMs (Original
Equipment Manufacturers) to IEC TS 62239, Process management for
avionics - Preparation of an electronic components management plan.
Hazardous
substances
This field is just being developed
now, to enable manufacturers to assure their customers that they
are able to produce components and products that comply with requirements
for the restriction of hazardous substances.
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