Wuerth Quality & Design Centre now ISO/IEC 17025 accredited
Elektronik eiSos, manufacturer of electronic and electromechanical components, has successfully accredited its global Quality & Design Center in Shenzhen (China) in accordance with ISO/IEC 17025. Quality Design Center was built in 2009, close to one of the manufacturing locations of this globally active company.
This laboratory inspects the quality of the raw materials and the final goods, which are leaving the Asian production lines. The ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation process was initiated and completed in March of this year.
Laboratories accredited based on this standard show that their technical systems and methods are able to carry out accurate and repeatable laboratory tests. The test results are recognized among ilac-MRA accredited laboratories. Accreditation, like certification, is based on conformity with standards, but also on the requirement of being able to perform special repeatable laboratory tests. To guarantee this standard for the future, internal audits and conformity tests are conducted on a regular basis.
Benefits of accreditation are:
- Conformity with valid regulating requirements based on ISO/IEC 17025.
- nternational recognition that our Quality Center meets the necessary standards.
- Planned, systematic methods used in laboratory processes with associated documentation.
- Traceability and transparency of tests and experiments performed.
- Test equipment, conditions and calibrations according to national and international standards.
- Ongoing verification of test conformity.
- Benchmark of laboratory activity compared with other accredited laboratories.
Wuerth Elektronik eiSos sees great benefit for its customers, especially in the area of reliability tests for safeguarding and improving product quality. Component qualifications are performed from the very beginning to ensure highest quality and reliability standards of products.
These qualifications involve testing according to industry and automotive standards. Component design is tested by means of various tests, e.g. for their robustness and performance. The qualification of the long-term use of the component is also simulated in the customer application. To take power chokes as an example, this means that components supplied with loaded current are tested in special climate ovens for example at 125 °C ambient temperature for over hundreds of hours. The behavior of the components during the test can provide information about the component's durability and performance under conditions used by the customer.
In other tests, components are soldered onto circuit boards, and then pushed off with specific amounts of force. This shows if the desired (adhesive) stability exists between component and board. Soldering and properties of the component's connections are possible factors of influence. By taking additional steps during the manufacturing process and making possible changes in the selection of materials, it's then possible to optimize properties of the component's lead wire in order to obtain the desired (adhesive) stability and product quality.
In additional tests, soldered components are tested with a vibration test system. This simulation provides information about mechanical reliability in terms of environmental influences such as shocks, transports and other kinds of movements. Subsequent analysis investigates more closely any possible indications of material fatigue in order to make improvements through design changes and selection of different materials.
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