Understanding FMEA (Failure Mode & Effects Analysis)

🔍 Understanding FMEA (Failure Mode & Effects Analysis)

Think first. Prevent later.

FMEA is a proactive risk-assessment tool used to identify potential failures, understand their effects, and prevent issues before they reach the customer.

❓ What is FMEA?

Failure Mode & Effects Analysis (FMEA) is a structured methodology to:
Identify what can go wrong
Evaluate the impact of failure
Reduce risk through preventive actions

🧩 Key Elements of FMEA

1️⃣ Failure Mode – What can go wrong?
2️⃣ Effect – What happens if it fails?
3️⃣ Cause – Why will it fail?
4️⃣ Severity (S) – How serious is the effect?
5️⃣ Occurrence (O) – How often can it happen?
6️⃣ Detection (D) – Can it be detected before failure?

📊 RPN – Risk Priority Number
RPN = Severity (S) × Occurrence (O) × Detection (D)

🔺 Higher RPN = Higher Risk

🎯 Focus improvement actions on high-RPN items


🔁 FMEA Implementation Steps

✅ Identify potential failures
✅ Analyze effects and causes
✅ Rate S, O, D
✅ Calculate RPN
✅ Implement corrective & preventive actions
✅ Recalculate RPN to confirm risk reduction

🛠️ Example
Failure Mode: Bolt not tightened
Effect: Product failure
Action: Torque wrench + Poka-Yoke 🔒

📌 FMEA is not just a document—it’s a mindset for risk-based thinking and continuous improvement.


source :Six Sigma Manufacturing

hashtag

Mistakes teaches many things

 I spent years striving for "perfection."

Honestly, that was my biggest mistake.

I was a classic serial overplanner.

Google Docs, Notion pages, Trello boards... you name it.

Eventually, I came to the realisation we all come to:

If you're not making mistakes, you're not moving forward.

Truthfully, big change always comes with fear attached.

I think this is the biggest problem with schools in 2025.

We're taught theory, and sometimes, practice.

But mistakes aren't actively encouraged. They should be.

Take it from me:

❌ I failed on LinkedIn for years...

✅ Until 2024, I now have 82,442+ followers.

❌ I changed direction multiple times post-graduation...

✅ I'm now a leading figure at a high-growth startup.

❌ I used to be, quite frankly, a terrible leader.

✅ Now I feel more competent at leading and delegating.

I wouldn't be where I am without the errors I made!

If you have self-limiting beliefs or fear of failure...

You will not achieve the success you're after.

At the end of each week, try this exercise:

1. Reflect on your week overall.

2. Write down 3 mistakes you made.

3. Create an action plan to fix the error.

Make mistakes and learn ma people 💪

What's a recent mistake you've made?

Let me know in the comments!

♻️ Repost to help others learn by doing.

source : Thomas Pearce

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : The annoying saddle twist warpage of low MFI polyolefin grades.

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

The annoying saddle twist warpage of low MFI polyolefin grades.

If you ever molded extrusion or blow-molding grades of PP or PE, you have certainly experienced a big warpage problem, stemming from the surprisingly higher than usual IN-FLOW shrinkage.

The graph on the right (similar to my previous post nr. 146) shows that moving to a lower Melt Index increases the chance of freezing more molecular orientation in the part, as a result of the longer relaxation time of low MFI grades.

The graph in the center, from the cited article of 2006, shows the trend of increasing parallel to flow shrinkage with increasing molecular weight of a simple unfilled PP homopolymer.

Note that the three grades are all more viscous than typical in Injection Molding, and they all show a strong anisotropic shrinkage (this is measured on a dog-bone classical tensile bar sample) with larger shrinkage in the flow direction, due to strong molecular orientation. 

It is the exact contrary of classical higher flow PP grades where perpendicular shrinkage is higher than parallel !

Finally, as seen on the left drawing (by Covestro), a centrally gated part will warp in a “saddle twist” fashion when the In-FLOW shrinkage is larger than the CROSS-FLOW shrinkage (perimeter wants to be larger than the corresponding radius).

When dealing with these viscous “twisty-warpy” grades one could in theory add just a few % GF that create the opposite effect of lower IN-FLOW shrinkage. Magically, you could suddenly mold a perfectly flat disc, by adding just a pinch of GF to the mix !

A higher packing (qualifying probably as OVERPACKING of the part center) would also flatten these part by creating the opposite warp trend, something illustrated in classical MOLDFLOW® literature more than 40 years ago.

What is your own experience with low MFI grades ? 

Please comment and share so that we all learn more about this issue.

source :Vito leo

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : Analysis of POM with other Plastics

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

Comparative Analysis of POM with Other Plastics:

Some of the key advantages and limitations of POM compared to other plastics are highlighted below:

POM vs Nylon

• POM has lower moisture absorption and better dimensional stability than nylon
• It has higher tensile strength, hardness and modulus than nylon
• Nylon offers higher toughness, ductility and impact strength compared to POM
• Nylon has better chemical resistance than POM, especially to bases, oils and greases
• POM provides lower coefficient of friction than nylon

POM vs Polycarbonate

• POM has much higher strength, hardness and stiffness than polycarbonate
• PC offers very high impact resistance compared to brittle
• POMPolycarbonate has superior temperature resistance up to 140°C vs 90°C for POM
• POM has lower moisture absorption and better dimensional stability
• PC has higher ductility and fracture toughness compared to POM

POM vs Polyimide

• Polyimide can withstand much higher temperatures than POM
• It has excellent strength retention at high temperatures vs POM
• POM offers better impact strength and machinability
• Polyimide has superior wear resistance and chemical resistance
• POM has lower density and moisture absorption compared to polyimide

source:beeplastic.com

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share : THE REAL SCENARIO IN EUROPE CHEMICAL INDUSTRY

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

Europe is….

losing chemical capacity….

at high pace……

Imports from China are up 27%, deliveries from the US have increased by 17%, while more than 20% of European chemical production has been lost since 2021, much of it permanently. This is not a temporary cycle but a structural change in global competitiveness.

Producers in China and the US benefit from lower energy costs, significant overcapacity, and supportive trade frameworks. European producers, by contrast, face persistently high costs, lengthy approval processes, and regulatory uncertainty. Under these conditions, competing on price alone becomes increasingly difficult.

The impact is visible across the value chain. Plants are being shut down, integrated sites are weakened, and interconnected chemical clusters are at risk. Calls for protective measures are therefore understandable, but protection alone will not secure Europe’s industrial base.

What Europe needs is a clear focus on competitiveness, affordable and reliable energy, faster permitting, realistic transformation pathways, and an industrial policy that balances ambition with economic feasibility. Without a strong base chemical industry, downstream sectors such as pharmaceuticals, materials, and the energy transition itself are put at risk.

The key question is no longer whether capacity will leave Europe, but how much, and how quickly.

source : Markus Hartung

#ChemicalIndustry

🍽️ Rethinking Waste, Powering Travel 🚍

 In Sweden, yesterday’s food scraps are powering today’s buses, trucks, and garbage collection vehicles. What sounds futuristic is already a reality—and a blueprint for circular, low-carbon cities.

Here’s how it works:

👉 Households separate food waste from other trash.

👉 Waste is collected and sent to biogas plants.

👉 Through anaerobic digestion, organic leftovers are transformed into bio-CNG (compressed natural gas).

👉 This clean, renewable fuel powers public transport, closing the loop between consumption and energy.

🌱 Why it matters for climate and cities:

Each ton of food waste diverted prevents the release of methane, a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than CO₂.

Cities reduce dependence on fossil fuels while lowering air pollution.

Public transport becomes greener, cheaper, and circular, demonstrating that everyday waste can be a valuable energy resource.

Sweden’s approach proves that solutions to climate challenges don’t always require high-tech innovation—sometimes, it’s about rethinking what is considered waste. Scaling this globally could drastically cut urban emissions, improve air quality, and accelerate the transition to Net Zero.

Food waste isn’t just trash—it’s an untapped energy goldmine. Circular thinking can turn yesterday’s leftovers into tomorrow’s clean energy, powering cities while protecting the climate.

Would you ride a bus fueled by last night’s dinner? The future of sustainable transport might be closer than it seems.

Image Credit: Wangechi Kuria

source : Waste Innovation Stories