1 purpose and scope 2 table of contents - viasat

Viasat, Inc. Process Area: Document Number: Revision: Quality 070-QA-044 05

Name of Document: Process Category: Page: Standard for Workmanship and General Practices Quality 1 of 40

1 Purpose and Scope To establish procedures and ensure consistency in requirements for general workmanship and standard practices of electronics hardware.

The documents referenced herein shall represent the minimum workmanship standards for all fabricated printed circuit boards, electronic sub-assemblies and assemblies, as well as mechanical assemblies, which represent Viasat products. The requirements herein are applicable not only to Viasat and its Divisions but all contracted product for which this standard would be imposed.

2 Table of Contents 1 Purpose and Scope ............................................................................................................... 1 2 Table of Contents .................................................................................................................. 1 3 General Procedure ................................................................................................................ 1 4 Metal Fabrication Workmanship Requirements ..................................................................... 3 5 Welding and Brazing Workmanship Requirements ............................................................... 6 6 Mechanical Assemblies ......................................................................................................... 7 7 Cleaning of Parts and Assemblies ......................................................................................... 8 8 Wiring/Cable Crimping and Installation Workmanship .......................................................... 9 9 Acceptance Criteria for Circular Coax Crimps ..................................................................... 12 10 Handling of Equipment ..................................................................................................... 15 11 Cosmetic Inspection Criteria ............................................................................................ 16

11.1 Purpose and Scope .................................................................................................. 16

11.2 Inspection Purpose ................................................................................................... 16

11.3 Terms and Defect Definitions ................................................................................... 16

11.4 Preferred Appearance Quality .................................................................................. 33

11.5 Surface Categories ................................................................................................... 34

11.6 Light Source .............................................................................................................. 34

11.7 Inspection Table Surface .......................................................................................... 34

11.8 Viewing Time ............................................................................................................ 35

11.9 Viewing Orientation ................................................................................................... 35

11.10 Magnification Tools ................................................................................................... 35

11.11 Viewing Distance ...................................................................................................... 35

11.12 Acceptable Defects Matrix ........................................................................................ 36

12 References ....................................................................................................................... 40

3 General Procedure Verify all workmanship attributes comply with drawing specifications as well as the appropriate reference standard Workmanship

All procedures applied in the manufacture of products as referenced in Section 4 are expected to be in accordance with the best manufacturing practices that will produce the highest quality products. Viasat, Inc. or any Divisions, as the Buyer, reserves the right to review all Supplier procedures on workmanship practices during a process audit under the AS9100 / ISO 9001 Quality Management System or any

Name of Document: Document Number: Revision Page: Standard for Workmanship and General

Practices 070-QA-044 05 2 of 40

additional or subsequent systems that Viasat, Inc. may deem necessary to impose. Those procedures should detail or reference practices such as:

• soldering practices as specified in IPC documents • marking of parts and assemblies • wiring assembly and installation practices • welding and brazing practices • plating practices • riveting practices • surface finishing practices (e.g., faying, sealing, painting, sanding, conformal coating, passivation,

etc.) • machining operations practices • screw assembly practices • deburring practices • sharp edges removal practices • proper removal of unwanted contaminates and surface films

The Supplier shall schedule and perform inspections on the contracted product throughout the manufacturing process to insure compliance with approved procedures for workmanship practices. Examples of areas to be inspected are:

• mounting and installing parts and subassemblies • cleaning of parts and assemblies • installation of threaded fasteners and rivets • installation of gear and bearing assemblies • assembly of wiring • installation of wiring • soldering, welding and brazing

The Supplier should develop inspection checklists so that consistent inspections can be conducted to insure good workmanship.



4 Metal Fabrication Workmanship Requirements SURFACE ROUGHNESS Unless otherwise specified, surface roughness shall be no greater than a 125 micro inch finish.

BURRS AND SHARP EDGES Definition

A burr is a rough or irregular piece of material that typically occurs at the edge of a part feature. The burr is usually the result of the part fabrication process.

Burr Types

• Tight Burr – A burr that is strongly attached to the part. The burr cannot be moved or dislodged.

• Rolled-over Burr – A burr that is curled over on itself. Concern is that contaminates can be trapped in the burr.

• Embedded Burr – Any burr that has been pressed into the base metal. The burr cannot be moved or dislodged.

• Loose Burr – A burr that is not firmly attached to the part. The burr can be moved or dislodged.

• Feather Burr – A very thin or fine burr typically less than .001” thick. The burr can be moved or dislodged.

Deburring Requirements

Unless otherwise specified, when the drawing specifies that the fabricated item shall be deburred, Table 1 shall be used to determine the acceptability or non-acceptability of burrs according to the specified part class. The requirement is applicable to all edges and corners.

Burr removal shall not result in a chamfer or radius that exceeds .015 inches, or one-quarter of the material thickness, or the maximum edge break radius as specified on the drawing, whichever is smaller.

After the deburring process the parts shall meet the dimensional tolerances specified on the drawing.

Part Classifications

• Class 1 - General Service Parts Non critical parts. Can include commercial parts and special test equipment (STE). Includes applications where burrs would not impact product functionality or cosmetic requirements.

• Class 2 - Dedicated Service Parts Includes military and commercial parts where high performance and extended life is required.

• Class 3 - High Reliability Parts Includes space, military, and commercial parts where continued performance or performance on demand is critical. Equipment failures or downtime cannot be tolerated and must function when required.

Table 1. Burr Acceptability Criteria

Criteria Part Classification Class 1 Class 2 Class 3

Inspection Magnification None 10X 30X

Allowable Burr Type (unless specified on drawing)

Tight Burr, Embedded Burr



Part Dimensions Burr does not violate overall part dimensional

Burr does not violate overall part dimensional

Burr does not violate overall part dimensional



Criteria Part Classification Class 1 Class 2 Class 3 requirements requirements

requirements

Part Function Does not affect part form or function as determined by engineering.

Does not affect part form or function as determined by engineering.

Does not affect part form or function as determined by engineering.

Acceptable Burr Locations

Non-critical areas of part as determined by engineering.



Burr Attachment Condition

Not removable by hand or tweezers.



Post Burr Removal Condition

Does not violate overall part dimensional requirements

Does not affect part form or function

Exposed base metal must be approved by engineering.



Exposed base metal must be covered by an engineering approved coating.



Exposed base metal must be covered by an engineering approved coating.

Post Burr Removal Base Metal Repair

If exposed base metal is left as the result of burr removal, the vendor shall notify the buyer listed on the PO and provide the location and size of the exposed base metal. The buyer will then contact the cognizant engineer who shall determine whether the base metal can be left as is or shall specify the coating and application method for covering the base metal.

INSIDE SHARP CORNERS Inside sharp corners shown, but not specified as such on the drawing, may have a .015 inch maximum radius, or .015 inch maximum chamfer.

THREAD RELIEF Unless otherwise noted on the drawing, thread reliefs shall be as follows:

External: The relief diameter shall be equal to:

• Minimum minor diameter +.000/-.010 inches for threads .25 inch diameter and under.

• Minimum minor diameter +.000/-.020 inches for threads over .25 inch diameter

Internal: The relief diameter shall be equal to:

• Maximum major diameter +.020"/-.000 inches for threads .25 inch diameter and under. • Maximum major diameter +.040"/-.000 inches for threads over .25 inch diameter

Length of the thread relief shall not exceed 2-1/2 threads.

CONCENTRICITY Unless otherwise specified, all diameters shown concentric to each other shall be concentric within .010 total indicator runout.



PERPENDICULARITY OF HOLES Unless otherwise specified, clearance holes shown perpendicular to a surface shall be perpendicular within 0.5 degrees. Unless otherwise specified, tapped holes shown perpendicular to a surface shall be perpendicular within 1.0 degree.

PARALLELISM OF PLANE SURFACES Unless otherwise specified, all machined or sheared surfaces shown parallel shall be so within the tolerance zone for given length of the surface shown by Figure 1 and Table 1.

Figure 1. Parallelism for Plane Surfaces

Table 1. Parallelism Length/Tolerance

Length (inches) Tolerance (inches) 0.00 – 1.00 .003

1.00 – 3.00 .005

3.00 – 5.00 .010

5.00 – 25.00 .015

25.0 – 60.0 .050 If tolerance exceeds tolerance on the drawing, the drawing tolerance shall take precedence.

FLATNESS Machined surfaces shall be flat within .002 inch/inch.

SQUARENESS OF 90 DEGREE BENDS

Sheet metal bends shown as 90° on drawing shall be 90 +/- 1.0 degree. All formed parts shall have minimum bend reliefs where required.

GRAIN DIRECTION Unless otherwise specified, grain direction in formed metal parts may run in any direction convenient to manufacturing, provided these parts do not fracture at bends.

COUNTERBORE AND SPOTFACE FILLET RADII Counterbore and spotface fillet radii shown as sharp shall be sharp to:

• .010 maximum radius for bore sizes between 0.00 and 1.00 inches • .030 maximum radius for bore sizes between 1.00 and 2.00 inches

TANGENCY OF FILLETS AND ROUNDS Fillets and rounds shown tangent to adjacent surfaces shall fair smoothly with tangent surfaces +/- .005 inches.



5 Welding and Brazing Workmanship Requirements Aluminum Brazing

Viasat brazing procedure specifications When the class of braze is not specified on the Viasat drawing, or other applicable document, Class A requirements shall apply per AWS 3.7M/C3.7:2011.

Filler material shall be compatible to the material being brazed.

Brazing filler material will be AWS A5.8m/A5.8 approved foil or paste as specified on the drawing.

Fluxes shall conform to AWS A5.3M/A5.31and shall be compatible to filler material and shall remove oxides to prevent their reformation during the braze process.

Controlled Atmosphere Brazing (CAB) Assemblies will be cleaned and assembled following a documented procedure with traceability to each braze run and will include.

• Thermocouple placement and quantity

• Thermal Profiles

• Cooling time

Welding When not specified on the drawing Viasat welded assemblies will be based on the best practices identified in AWS D17.1/D17.1M:2010-AMD1. Parts must be checked and verified that they are to print, before welding. Once welding begins selective welding techniques must be exercised, so that surface distortion is held to a minimum. BUTT WELDS Unless otherwise specified, all butt weld joints shall have complete penetration.

WELD SIZES Fillet weld sizes shall be at least 140% of the thickness of the thinner material unless specified otherwise.

JOINT APPEARANCE Welds shall be free from harmful defects (e.g., cracks, porosity, undercuts, voids, and gaps). All welds and brazes shall show no burn-through. Weld bead appearance, cross-section and ripples shall be uniform and smooth.

GRINDING Grinding shall affect the minimum area possible to satisfy the drawing requirements. Welds shall not be ground unless required by drawing.



6 Mechanical Assemblies 6.1 When mounting and installing parts and/or subassemblies, the following practices will be adhered to

wherever applicable: • Assembled parts and hardware should be secured or mounted in a manner that satisfactorily

accomplishes the intended purpose without degrading or becoming damaged in the environment in which they are to be used.

• Electronic equipment comprised of missing, inoperative, defective, bent, broken, or otherwise damaged parts will be deemed unacceptable.

• Parts (e.g., hinges, catches, handles, knobs, etc.) installation should avoid damaging adjacent hardware or the mounting surface.

• Rework to damaged finishes will be considered successfully performed when the surfaces are touched-up with a continuous protective coating of identical composition as the original coating material.

• The touch-up color should match the original finish such that the blended colors are not visually noticeable.

6.2 Installation of Threaded Fasteners and Rivets

Threaded fasteners and rivets should be carefully selected and applied so as to produce a safe, non-corroding, functional and long-lived joining of materials. Commonly practiced procedures, guidelines and requirements are: • Screws, nuts and bolts should show no evidence of cross threading, mutilation, or detrimental or

hazardous burrs. • The mixing of fasteners composed of different metals should be strictly controlled (e.g., steel

nuts against aluminum flat washers) because dissimilar metals encourage corrosion and unequal resistance to mechanical stresses. Exceptions would include breakaway applications.

• Uneven/over stresses between soft and hard materials should be avoided because such stresses cause unwanted fatigue or early failure (e.g., steel screws fastening plastic pieces, aluminum screws to stainless steel nuts, etc.).

• All screw-type fasteners should be tight. Tight is defined as the screw or rivet being firmly secured with no noticeable movement between the attached parts before or after applying maximum force by hand without tools. It should be noted that tight may not guarantee unloosening, over time, due to vibration and movement between joined metals.

• In critical applications or whenever tightening of fasteners is insufficient, the Supplier manufacturing processes should specify the proper torque requirements for threaded fasteners.

• Self-locking fasteners and lock-wiring will be acceptable when specified on the engineering drawing.

• Split-ring lock washers may be used if buffered by flat washers when specified on the engineering drawing.

• Star lock washers will not be allowed. • Anti-seizing chemical locking agents (e.g., Loctite) may be used and only sparingly, with the

exception of instances when grounding bonds of less than 0.10 Ohm are required as specified on the engineering drawing.

• The riveting operation should be carefully performed such that the rivets are tight and satisfactorily headed with the rivet heads tightly seated against their bearing surface.



7 Cleaning of Parts and Assemblies The proper methods for cleaning parts and assemblies during the fabrication of product are essential in assuring the expected performance and long operational life. The subsequent procedures are offered as examples of acceptable cleanliness practices.

Product shall be cleaned of: • loose, spattered or excess solder • weld metal • metal chips • mold release agents • smudges • any other foreign material which might detract from the intended operation, function, or acceptable

appearance of the product • unwanted particles that could loosen or become dislodged during the normal expected life of the

product • all corrosive material prior to parts assembly into the product • contaminants (e.g., lubricating oils, mold release agents, waxes, sand, corrosion products, solder

fluxes, finger prints, dust, etc.) • all contaminants without incurring damage or change of electrical and mechanical properties of the

product by using the safest and most appropriate agent and methods

After cleaning, the product should be allowed to dry. Any remaining loose contaminants should be blown or vacuumed away, and all moving parts and assemblies should be relubricated according to design requirements. In addition, post inspection should reveal no damage, unusual wear or presence of contamination on the product.



8 Wiring/Cable Crimping and Installation Workmanship Requirements Viasat and all Viasat Subcontractors or Suppliers performing wiring/cable crimping operations shall implement the following steps to ensure proper tooling is used and maintained, resulting in acceptable connector contact crimps: 1. Tooling and assembly procedures for wiring shall be per Manufacturers' instructions unless otherwise

specified herein. 2. Viasat Manufacturing Engineering & Quality Engineering shall review the cable assembly drawings

with the Supplier and discuss the assembly materials, tooling and processes to be utilized to manufacture acceptable wiring/cable assemblies.

3. All BOM items shall be reviewed. Extra contact pins shall be required to develop the wiring or cable assembly process and perform the necessary tooling verification tests prior to assembly of production units.

4. Each contact or pin to be crimped shall require specific tooling and this shall be reviewed with the cable manufacturer.

5. All crimp tooling shall be uniquely and permanently identified with a part number and serial number (e.g., S/N 1, 2, 3) and shall be under the calibration control program of the cable manufacturer. As such, a sticker shall be added to each tool stating the calibration interval. Note: In the case of crimpers that use exchangeable die sets, the handles and dies shall each individually be serialized and controlled.

6. The proper wiring/cable preparation and crimping process shall be contained in adequate instructions and referenced in assembly drawings or other appropriate assembly documentation.

7. The visual acceptance criteria for circular coaxial connector contact crimps (which is not covered by IPC documentation) shall be discussed, and reviewed against the Viasat acceptance criteria procedure (see Reference Documents section.)

8. First Articles of contact crimps, and a detailed first article inspection (FAI) report shall be provided to Viasat by the wiring/cable manufacturer as required by contract. The First Articles shall be presented to Viasat for approval such that the cable crimps can be reviewed and inspected without any cable disassembly.

9. In the case of coaxial crimps, a set of go/no-go gauge tools shall be provided by the wiring/cable manufacturer and used to ensure the dimensions of the coaxial crimp tooling is acceptable for the contacts specified on the drawing. An optional method to be measurement of completed crimps to specifications by the crimp contact manufacturer.

10. Operator and Inspector training shall be provided by the wiring/cable manufacturer (both visual and gauge tooling checks) for acceptable crimps per requirements. It shall record names, dates and type of training performed. The Manufacturer, in their training, shall instruct each Operator performing any contact crimps that it is their responsibility to ensure these crimps are acceptable per the specification applicable before handing the cable assemblies to the next operation.

11. A Crimp Tooling Logbook shall be created for crimp tooling, and shall accommodate logging of results of daily a) inspection results of crimp tooling, b) gauge tool checks and c) visual inspection results obtained on the first three (3) production contact crimps produced with the tooling.

12. At the start of each day’s production of assembly wiring/cables, Manufacturing or Quality personnel shall inspect the following and log in the Crimp Tooling Logbook: a. The condition of the crimp tooling. The wear conditions shall be noted, along with any other

visual abnormalities noted. b. Results of the gauge tool check or measurement in the case of coaxial crimp tooling. c. The first three (3) production crimps produced with a tool shall be inspected for acceptance per

specified criteria, and results noted. • If acceptable, the tooling shall be released for use for the day for production crimping. • If, however, any contact crimps fail inspection, then production use with this tool shall be

withheld until a failure investigation is completed. The Manufacturer may swap out another qualified and released tool/die set for production use, provided the successful daily check of



that replacement tool is noted in the Crimp Tooling Logbook. The cause of the rejects shall be identified, and logged in the crimp-tooling logbook. ° If the failed crimps are determined to be the result of operator error it shall be recorded in

the logbook. The tooling shall then be closely inspected under magnification to ensure the operator did not damage it during the crimping of the previous 3 units. In the case of coaxial crimps, an additional check shall be done with either the go/no-go gauge of the tool or measurement of the final crimped contact to verify acceptable dimensions. Results of these checks shall be logged. To verify that it was indeed operator error, the operator shall repeat the crimping operation on another three (3) production crimps. If there are no visual failures, then the tooling can be released for daily production use.

° If the failure analysis determines the crimp failures to be due to crimp tooling wear or malfunction, then the tooling shall not be released for production use. Again, this shall be noted in the tooling logbook.

° Any tooling that fails inspection, or gauge tool or measurement checks, must be repaired or replaced prior to use in production. Sufficient evidence of repair or replacement shall be available.

13. During production, each Operator shall be responsible for the quality of the contact crimps they produce. Verification of tooling to the Contact Manufacturer specification shall be completed prior to use. Viasat encourages use of a “buddy system” whereby an Assembler performs a crimp, then performs a self-check to ensure the crimp is satisfactory before moving material to the next operation. The next Assembler in the process flow would then perform a quick check to ensure contacts are crimped properly and may now be processed through the next assembly sequence.

14. In-process Inspection shall be performed on contact crimps prior to any higher-level or subsequent assembly steps that may obscure full view of the crimps. Final Inspection shall be performed on the completed cable assemblies. All results shall be recorded and maintained per the manufacturer’s Quality Management System documentation as appropriate.

15. All assembly, tooling logbook entries and production/inspection data shall be subject to Viasat (or Viasat’s Subcontractor) review and acceptance. When installing wiring within an enclosure, the following practices shall be adhered to wherever

applicable: a. Insulated wire running between equipment or subassemblies within one piece of equipment (e.g.,

between drawers or chassis and module subassemblies) should be formed into cables or ducted wherever possible.

b. Wire and wire bundles routed through holes in paneling or enclosure walls should be protected with suitable insulated material (e.g., hole grommets).

c. Wires and cables should be positioned or protected to avoid contact with rough or irregular surfaces and sharp edges.

d. Wire dress or bundling of wires should not result in improper electrical operation or interference with mechanical operation that could lead to subsequent damage of the wire or cable.

e. Wiring/wire bundles should be securely supported and carefully routed to minimize chafing and abrasion, small bend radii (no less than three times the wire or bundle diameter) riding against sharp edges and hard surfaces, loosing of wire bundles, and occurrence of hotspots at the middle of wire bundles.

f. Riding conditions between wire/wire bundles on hard, sharp edges or surfaces shall be deemed unacceptable.

g. Cold-flowing characteristics of installed wiring should always be known, understood and be taken into account when implementing wire routing and bundling schemes.

h. Lacing of cabling should be applied firmly, yet not with excessive pressure such that it could cut into conductor insulation (e.g., plastic cable ties and “stitch-lock” type lacing tape are acceptable materials for lacing), as well as be neat and orderly in appearance.

i. Cable or wiring harnesses should be anchored to avoid damage to conductors or adjacent parts. j. Wire bundles and cables should always be fixed such that there is minimum or no mechanical

stresses (radial, torsional or lateral stresses) at the terminated ends (no wire movement at wire



termination points, e.g., connectors/backshells, contacts, solder and crimp joints, splices, etc.-minimizes the mechanical stresses).

k. Wire routing should be a safe distance from hot components to eliminate wire insulation deterioration.

l. Generous use of lacing tape, plastic tie-wraps or other non-metallic cable clamps to properly dress and stow wire bundles will be deemed acceptable practice.

m. Insulation should show no evidence of burns, abrading, or pinch marks that could cause short circuits or current leakage. In addition, any condition or stress that exceeds the voltage withstanding or insulation resistance characteristics should be eliminated.

n. Wires in a continuous run between two terminals should not be spliced during the assembly of the product, except where a stranded conductor is spliced to a solid conductor and the two are supported at the splice as allowed by the engineering drawing.

o. Clearance between wires/cables and heat generating parts (e.g., power semiconductors and resistors) should be such as to avoid deterioration of the wires or cables from the heat dissipated by these parts under the specified service conditions of the product.

p. Shielding on wires and cables should be secured in a manner that prevents contact or shorting of exposed current-carrying parts.

q. Shielding should terminate at sufficient distance from the exposed conductors of the cable to prevent shorting or arcing between the cable conductor and the shielding. The ends of the shielding or braid should be secured against fraying.



9 Acceptance Criteria for Circular Coax Crimps Circular ferrule crimps are not covered in IPC/WHMA-A-620 and therefore have no acceptance criteria associated with them. It is the purpose of this document to provide the acceptance and rejection criteria for those circular ferrule crimps to assist with proper assembly and inspection. Standard inspection methods per IPC/WHMA-A-620 shall be applied for circular ferrule crimps. When applicable, this procedure should be cited on the engineering drawing as the acceptance criteria. Inspections cited herein are accomplished using a high-powered inspection scope with at least 10X magnification. Substitute inspection scopes should be used to provide the necessary detail to detect the assembly defects cited herein.

Note: for coaxial and twin-axial assemblies to function properly, it is critical that all assembly instructions provided by the manufacturer be followed.

Defects/Rejectable Conditions Defect: Axial Misalignment (See Figure 1) Deformation (banana) of the contact/terminal that affects form, fit, function or reliability. This type of deformation may interfere with proper insertion or extraction from connector assembly.

Figure 1. Axial Misalignment (Banana) of the Crimped Contact

Defect: Ferrule Fractures and Cracks - Contact has visible fractures (See Figure 2) or cracks (See Figure 3) in the formed ferrule.



Figure 2. Fractured Ferrule

Figure 3. Cracked Ferrule



Defect: Dislocated Crimp - Crimp extends past crimp barrel out over the cable.

Defect: Lose Crimp - Ferrule and / or connector turns/moves on cable after crimping. This defect indicates the shield and/or inner contact is not secured which may result in conditions such as disconnected inner contact and/or unacceptable RF emissions.

Acceptable Conditions Acceptable: Slight Deformation (See Figure 4) - Slight deformation or irregularity of the metal in crimp ridge area due to wear and tear of tool. (Considered to be a process indicator.) Tool should be serviced/repaired as soon as this condition appears in the crimps. No evidence of cracks or fractures under a minimum of 10X magnification.

Figure 4. Slight Deformation in Crimp Ridge Area

Acceptable: Small Gap (See Figure 4) - Very small gap between outer and inner ferrules with no evidence crimp is loose or will rotate/move in any way.

Acceptable: Uncentered Crimp - Crimp is not centered on crimp area of terminal but does not cause damage to terminal or fail to hold.



Target Condition Target: No Deformations (See Figure 5 and 6) - Smooth straight crimp with no rough edges or evidence of cracking or gaps. Part cannot be rotated or moved after crimping,

Figure 5. Smooth Crimp with No Evidence of Gaps or Cracks

Figure 6. Smooth and Straight Crimp

10 Handling of Equipment Proper handling of parts and equipment must be exercised to preclude physical and/or electrical damage such as cracks, scratches, twists, fractures, etc. and the possibility of hidden damage such as that



produced by flexure of component leads, stressing of solder joints, over tightening of fasteners, electrostatic discharge (ESD), etc. In process work is often particularly susceptible to such damage and, as such, special precautions that may include special fixtures, stowage totes, etc. should be considered.

11 Cosmetic Inspection Criteria 11.1 Purpose and Scope

The purpose of this standard is to define and establish acceptance and rejection criteria for surface finish for incoming and outgoing inspections applicable at Customer, approved Supplier or Subcontractor and Viasat. The company uses similar inspection criteria as today’s technology and market leader. Viasat can meet any surface finish on request; our finishing standard is common industrial finish described in Surface Categories Section.

Each finishing class stands for special manufacturing and handling processes, which are proportional to the related costs. Every customer has to decide if a special cosmetic finish is a requirement or “nice to have”. Manufacturing processes of bare material (e.g. cold rolled steel, pre galvanized steel, extruded parts) as well from machining processes (e.g. punching, forming, and welding) may leave visible marks at the finished products, which are not avoidable. Anodized material is more scratch resistant than Alodine material.

This standard applies to Surface Finishes such as Paint, Chemical Conversion Coating (Alodine, Anodize), Plating, Molding and silk-screening.

11.2 Inspection Purpose

The inspection purpose is to determine any conditions for which the part or system will be rejected. The intent of inspection is

• To ship a part or system that meets the finish standard of this specification. • It is NOT the intent of inspection to find all imperfections on a part or system.

11.3 Terms and Defect Definitions

Accept per approved engineering drawing • Some cosmetic imperfections are not avoidable in certain process and design circumstances.

Approved engineering documents will point this out.

Abrasion • Surface imperfection that doesn’t remove or displace material appears as a scuff or changes to

the surface finish.

Bare Metal • A metal surface that has an intact protective coating but no cosmetic finish.

Base Metal • A bare metal surface on which the protective coating has been compromised.

Bleed Out

• A Substance that runs out of seams. Color can vary from brown, dark brown to gray white at plating.



Bleeding • Rough and not densely packed dull gray lines at plated material.

Blister

• A bubbling in the surface of the finish. Non-adhesion or lack of proper sticking of the coating to the surface caused by trapped air, gas or moisture.

Blush • Discoloration or change in gloss.

Break-out

• Tearing of metal, or other material away from a casted or molded edge as a result of a cutting/trimming process. This is likely to occur at flash points, or parting lines due to undersized, or dull die cutting/trimming tools.

Burns

• Brown marks or streaks on a surface of the part caused by trapped gases burning the surface of the plastic during molding operation.

Bubble



• A bubbling in the surface of the finish. Non-adhesion or lack of proper sticking of the coating to the surface caused by trapped air, gas or moisture.

Bump • Protrusions caused by trapped air / gas or moisture usually seen in finished parts.

Burnish Marks • Marks or lines that cannot be felt usually caused by tooling dies most common on flattened cold

rolled material e.g. Steel or aluminum sheets

Burrs

• Sharp edges around part features caused by manufacturing process like punching, shearing, milling or drilling.

Caution: Sheet metal edges that are compliant to UL 1439 can still cut through protective gloves and/or human hands.

Chipping • Areas in which the adhesion between the paint and the surface is poor, causing the paint to come

off with light rubbing.

Cloudiness



• A haziness or lack of clarity in otherwise transparent part.

Contamination • Rough and not densely packed dull gray lines at plated material. Colored specks of foreign

material embedded in or on the surface part.

Corrosion

• Areas of corrosion on any metal surfaces.

Caution: Small areas of rust are acceptable where plating is removed by a standard manufacturing or welding process, e.g. sheared (cut) edges.

Cracking • Crackled appearance due to poor adhesion usually from surface contamination before plating. • Hairline cracks of anodized material caused by bending, high temperature curing after silk

screening of the aluminum or tool mark hair cracks on the opposite site of the aluminum. • Fine damages which may extend in a pattern on or beneath the surface or through a layer of

material.



Crazing • A fine mesh of minute cracks on the surface of some plastics due mainly to the effects of UV light.

Delaminating • Separation, peeling of thin layer of material

Dent • A surface depression caused by an impact.

Caution: Tooling marks are not dents. Die marks

• Marks made on the metal’s surface when it is formed, usually consist of long straight lines.



Ding • Roughly funnel shaped dent caused by an impact.

Dirt • Any particle of foreign material.



Discoloration • Any change from the original color or shade in the finish.

Distortion • A deformation of a diecasted part



Dust • Small particles.

Fill In • An excess of ink that alters the form of a screened feature not affecting legibility.

Fingerprints

• An impression left on the surface due to operator handling.

Finish

• An area of smoother finish of molded plastic parts.



Flaking • Areas in which the adhesion between the paint and the surface is poor, causing the paint to come


Flash • Thin, excess material usually around the area of the mold parting line or internal shutoff areas.

Flow Marks • Waviness of edge or excess linear surface texture of silk-screened areas.

Fracture

• Material splitting usually on the outside bend radius.

Gates • Point at which plastic is injected in cavity, usually on parting line.

Gloss • A uniform appearance of a painted or molded area. E.g. Shiny, matt

Glossiness • An area of either excessive or deficient gloss.

Gouge • A groove or scratch that extends through the finish and into the metal caused by a sharp object. A

depth is measurable.



Grease • Any lubricant transferred to the part’s surface, shiny or glossy patches on the surface of the part.

Haze • Cloudiness on an otherwise transparent part.

Inconsistency • Variation of gloss, thickness of line or surface texture.

Inclusions • Small craters on surface caused by dust or dirt.

Lint • Any unintended foreign substance in the coating or on the surface.

Marbling • Colored streaks on a surface caused by improper mixing of molten plastic.

Marks • Pits, sanding, or other marks on base material that remains visible after coating.

Matt Finish • A less glossy finish of a surface area.

Metal Fuzz • Fine grit metal shavings that are clumped together may also be magnetic.



Nicks • Like gouges but short of length caused by impact.

Non-adhesion • Lack of proper sticking of the coating or a glued material to the surface.

Non-uniform Coverage • Areas that have an insufficient or excessive coating.

Oils • Oily material on the surface due to materials used in manufacturing processes. Oily looking spots

caused by Loctite locking feature.

Orange Peel • Paint defect, rippled or mottled appearance viewable as concentric lines caused by under

pressurizing not dried paint surfaces.

Orange Skin • Paint defect, rippled or mottled appearance.

Oxidation • Has a rough feel of appearance. Dull gray, dark gray, black, brown, dark cinnamon or possibly

white colored substance.

Peeling • Areas in which the adhesion between the paint and the surface is poor, causing the paint to come




Pitting • Small craters on surface.

Punch mark • Mark on the surface of a material due to punch process.

Runs • Drips, bleeding, visible lines or raised areas of excessive paint or chemical coating similar to non-

uniform coverage.



Rust • Areas of corrosion on any metal surfaces

.

Caution: Small areas of rust are acceptable where plating is removed by a standard manufacturing or welding process, e.g. sheared (cut) edges.

Scratch • A shallow groove that can be seen but not felt.

Scuff marks • A series of very light, concentrated scratches that can be seen but not felt.

Short-Shot • Incomplete molded feature.

Sink



• Depression or dimple caused by non-uniform material shrinkage. Slug Mark

• A surface deformity caused by the punching process. •

Smearing • The presence of ink on areas not called out in the master artwork.



Smudge • Any dirt particle of foreign material.

Specks

• Small particles.



Spot Weld Mark • Dish shaped surface caused by spot welding process.



Tooling Marks • Very shallow lines which are parallel to bends in part. • Unwanted impact of a tool during punch process.

Caution: Some tooling marks are not avoidable in some process steps. E.g. punching, forming, and bending.

Texture • An area of rougher finish of plastic molded parts. • A rougher but uniform finish of painted parts.

Visible Surface • Surfaces those are visible when the enclosure or part is installed in a completed assembly.

Void • The failure of ink to define a graphic feature.

Warpage • Dimensional distortion in a part after molding, pressing or laminating. Twist or bows in the part.

Water Spots • Rough and not densely packed dull gray lines at plated material.



Weld lines • Line where molten plastic or metal joins form a part. A weld line usually appears as a noticeable

line or gloss variation across the surface of the part. 11.4 Preferred Appearance Quality

PAINT • Preferred

o Painted surfaces should be defect free and the texture and color should be uniform throughout the entire surface.

o The finish on a continuous surface shall exhibit no gross imperfections such as gouges, large chips, runs, blisters, oil spots, flaking, or any defects that will affect the functional properties of the finish.

o Paint touch-up is acceptable. o A touch-up is not acceptable if visible at the viewing distance for that class of surface.

SILK-SCREENING • Preferred

o Silk-screened logos or symbols should be defect free, and should withstand cleaning with mild solvents and the tape pull test.

PLATING

• Preferred o Visible outside surfaces should be defect free, and die and slug marks should not be visible. o The coating surface shall have a uniform, metallic appearance without visible defects such as

blisters, pits, pimples, and cracks. o Imperfections that arise from surface conditions of the substrate and persist in the coating

shall not be cause for rejection. o Scratches and surface imperfections that occur after plating shall not penetrate the plating

and expose base metal or under-plating and are subject to further review. CHEMICAL CONVERSION COATING (Alodine)

• Preferred o The finish shall have uniform appearance; be semi-bright, smooth, and clear to slightly yellow

or iridescent in color. Visual appearance will vary between different alloys and between machined, milled, cast, and grained surfaces.

o Outside surface shall be free from scratches, dents, or gouges. INSPECTION REQUIREMENTS

• Viewing Conditions o The inspector shall scan the surface in a continuous manner. All judgments shall be made

from the specified lighting, viewing distance, angle and material classes as described below.



11.5 Surface Categories • Class A

o Is a critical cosmetic surface usually front exterior surface which is most often closely viewed by the user / customer.

o Panels o Instrument cases o Desktop cases o Customer specified

• Class B o Is a semi-critical cosmetic surface usually exterior surface which is adjacent to Class A, not

viewed as often but easily seen. • Class C

o Is a non-critical cosmetic surface either exterior surface rarely viewed by the user / customer, such as back surface; or an internal surface that is visible but not normally viewed by the user / customer.

11.6 Light Source

• Light Specification o White, cool artificial office lighting (e.g. fluorescent light) o Do not use direct sunlight.

• Light Intensity o Uniform intensity between 70 and 120 foot-candles. (750 and 1250 Lux)

Caution: At levels of greater light intensity caution should be used to not over inspect the parts in order of accentuate surface flaws.

• Light position

o Reflection free, non-directional from the top.

Caution: No direct overhead light above inspection table. 11.7 Inspection Table Surface

• The table surface should be made of a non-reflective dark color to avoid twilight conditions. • Preferred: Black rubber mat Acceptable: Dark blue or dark green rubber mat



• Unacceptable: Light color table surfaces e.g. white, gray, yellow, metallic etc.

Caution: Reflective light-colored surfaces eliminate or accentuate surface flaws. 11.8 Viewing Time

• Class A o Systems: Ten (10) seconds per 200 square inches per part o Front Panels: Five (5) seconds per 50 square inches per part

• Class B o Seven (7) seconds per 200 square inches per part

• Class C o Five (5) seconds per 200 square inches per part

11.9 Viewing Orientation

• During inspection, view objects in an orientation perpendicular to each surface. During assembly, view objects in normal orientation of manufacturing process. In some cases inspection should be held prior to assembly. Any visible surface flaw has to be verified against the acceptable defect matrix.

Caution: Parts shall not be manipulated to reflect a single light source in order to accentuate surface flaws. 11.10 Magnification Tools

Magnification tools may be used to find root causes for defects or to verify correctness of special areas. Caution: Magnification is not to be used when inspecting for cosmetic defects. 11.11 Viewing Distance

Viewing Distances from the surface being inspected

• Class A o 24 Inch (610 mm)

• Class B o 30 Inch (760 mm)

• Class C o 36 Inch (760 mm)



11.12 Acceptable Defects Matrix

Acceptable Defects for Class “A” Surfaces Viewing Time Viewing Distance

Ten (10) seconds per 200 square inches per part, five (5) seconds per 50 square inches for front panels

24 inch (610 mm)

DEFECT ACCEPT REJECT Bleed Out Up to 5/16” away from seam.

Touch up allowed. Any greater than 5/16”

Blister None Any

Blush Accept per approved engineering document.

Bubble None Any

Burns Accept per approved engineering document.

Burrs Reference Table 1. Reference Table 1.

Cloudiness None Any

Contamination None Any

Corrosion/Rust/Oxidation None Any

Cracks None Any

Dent/Ding/Pitting None Any

Discoloration Color Consistency Accept per approved engineering document for 100% uniformity of surface

Partial discoloration

Dirt/Lint/Specks/Smudge Less than or equal to 0.02” Any greater than 0.02”

Flash Accept per approved engineering document.

Flow Marks None Any

Fingerprints None Any

Flaking/Chipping/Peeling None Any

Metal Fuzz None Any

Paint Non-Adhesion/Non-Uniformity/Inconsistency

None Any

Paint Runs None Any

Scratches/Gouges Qty. 3, less than or equal to 0.01” x 0.03”

More than qty. 3. Any bare metal or base metal on a painted surface.

Scuff Marks Accept per approved engineering document.

Short-Shots None Any



DEFECT ACCEPT REJECT Sink Less than or equal to 0.003”

deep Any greater than 0.003”

Smearing None Any

Spot Weld, Welding Lines Accept per approved engineering document.

Texture/Gloss/Finish 100% uniformity of surface, Accept per approved engineering document.

Partial variation.

Tooling Marks/Die Marks/Slug Mark/Punch Mark/Burnish Marks

Accept per approved engineering document.

Voids Less than or equal to 0.01” Any greater than 0.01”

Water Spots None Any

Acceptable Defects for Class “B” Surfaces Viewing Time Viewing Distance

Seven (7) seconds per 200 square inches per part. 30 inch (760 mm)



Blister None Any


Bubble None Any



Cloudiness None Any


Corrosion/Rust/Oxidation None Any

Cracks None Any


Discoloration Color Consistency 90% uniformity of surface More than 10% surface discoloration or consistency.

Dirt/Lint/Specks/Smudge Qty. 3, Less than or equal to 0.03”

More than qty. 3 per surface or any greater than 0.03”

Flash Less than or equal to 0.005” in height

Any greater than 0.005” in height

Flow Marks None Any




DEFECT ACCEPT REJECT Flaking/Chipping/Peeling Less than or equal to 0.03” Any bare metal greater than

0.03” or any exposed base metal

Metal Fuzz None Any


None Any

Paint Runs None Any

Scratches/Gouges Qty. 2, less than or equal to 0.02” x 0.09”; Qty. 1; Less than or equal to 0.01” x 0.25”

More than limit qty. per surface. Any exposed base metal on painted surfaces.



Sink Less than or equal to 0.005” deep

Any greater than 0.005”

Smearing None Any

Spot Weld, Welding Lines Less than or equal to 0.005” in height or depth

Any greater than 0.005” in height or depth

Texture/Gloss/Finish Less than or equal to 0.02” x 0.25”

Any greater than 0.02” x 0.25”





Acceptable Defects for Class “C” Surfaces

Viewing Time Viewing Distance Five (5) seconds per 200 square inches per part. 36 inch (460 mm)



Blister None Any


Bubble None Any



Cloudiness None Any




DEFECT ACCEPT REJECT Corrosion/Rust/Oxidation None Any

Cracks None Any


Discoloration Color Consistency 80% uniformity of surface More than 20% surface discoloration or consistency.

Dirt/Lint/Specks/Smudge Qty. 3, Less than or equal to 0.06”

More than qty. 3 per surface or any greater than 0.06”

Flash Less than or equal to 0.005” in height

Any greater than 0.005” in height

Flow Marks None Any


Flaking/Chipping/Peeling Less than or equal to 0.09” Any bare metal greater than 0.09” or any exposed base metal

Metal Fuzz None Any


None Any

Paint Runs None Any

Scratches/Gouges Qty. 4, less than or equal to 0.02” x 0.25”; Qty. 1; Less than or equal to 0.01” x 0. 5”

More than limit qty. per surface. Any exposed base metal on painted surfaces.



Sink Qty. 1, Less than or equal to 0.015” deep

Any greater than 0.015”

Smearing None Any

Spot Weld, Welding Lines Less than or equal to 0.005” in height or depth

Any greater than 0.005” in height or depth

Texture/Gloss/Finish Less than or equal to 0.02” x 0.09”

Any greater than 0.02” x 0.09”







12 References Documents

• IPC-A-600 – Workmanship Standards for printed circuit boards • IPC-A-610 – Workmanship Standards for electronic sub-assemblies • IPC/WHMA-A-620 – Requirements and Acceptance for Cable and Wire Harness Assemblies