Archive for May, 2011

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There’s a new Code in town — NFPA-2, Hydrogen Technologies Code

Tuesday, May 31st, 2011

In response to the increasing interest in using Hydrogen as a fuel source, the National Fire Protection Association has released NFPA-2, the Hydrogen Technologies Code.   It’s a new document that consolidates all the fire and life safety requirements applicable to generation, installation, storage, piping, use, and handling of hydrogen in compressed gas form or cryogenic liquid form into a single comprehensive resource.

It includes fundamental requirements for hydrogen in both gaseous and liquid phases and contains additional use-specific categories, such as:

  • Vehicle fueling facilities
  • Systems for fuel cell power and generation
  • Applications involving combustion processes and special atmospheres
  • Operations in the lab

Among the key topics are indoor fueling, hydrogen fueling stations, backup power, and electrolytic production of hydrogen. The most advanced commercial applications for hydrogen technologies are backup power using polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells and forklifts.

The Code is intended to benefit enforcing officials when reviewing permits for occupancies storing, handling or using hydrogen or when inspecting existing facilities.

Annexes include a sample ordinance adopting NFPA 2, an example of Class C furnace operational and maintenance checklist, and supplementary information on explosion hazards and protection in laboratories.

The Code is dated 2011 and already has 1 Errata issued.  This document, and all NFPA standards and Codes, are available from Document Center Inc. at our website, www.document-center.com.  Or feel free to contact us by phone (650-591-7600), fax (650-591-7617) or email (info@document-center.com) with your standards requirements and questions.

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93/42/EEC – The Medical Device Directive and it’s Harmonized Standards

Friday, May 27th, 2011

When Medical Device companies do business in Europe, they are required to conform to the EU’s Medical Device Directive, 93/42/eec.  One important way to comply is to use the applicable standards from the Harmonised List for Medical Devices.

What is a European Directive?  It’s a legislative act, rather than a regulation, that requires a specific outcome but does not dictate how that outcome is to be achieved.  Countries are given a specific timetable for conformance with the directive.    The Treaty that created the functioning of the  European Union states,  ”A directive shall be binding, as to the result to be achieved, upon each Member State to which it is addressed, but shall leave to the national authorities the choice of form and methods.”

With the adoption of the New Approach methodology for directives, there is the ability to create a directive that is not based on specific limits or tests, but on “essential requirements.”  This allows for the European market itself, through the mechanism of the EN Standards, to set the details of limits and tests rather than through specific language in the directive itself.

So for a limited number of directives, there are lists of Harmonized Standards that define the requirements for each.  These European Standards are created at the regional level and then adopted as national standards in each member country.  However, the standards are not mandatory — their use is still considered voluntary.  So in principle an alternative means of proving compliance with the safety requirements of the directives is possible.

This is the case with the Medical Device Directive, 93/42/eec.  The MedDev List of Harmonized Standards provides the easiest way to meet the requirements of the directive.

One last question to answer — How are directives amended?  Due to the way in which directives are generated, it takes a directive to modify a directive.  So 93/42/eec has been amended 5 times, by 98/79/EC, 2000/70/EC, 2001/104/EC, 2003/32/EC, and 2007/47/EC.  Luckily, there is a consolidated reprint of the Medical Device Directive, issued in 2007, that consolidates the original text with these 5 amendments.

The Directives and European Standards are all available from Document Center Inc. at our website, www.document-center.com.  Or contact us by phone (+650-591-7600), fax (+650-591-7617) or email (info@document-center.com).  Our expert staff is available Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5 pm California time, to help you with your Standards needs.

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FED-STD-595, the Federal Color Standard, is available in three formats

Thursday, May 26th, 2011

FED-STD-595 Revision C with Notice 1 from 2008 is titled “Colors used in Federal Procurement.”  We sell it in three different formats here at Document Center Inc., depending on the requirements of each individual customer.

The most common format is the FED-STD-595 standard itself.  It’s printed on 8 1/2 by 11 inch paper.  It starts with the usual scope paragraph, referenced documents section and so on.  After the 5 pages of standard material, Appendix I then describes the pigments used in the master standard, as an informational list only.  Appendix II lists the new color chips added in 2007.  Appendix III is CIELAB values.  Appendix IV is the Master Color List.  Lastly Appendix V provides detailed notes.

Following this section, the actual color chips are divided into tabbed sections by color.  Each page contains three columns, Gloss, Semigloss, and Lusterless.  The 1/2″ by 1″ color chips are arranged by number into the appropriate columns.

The other two formats are simply collections of the color chips themselves, without the actual standard itself.  They are the FED-STD-595 Flip book and a complete set of FED-STD-595 Color Chips.

The flip book is like a color fan deck that you might find at any paint store.  It’s a little over 10″ long and 2″ wide and is a collection of the colors from light to dark on each page.  There is a further division by gloss, semigloss and lusterless (matte).  The colors themselves are 2″ by 1/2″.

The complete set of color chips is a boxed set of 5″ by 3″ chips, each in their own envelope.  Each chip may also be purchased separately.

To purchase the FED-STD-595 in any of the formats, or any publicly distributed (not classified) Federal Standard, please use our website, www.document-center.com.  Or phone us (650-591-7600), fax us (650-591-7617) or send us an email (info@document-center.com).  We’re glad to be able to assist you with any of your standards requirements.

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IEC 60812, BS EN 60812, FMEA, and SAE-J1739 — Four important FMEA Standards (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis)

Wednesday, May 25th, 2011

IEC 60812 Edition 2.0, BS EN 60812:2006, AIAG’s FMEA Standard, and SAE-J-1739 all provide standards users with information on how to identify the potential for system elements to fail.  Failure is the loss of the ability of an item to provide its required function. By using a FMEA standard, the designer may be able to eliminate the causes, or mitigate the failure effects to avoid undesirable consequences on the system.

Failure mode and effect analysis is a logical process aimed at identifying the potential failure modes of the elements of a system; the respective causes of failures; and the failure effects, initially on that element and then on its particular part of the larger system. A failure effect at a lower level may then be a failure cause for an item in the next higher level, hence the end effect on the system as a whole may be identified.

IEC 60812 Edition 2.0 from 2006, “Analysis techniques for system reliability – Procedure for failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA),” describes failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) and failure mode, effects and criticality analysis (FMECA), and gives guidance as to how these techniques may be applied to achieve various reliability programme objectives, by:

  • outlining the basic principles
  • identifying appropriate terms, assumptions, failure modes, and criticality measures
  • providing the procedural steps necessary to perform an analysis
  • providing examples of the typical forms used.

BS EN 60812:2006, “Analysis techniques for system reliability. Procedure for failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA),” is the European adoption of the IEC 60812 2006 Edition.

SAE J1739, “Potential Failure Mode and Effects Analysis in Design (Design FMEA), Potential Failure Mode and Effects Analysis in Manufacturing and Assembly Processes (Process FMEA),” describes Potential Failure Mode and Effects Analysis in Design (DFMEA) and Potential Failure Mode and Effects Analysis in Manufacturing and Assembly Processes (PFMEA). It is geared for the ground vehicle community and assists users in the identification and mitigation of risk by providing appropriate terms, requirements, ranking charts, and worksheets. As a Standard, this document contains requirements (must) and recommendations (should) to guide the user through the FMEA process.

AIAG’s FMEA 4th Edition, “Potential Failure Mode & Effects Analysis,” is a reference manual to be used by suppliers to Chrysler LLC, Ford Motor Company, and General Motors Corporation as a guide to assist them in the development of both Design and Process FMEAs. The manual does not define requirements; it is intended to clarify questions concerning the technical development of FMEAs.

These standards, and all IEC, BS, SAE and AIAG standards, are available from Document Center Inc.  Purchase them at our webstore, www.document-center.com.  Or call us (650-591-7600), fax us (650-591-7617) or send us an email (info@document-center.com).  We’re here to assist you with your standards requirements and questions.

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Whatever happened to MIL-STD-105?

Tuesday, May 24th, 2011

MIL-STD-105, “Sampling Procedures and Tables for Inspection by Attributes,” is another of those popular military standards that got cancelled during Mil Spec reform in the mid-1990′s.  The documents referenced in the cancellation notice can cause confusion for users, so some assistance with this can be helpful.

The last revision of the MIL-STD-105 was Revision E from 1989.  This last issue was cancelled three times, first in 1995, then in 2001 and finally in 2008.  Cancellation Notice 1 from 1995 simply replaced the standard with ASQC-Z1.4 (now ASQ-Z1.4).  This ASQ document is actually a reprint of the MIL-STD-105 and an obvious choice to use in lieu of the MIL Standard.

However, Notice 2 from 2001 really put a wrench in the works.  It stated “MIL-STD-105E … is hereby canceled without replacement.  Current DOD PREFERRED METHODS FOR ACCEPTANCE OF PRODUCTS are described in MIL-STD-1916… and should be considered for future acquisitions.”  However, MIL-STD-1916 is an administrative standard.

In fact, MIL-STD-1916 was developed to encourage defense contractors to submit process control (prevention) procedures instead of using prescribed sampling requirements like those detailed in ASQ-Z1.4.  In other words, the standard supports the DoD desire to change contractual requirements from a system of acceptable quality levels to one of continuous improvement.

Quality documents referenced by MIL-STD-1916 include ASQ-B1, B2, and B3, ISO-8402, and ISO-9000 (ASQ-Q9000) and ISO-9004 (ASQ-Q9004).  They are all quality standards, but do not address the issue of sampling by attributes, with the many tables that ASQ-Z1.4 contains.

Apparently, this approach got some push-back because in 2008, Cancellation Notice 3 again modified the replacement information.  It now allows for use of either the MIL-STD-1916 or the ASQ-Z1.4.

And while we’re on the topic of the ASQ-Z1.4, we should also mention the ASQ-Z1.9 standard, “Sampling Procedures and Tables for Inspection by Variables for Percent Non-conforming.”  It’s the replacement document for the cancelled MIL-STD-414 (with the same title).  The two ASQ documents are often purchased at the same time and can really be considered to be a set.

All the standards above can be purchased from Document Center Inc.  You can use our website, www.document-center.com, but if you need any of the obsolete documents, you’ll get a quote before you purchase.  That’s because we want to confirm that you understand you’re purchasing a withdrawn document prior to purchase.  Or you may prefer to contact us by phone (650-591-7600), fax (650-591-7617) or email (info@document-center.com).  We’re able to provide you with many obsolete standards, as well as help you determine what replacement documents are available.

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TAPPI-T564 on the use of the Transparent TAPPI Dirt Estimation Chart is available in the New 2011 Edition

Monday, May 23rd, 2011

TAPPI Standard Practice T 564 sp-11, “Transparent chart for the estimation of defect size,” is now available.  This new 2011 Edition for the paper and pulp industry provides users with an editorially corrected standard practice on the use of the transparent chart itself.

There are many applications where it is desired to measure the size of spots, defects or inclusions in paper and other industrial materials such as textiles or plastics. The transparent chart was developed from the paper format “TAPPI Dirt Estimation Chart” to provide an additional means for size estimation.

The opaque TAPPI Dirt Estimation Chart is a photographic print of the original chart developed for use with TAPPI T 213 “Dirt in Pulp” and T 437 “Dirt in Paper and Paperboard.” The basis for these two tests is to determine the numerical or visual estimation of dirt in paper, paperboard, or pulp in terms of equivalent black area (EBA). EBA of a dirt speck is defined as the area of a round black spot on a white background on the Dirt Chart which makes the same visual impression on its background as does the dirt speck on the particular background in which it is embedded. Reflected light is the proper basis of comparison.

Only the TAPPI Dirt Estimation Chart, printed on the opaque, white background can properly be used in the tests. Photocopies, transparencies, plastic-covered cards, or printed reproductions of the chart (including the reproductions of the charts printed in the Test Methods for informational purposes) will not give equivalent results and must not be used in order to run the tests as specified in the Test Methods.

Over the years, a transparent version of the TAPPI Dirt Estimation Chart was produced by request from industry segments that wanted only to have a size estimation method for determining size of spots, defects, or inclusions in paper or other industrial materials such as textiles or plastics.  In 1996, a method, T 564 “Transparent Chart for the Estimation of Defect Size,” was developed for use with a transparent version of the Dirt Chart. The transparent Size Estimation Chart (ordered and purchased separately from the TAPPI Test Method) should only be used as proscribed by the procedure described in T 564. The transparent chart has also been adopted for use with an International Standard, ISO 5350-3 “Pulps – Estimation of Dirt and Shives. Part 3 – Inspection by Reflected Light.”

These TAPPI Standard Practices, and all TAPPI Standards, may be purchased from Document Center Inc. at our website, www.document-center.com.  Or call us (650-591-7600), fax us (650-591-7617) or send us an email (info@document-center.com).  We’re happy to assist you with all your standards questions and requirements.

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New AMS-QQ-A-367 Revision B on Aluminum Alloy Forgings just released

Friday, May 20th, 2011

Document Center Inc. has just received the newly released Revision B for SAE AMS-QQ-A-367, titled “Aluminum Alloy Forgings.”   This specification covers aluminum alloy die forgings and hand forgings.

This is another example of the impact of MIL-Spec reform of the mid 1990′s. Originally it was a federal specification (QQ-A-367), then cancelled and picked up by an industry association (in this case, SAE).

The last  edition of the QQ-A-367 was revision H.  The cancellation occurred in February of 2001 and users were referred to the AMS edition.  Since that time, the AMS specification has been revised twice (AMS-QQ-A-367A and this new AMS-QQ-A-367B).

The Federal Specification QQ series on metals was among the most commonly referenced documents for plating and manufacturing companies until Mil-Spec reform came along.  The old QQ specifications have been replaced by SAE reprints, SAE standards and ASTM standards for the most part.

All SAE Standards and Federal Specifications, including many obsolete revisions, can be purchased from Document Center Inc. at our website, www.document-center.com.  Or contact us by phone (650-591-7600), fax (650-591-7617) or email (info@document-center.com).  We’re happy to answer your questions and provide you with fast delivery on all standards publications.

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New ASTM F899 2011 Edition on Wrought Stainless Steels for Surgical Instruments

Thursday, May 19th, 2011

New ASTM F899:2011, “Standard Specification for Wrought Stainless Steels for Surgical Instruments,” has just been released.  The document covers the chemistry requirements for wrought stainless steels used for the manufacture of surgical instruments.

Classes of stainless steels covered are Class 3 (austenitic stainless steel), Class 4 (martensitic stainless steel), Class 5 (precipitation hardening stainless steel), and Class 6 (ferritic stainless steel).  The data contained in this specification are for reference only and include typical hardness values, common heat treating cycles, and examples of selected stainless steels that have been used for surgical instruments.  Mechanical property, heat treatment, hardness, and all other requirements except for chemical composition, are governed by the appropriate material standards as specified or as agreed upon between purchaser and supplier.

Previous editions of ASTM-F899 include ASTM F899:2010, ASTM F899:2009(e1), ASTM F899:2009, ASTM F899:2007, ASTM F899:2002, ASTM F899:1995, ASTM F899:1994, ASTM F899:1984.  All these editions, and all ASTM standards, can be purchased from Document Center Inc. using our website, www.document-center.com.  Or contact us by phone (650-591-7600), fax (650-591-7617) or email (info@document-center.com).  We’re happy to assist you with all your standards needs.

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New MIL-HDBK-115 Revision B released on Reverse Engineering

Wednesday, May 18th, 2011

MIL-HDBK-115, “U.S. Army Reverse Engineering Handbook (Guidelines and Procedures),” has just been released as the new Revision B dated 4/27/2011.  This 78 page handbook provides guidelines and procedures for reverse engineering, and can be employed by in-house personnel, engineering services contractors, and manufacturing contractors performing reverse engineering.

The primary objective of reverse engineering as presented in this handbook is the development of unrestricted technical data, adequate for competitive procurement, through engineering evaluations of existing hardware. The nominal reverse engineering process is covered in Figure 1. Detailed procedures are described as well. In Process Reviews are expected to be performed at the end of each principal phase of the reverse engineering process to assure compliance to the process and to evaluate the need for continuing reverse engineering on the item.

The material is presented as a handbook, rather than a standard, as it has been developed for guidance only and is not applicable for inclusion in any government procurement contract.  MIL-HDBK-115 was created using knowledge gained during a trial program from July 1985 to April 1987, and is based on experiences obtained from both military and industry participants.

This Handbook, and all U.S. military publicly distributed publications, are available from Document Center Inc. on our website, www.document-center.com.  Or you may prefer to call us (650-591-7600), fax us (650-591-7617) or email us (info@document-center.com).  We will be happy to help you with any of your standards requirements.

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Newly released Revision B for JESD9, Inspection criteria for microelectronic packages and covers

Tuesday, May 17th, 2011

Document Center Inc. announces the availability of  a new JEDEC Standard, JESD-9 Revision B dated 5/1/2011.  Titled “Inspection criteria for microelectronic packages and covers,” the standard’s purpose  is to verify the workmanship and requirements of microelectronic packages and covers (lids) used in fabricating hybrid microelectronic circuits/microcircuits.

This standard establishes the general requirements and quality assurance provisions that can be specified and met in procuring microelectronics packages and covers, manufactured from matched seal with and without high thermal conductivity base materials, intended for use in fabricating hybrid microelectronics circuits. This document details those minimum requirements necessary for metal and ceramics packages’ use.

The previous edition, JESD 9 Revision A, covered only metal packages and JESD 27 covered ceramic ones.  However the new Revision B covers both and so replaces JESD 27, Ceramic Package Specification for Microelectronic Packages.  The new edition is meant to be used in conjunction with MIL-STD-883, Test Method 2009: External Visual.

JESD-9 is applicable for use by the package manufacturer (i.e., package components) and the microcircuit manufacturer (i.e., from incoming inspection of package components through final inspection of the completed microcircuit).

These JESD standards, and all standards from JEDEC, can be purchased at Document Center Inc.’s website, www.document-center.com.  Or phone us (650-591-7600), fax us (650-591-7617) or email us (info@document-center.com).  We’re happy to assist you with all your standards requirements.

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