Adding Characteristics to Parts

A supplied part is manufactured according to specifications which contain quality characteristics unique to the part. When a part arrives at the manufacturing facility from the supplier, certain characteristics may be inspected to ensure that the part is conforming to specifications. Characteristics contain attributes, variables, and checklists.

From the SmartSolve Portal Page, click the Home tab.
In the Setup and Policy section, click Setup.
In the Product section of the list, click Part.
Result: The Parts window is displayed.
Left click the icon for the part you want to add a characteristic to and click Characteristic.
Result: The Characteristic tab for the selected part is displayed.
Click the Add Characteristics button.
Result: The Master Specification window is displayed.
Enter the information in the following fields:

Field	Description
Characteristic*	Zoom to select the characteristic. For additional information on configuration, see Characteristics.
Part*	Zoom to select the part. For more information on configuration, see Parts.
Type*	Click the drop down button and select the type of characteristic, such as Variable, Attribute, or Checklist. For more information on configuration, see Characteristic Types.
Severity*	Click the drop down button and select the severity of the characteristic. This field defaults from the selected characteristic. For more information on configuration, see Severities.
Nominal*	Enter a nominal value and select the unit of measurement. For more information on configuration, see Units of Measurement. This field is only applicable if Variable is selected as the Type.
Tolerance (+ and -)*	Click the up and down arrows to specify the range within which the variable must fall in order to pass the inspection. This field is only applicable if Variable is selected as the Type.
Apply to First Inspection Only	Check this checkbox to apply the characteristic to the first inspection only.
Sampling Plan	Click the drop down button and select the sampling plan to be used for the characteristic. The sampling plan indicates the number of parts from each lot that are to be inspected (sample size or series of sample sizes). For additional information on configuration, see Sampling Plans.
AQL	Click the drop down button and select the acceptable quality limit for the lot, such as .4 or 10.0. The AQL is a quality measurement for maximum numbers of defects which a manufacturer can tolerate. For more information on configuration, see AQLs.
Document Number	Zoom to select a document from the Document Management system. If Document Management is not installed, then enter a reference number for an external document. Forms Designer can be used to configure this field to link to an external document system. See the Studio Designer Help System for additional information.
Document Revision	Enter the referenced document's revision number.
Reference Number	Enter the referenced document's reference number.
Equipment	Enter the equipment used for the characteristic.
Description	Enter a description of the characteristic.

Click the Submit button.
Result: The new characteristic has been added and is displayed in the part's Characteristic tab.

NOTE: Characteristics that are tied to parts cannot be deleted from master setup. In order to delete the characteristic from master setup, the characteristic must first be removed from the Part record.