VDA 19.2 Technical Cleanliness in Assembly - Environment, Logistics, Personnel and Assembly Equipment

The standard “VDA 19.2 Technical cleanliness in assembly – Environment, logistics, personnel and assembly equipment” published by the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) is a good practice guide for identifying, analysing and controlling contamination sources, inspired by the medical and chemical sectors. Among the many parts that make up a vehicle, some are more prone to contamination from dust or foreign bodies.

This standard applies in particular to mechanical systems with pressurized or non-pressurized fluid circulation (such as brake, steering, fuel supply, cooling and air conditioning systems), intake and exhaust ducts, manual and automatic transmissions, as well as electronic control units.

As a result of the development of electric mobility, the VDA 19.2 standard also includes vision systems, batteries and fuel cells, and high-voltage electronics.

Contamination generated during the production of parts, such as wood or metal particles, is not easy to detect with the naked eye, but can cause critical failure in the finished product. Even a particle as small as 50 microns in size can restrict fluid circulation, cause engine failures, disrupt electrical functions, and even lead to engine failure.

The VDA 19.2 standard specifies measures to limit or eliminate all sources of contamination, depending on the customer's requirements and the use of the product, in the following processes:

• Upstream (e.g. adapting packaging to protect components during transport)
• During manufacturing (e.g. directing open components downward to limit the ingress of particles)
• After production (e.g. inserting rubber plugs to prevent any migration of contamination into the component)

In order to find the most suitable solutions for the company's context, it is necessary to think globally and conduct an analysis of contamination risks throughout the product's life cycle. Risk analysis is carried out from station to station and consists of:

• Identifying the most polluting operations
• Arrangement of workstations to remove or isolate the source of contamination from the rest of the process
• Finding a solution for the riskiest workstations.

These cleaning requirements should be incorporated into the design of new workstations to prevent contamination.

The VDA 19.2 standard identifies four possible sources of contamination:

• Environment: Associated with external pollution (e.g. frequently opened doors, dusty workstations, etc.)
• Logistics: Related to packaging (e.g. cardboard and plastic)
• Personnel: Human-related (e.g. hair, feathers)
• Means of production: Associated with equipment (e.g. dirty machines)

The more sensitive the product, the more specific the procedure to follow.

In short, the VDA 19.2 standard describes a set of analytical and test procedures for determining the cleanliness of environments, surfaces, liquids and assembly processes. These procedures can be used for:

• Identify and measure sources of particulate matter to derive remediation measures and verify their effectiveness
• Identifying weak points in an operating production facility to identify optimization potentials to include when planning a new facility
• Monitoring processes or areas over a long period of time

The VDA 19.2 standard complements the “VDA 6.3 Process audit” standard. The VDA 6.3 standard is a process-based audit standard for automotive industry manufacturing organizations to evaluate and improve controls in production processes when launching a new product. The VDA 6.3 auditor can also audit the requirements of VDA 19.2.

Among the numerous tests, measurements, analyses and evaluations our organization has carried out for businesses in various sectors, our organization also provides testing services defined in the “VDA 19.2 Technical cleanliness in assembly - Environment, logistics, personnel and assembly equipment” standard with its trained and expert staff and advanced technological equipment.