In an industry where a single speck of dust can ruin a million-dollar project, FOD safety is incredibly vital to the success of most aerospace manufacturers. From designing tiny microchips to putting together massive aircraft, any number of projects in the aerospace industry require safety and care above all else. Foreign object damage is a constant threat to sensitive equipment and can happen in a variety of ways.
Damage from FOD can occur anywhere, but it’s especially common in aerospace projects due to the high-value nature of these instruments. Preventing foreign object damage is important for safety as well as quality, which is why you need to be aware of how FOD will affect your project. There are many ways a manufacturer can maintain a FOD-safe area, and using a combination of techniques can help maximize the efficiency of a project. In this blog post, we’ll discuss five tips that will help keep your aerospace project safe from foreign objects.
How to Secure an Area
Most manufacturers in the aerospace, aeronautics, defense, and MRO industries already have special rooms or spaces set aside specifically for sensitive manufacturing projects. Within these areas, they employ a number of techniques to reduce the amount of foreign object debris, in the area. Debris such as hair, dust, crumbs, dirt, or other small particles can get into highly sensitive pieces of equipment and ruin them after countless hours and money have been spent in development. To avoid these problems, try these tips:
- Implement Training
- 3-Tier FOD-Safety
- FOD-Safe Tools
- Anti-Static Tools
- FOD-Safe Gear
High-Quality Training
The first step for any successful project is ensuring that every employee knows the importance — and the stakes — of FOD safety. Without training, employees may not be aware of what could happen if a hair or piece of food got mixed into the small components of an instrument cluster, for example. Training can help prevent accidents among employees as well, increasing the safety of the people on the project and the likelihood of a successful outcome.
Incorporate a 3-Tier System
In a FOD-safe space, there can be tiers of severity. While some larger, less sensitive equipment might only require minor care, a FOD-critical area requires employees to use every technique under their belt. Having clear distinctions between each area with signposting and training can help eliminate the risk of contamination.
- FOD-Awareness Area: In a FOD-Awareness area, employees should adhere to basic procedures and use caution. Areas that could be considered FOD-Awareness areas include shipping and loading docks.
- FOD-Control Area: A FOD-Control area is where non-sensitive equipment or products are exposed and where there is potential for FOD damage. When entering a FOD-Control area, employees should complete Foreign Object Debris tasks on top of basic procedures, continuing to use caution. This type of area might contain more contaminants or require fewer contaminants to enter. Employees might be required to wear a face mask, a hairnet, or show covers.
- FOD-Critical Area: Operations in a FOD-Critical area should be conducted with extreme caution. In a FOD-Critical area, employees might be required to wear a hairnet, a face mask, shoe covers, and sometimes even a hazmat suit.
Provide FOD-Safe Tools
There is a range of tools that are acceptable to use in various areas that range from smaller items like swabs to large, sticky mats that pull the debris from the bottom of shoes. Mechanics can use tools that have been cleaned thoroughly in some areas, but for the most part, tools should not enter or leave an area without clearance. Otherwise, they may track in debris that could damage the project.
Using Anti-Static Items
Another important factor to consider is that some projects use highly sensitive electronic equipment. Other projects may manufacture these products. If this is the case, mechanics and engineers have to use antistatic items to control the amount of static energy that comes in contact with the sensitive equipment. Otherwise, there is a risk that a static discharge may damage, or in some cases destroy, a piece of electronic equipment. For example, camera lens sensors are extremely sensitive and require specially crafted swabs to clean them.
Dressing the Part
FOD-safe masks, hair nets, shoe covers, hazmat suits, and other equipment is sometimes required in FOD-Control and FOD-Critical areas. These prevent the transfer of contaminants like hair, saliva, dust particles, skin particles, and other microscopic debris to any sensitive equipment or products that might be exposed. Often, a FOD-safe area will have a changing area where employees, guests, and others must change into their FOD-safe gear before entering the area. After they dress in their gear, they sometimes have to walk across a sticky mat that pulls any debris from their shoes.
Why Is FOD-Safety Important?
Even if you have an established FOD-free zone and your employees are diligent about keeping the space clear, it’s important to be aware of what happens outside that highly controlled environment. One way to make sure foreign objects don’t interfere with sensitive equipment is by using air filters. Air filtration systems keep dust particles from entering machinery and create a more comfortable work environment for technicians who spend long hours in tight spaces. Another helpful tactic is reducing clutter within production areas – this will reduce the risk of accidents caused when people trip over loose materials or tools on the ground. It also means there won’t be anything lying around that could potentially cause damage later on.
When you’re working with foreign object damage, it can be difficult to prevent damage from occurring. However, taking the right precautions and implementing a plan that works for your facility is essential in maintaining a FOD-safe area. Foreign object debris can damage sensitive equipment, electronics, and more. This is especially true in the aerospace industry where FOD-safe areas are mandatory to prevent costly accidents and downtime.
FOD damage is expensive to repair and has been known to cause workplace accidents. Implementing standard protocols will help reduce costly damages caused by foreign objects or debris (FOD). Using these quick and practical strategies, your company will have peace of mind that their sensitive project components are secure.
FOD is a serious threat, and it costs companies millions of dollars every year. Besides losing money on FOD damage that could have been prevented, there’s also an impact on brand image if any equipment malfunctions because of debris. The risk for injuries or fatalities only makes this worse. Another important aspect to consider with FOD is its effect on quality control standards – even just one foreign object (e.g., metal shavings from cutting tools) can affect the outcome of an entire project.
Take Flight With Crew Tool
At Crew Tool, we push the envelope. We believe in hard work and craftsmanship, which is why we work so hard to supply the aircraft and aviation industries with the best products. We offer stellar customer service with friendly and knowledgeable staff to help others spread their wings. If you’re looking for quality aviation tooling, you’ve landed on the right runway 一 Crew Tool has what you need. Reach out to us today to find out how we can help you get the products you need. Give us a call at (407) 377-5824 or send us an email at sales@crew-tool.com. We look forward to hearing from you!