DEFECT REDUCTION IN GAS TUNGSTEN ARC WELDING PROCESS USING FAILURE MODE EFFECTS ANALYSIS

To improve production quality and productivity by reducing potential reliability problems early in the development cycle, manufacturing industries are using the Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) technique. It is a method that evaluates possible failures in the system, design, process or service. It aims to continuously improve and decrease these kinds of failure modes. In this present work, Process FMEA is done on Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (TIG) process of American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) Type 304L Stainless Steel material. A series of welding process with different sample pieces are done and the potential failures and defects are categorized based on FMEA and Risk Priority Number (RPN) is assigned. The most risky failure according to the RPN number is found and the cause and effects along with the preventive measures are established. Since FMEA is a proactive approach to solve potential failure modes, this work serves as a failure prevention guide for those who perform the welding process towards an effective weld.