manufacturing

Manufacturing Process

Overview of PSI’s manufacturing operations from parts procurement through machine shipment.

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Manufacturing Departments

Dept	Code	Responsibility
Machining	102	CNC machining, turning, milling
Welding	104	Welding, fabrication
Mechanical Assembly	106	Mechanical installation, fitting
Electrical Assembly	108	Wiring, panel builds
MVI	120	Machine verification, inspection
Field Service	135	Installation, commissioning

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Build Phases

Phase 1: Procurement

1. BOM released from engineering
2. Long-lead items ordered
3. Standard parts pulled from stock
4. Vendor parts received and inspected
5. Materials staged for build

Phase 2: Fabrication

1. Weldments fabricated
2. Machined parts manufactured
3. Sub-assemblies built
4. Quality checks at each stage

Phase 3: Mechanical Assembly

1. Base/frame assembly
2. Major component installation
3. Motion systems
4. Enclosures and guarding
5. Mechanical fit-up

Phase 4: Electrical Assembly

1. Panel builds
2. Conduit and cable routing
3. Terminations
4. Sensor installation
5. Initial power-up

Phase 5: Testing & Runoff

1. Component testing
2. Motion verification
3. Process testing
4. Customer witness runoff
5. Punch list resolution

Phase 6: Shipping

1. Final inspection
2. Preservation/packaging
3. Documentation compiled
4. Freight coordination
5. Shipment

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Detection Timing

Manufacturing stages map to detection timing for quality analysis:

Build Phase	Timing Category	Days Before Ship
Procurement	Early	>90 days
Fabrication	Early/Mid	60-90 days
Assembly	Mid-Build	30-60 days
Testing	Late Build	<30 days
Runoff	Near/At Ship	~0 days
Customer Site	Post-Ship	After ship

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Work Orders

Structure

Work orders organize production activities:

• Job number (project)
• Work order number (specific task)
• Operation codes
• Labor tracking

Operation Codes

Code Range	Department
10-95	Machine shop
100-110	Assembly
2020-2135	Engineering
4140-4180	Test/Service

See Data Brain for detailed operation code mapping.

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Quality Points

In-Process Inspection

Quality checks occur at multiple stages:

• Incoming inspection (vendor parts)
• First article inspection
• Dimensional verification
• Functional testing

MVI Testing

Machine Verification and Inspection (MVI, Dept 120):

• Process capability testing
• Motion system verification
• Safety system checks
• Customer runoff support

Documentation

• Test records
• Inspection reports
• Non-conformance documentation (NCN)
• Certificates of compliance

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Common Issues by Phase

Fabrication

Issue Type	Examples
Drawing Error	Wrong dimension, missing feature
Material	Wrong material, surface finish
Process	Weld quality, machining tolerance

Assembly

Issue Type	Examples
Fit-up	Interference, alignment
Wiring	Wrong connection, missing wire
Components	Wrong part, missing part

Testing

Issue Type	Examples
Function	Doesn’t perform as designed
Integration	Systems don’t work together
Safety	Guard gap, E-stop issue

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Redbook Integration

When manufacturing issues trigger redbooks:

Department	Common Root Causes
Machining (102)	Drawing error, material spec
Welding (104)	Drawing error, process
Mech Assembly (106)	Design function, assembly error
Elec Assembly (108)	Wiring error, drawing error
MVI (120)	Design function, vendor quality

Department Flags

Redbooks include department assignment flags:

• A110E: Assigned to Mech Engineering
• A111E: Assigned to Controls Engineering
• A106: Assigned to Mech Assembly
• C106: Completed by Mech Assembly

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Labor Tracking

Timesheet System

All labor is tracked via timesheets:

• Employee ID
• Date
• Job/Work Order
• Operation Code
• Hours

AI Hour Buckets

The Redbook Analysis system maps timesheet categories to AI estimation buckets:

AI Bucket	Departments
Hours_Mech_Engineering	Dept 110
Hours_Controls_Engineering	Dept 111
Hours_Mech_Assembly	Dept 106
Hours_Elec_Assembly	Dept 108
Hours_Machine_Weld	Dept 102, 104
Hours_MVI	Dept 120
Hours_Service	Dept 135

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Related Pages

• Terminology - Manufacturing terms
• Quality Process - NCN process
• Engineering Process - BOM/drawing handoff
• Data Brain - Timesheet and labor data

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Last updated: February 2025