VDA 19.1 and VDA 19.2 : tools for a proactive approach to controlling particulate cleanliness in products

Article written by Valérie Le Couedic   Christelle Guyot  Laurent Defer.

 

Particulate Cleanliness: A Key Issue for Quality

In the age of innovation, products must meet increasingly demanding requirements: more power, more functionalities, longer service life, and reduced maintenance. To achieve this, analyzing failures and ageing mechanisms is essential. Among the critical factors, the presence of particles plays a major role.

 

The Impact of Particles on Product Performance

Depending on their size and nature, particles can cause critical or even irreversible damage. The presence of particles >200 µm to 1 mm can lead to:

• Mechanical issues:
  They become lodged between moving parts, causing wear and damage that can evolve from a simple noise to the complete failure of a component and the loss of a system’s function (e.g., turbocharger).

• Fluid-related issues:
  They clog nozzles, reduce flow rates, or even block fluid circulation (e.g., fuel injection systems).

• Electrical issues:
  They cause short circuits, failures, or even fire hazards (e.g., electronic boards, battery packs).

This is why controlling particulate cleanliness is a major concern in sectors such as automotive and heavy transport (injectors, transmissions, gearboxes), aeronautics (hydraulic systems, actuators, critical components), and medical (implants, instruments).

While product usage conditions often fall outside manufacturers’ control, managing particulate cleanliness during production is a concrete area of action. This requirement, formalized in technical specifications, translates into thresholds for particle size, particle types, and maximum allowable particle weight.

 

A Culture of Particulate Cleanliness: A Collective Commitment

Particle control does not rely solely on infrastructure. It requires:

• Raising awareness among teams about the impact of particles
• Training to identify and eliminate sources of contamination
• Involving everyone—from product design to assembly—to limit particle generation (friction, materials used, handling, etc.)

A frequently underestimated point: the assembly process itself. Exchanges between product designers and process designers help reduce the creation of harmful particles and integrate efficient cleaning solutions directly into workstation design.

 

VDA 19.1: Assessment of Particulate Cleanliness of Parts and Components 

VDA 19.1 defines methods and requirements for measuring and controlling particles on parts (Laboratory / Quality Control).

It is the standard for managing particulate contamination of products.

This reference is intended for technicians conducting measurements and presents various approaches (extraction, filtration, counting, analysis…) aimed at identifying contamination levels and supporting efforts to control critical particles that can be found on products and impact their performance.

The document also specifies requirements for analysis laboratories, equipment, method validation, and result reporting to ensure the reproducibility and reliability of measurements.

In summary, it covers:

• Particle extraction methods (rinsing, agitation, ultrasonics, etc.)
• Particle analysis (optical microscopy and gravimetric analysis)
• Acceptance criteria
• Method validation
• Sample handling
• Measurement room design
• Results interpretation

In practice, VDA 19.1 provides the reference data needed to control the evaluation of cleanliness levels achieved.

 

VDA 19.2: Particulate Cleanliness in Assembly Processes — A Structured Approach for Designers and Manufacturers

This standard addresses contamination generated during manufacturing, including:

• Part flow and movements
• Lubricants, fluids, process residues
• Machines, tools, assembly stations
• Handling equipment
• Operator clothing
• Operator behavior
• Industrial cleaning
• Design and organization of clean areas

Key steps include:

1. Adapting the production environment
The reference provides a classification of work zones based on required cleanliness levels: clean zone, clean room, cleanroom environment.

2. Controlling logistics
Designing suitable packaging and transfer strategies to maintain technical cleanliness from the supplier to the production line.

3. Controlling human-related contamination
Training staff, regulating activities, and ensuring that work equipment is compatible with cleanliness requirements (e.g., no fiber shedding).

4. Controlling production tools
Designing and maintaining processes, assembly steps, and part handling systems that do not generate critical particles and/or include integrated cleaning steps.

Two Complementary Standards

To conclude, VDA 19.1 specifies how to measure particles, while VDA 19.2 provides a methodological framework to avoid generating them.

 

A Tailored Approach for Sustainable Control of Particulate Cleanliness

• A core principle: Make it as clean as necessary, not as clean as possible!
• Rather than relying on standardized and costly solutions, it is preferable to develop an approach tailored to the company’s real needs and product requirements.
• Transferring key skills enables teams to sustainably master particulate cleanliness and integrate this expertise into daily processes.

 

Train Your Teams with Euro-Symbiose

As a licensed partner of VDA-QMC, Euro-Symbiose offers training programs to help you master these challenges:

• #979 : VDA 19.1 
• #980 : VDA 19.2 
• #117 : Design FMEA AIAG -VDA
• #118 : Process FMEA AIAG-VDA
• #119 : FMEA ressources

 

Interested? Contact us to tailor these training sessions to your needs!

 

📞 Our teams are here to listen and support you, ready to meet your needs:

France: +33 (0)2 51 13 13 00 – service.clients@euro-symbiose.fr
Morocco / Tunisia: +212 (0)6 91 00 06 46 – service.clients@euro-symbiose.ma