VDA 19.1 Inspection of Technical Cleanliness

Since the publication of the first edition of VDA 19 in 2004, technical cleanliness has become a key quality characteristic in the automotive industry, requiring not only the establishment of numerous laboratories and the development of new job profiles, but also several updates to the guidelines. With the introduction of VDA 19.1 (Analysis) and VDA 19.2 (Assembly), this topic was further developed and standardized across the entire industry.

Due to continuous technical development, the widespread application of the guidelines, and the experience gained from them, it eventually became necessary to conduct another comprehensive update of the VDA 19.1 manual.

The main objectives of the update (from February 2023 to May 2025) were:

• implementation of new, dry extraction methods and new analytical techniques,
• maintaining easily comparable standard analyses while allowing for the development of customized, non-standard tests tailored to specific problems within defined requirements,
• a more detailed description of the analysis of particles < 50 µm,
• the development of a standard SEM/EDX analysis with uniform material classes,
• numerous optimizations and clarifications in the development of control procedures and the adjustment of starting parameters based on many years of experience in cleanliness laboratories.

The basic methods and procedures for inspecting the cleanliness of parts, which were already included in the first and second editions, have proven very effective and have been retained in their entirety in the revised version in a more precise and expanded form.

Thanks to the expansion and refinement of the updated third edition of VDA 19.1, this manual can be used not only for the development, execution, and documentation of cleanliness testing in the laboratory, but also serves as a quick introduction to the subject in other disciplines such as quality assurance, design and development, or supplier management.