Guys,
I've got a chance to re-organize my inspection department from the ground up. We're getting some large equipment & knocking down walls, so here's a chance to start from scratch. Do any of you mind sharing pictures of your inspection dept or layouts? We have 3 inspectors, 2 CMM's, and all the usual metrology equipment.

What I'm trying to improve is efficiency in getting gages in/out. Our shop guys come into QC to borrow various equipment which is scattered about our room in various drawers & cabinets. Our Deltronic pins occupy a 4x12 wall board, ring & thread gages are in drawers, and everything else is in their case generally stacked a few high inside cabinets.

Thoughts - Keeping tools on wall boards vs in drawers (or a wall of "cubbies" so it's all out in the open...). It seems like keeping rings and thread gages in gridded drawers would be a good way to stay organized, but I could put those out in the open on a wall as well w/ a spot for each...

I've got a chance to do it right, so I'm trying to think of it all at once, so I don't have to live with mistakes for 20 more years... Any suggestions or experience is welcome!

This is an interesting question. Can anyone offer some guidance?

I've got a chance to re-organize my inspection department from the ground up.Great. Such chances are few and far between.

Do any of you mind sharing pictures of your inspection dept or layouts?Alas, I have no pictures in spite of having spent years in inspection labs. I have seen a number of good as well as bad setups though, and just as you indicate, dishing gages in/out in an efficient way seems to be a frequent headache. Could you describe the snags in your current handling? I.e: What is taking time, and who is suffering: The inspection staff, the shop guys or both?

/Claes

Guys,
I've got a chance to re-organize my inspection department from the ground up. We're getting some large equipment & knocking down walls, so here's a chance to start from scratch. Do any of you mind sharing pictures of your inspection dept or layouts? We have 3 inspectors, 2 CMM's, and all the usual metrology equipment.

What I'm trying to improve is efficiency in getting gages in/out. Our shop guys come into QC to borrow various equipment which is scattered about our room in various drawers & cabinets. Our Deltronic pins occupy a 4x12 wall board, ring & thread gages are in drawers, and everything else is in their case generally stacked a few high inside cabinets.

Thoughts - Keeping tools on wall boards vs in drawers (or a wall of "cubbies" so it's all out in the open...). It seems like keeping rings and thread gages in gridded drawers would be a good way to stay organized, but I could put those out in the open on a wall as well w/ a spot for each...

I've got a chance to do it right, so I'm trying to think of it all at once, so I don't have to live with mistakes for 20 more years... Any suggestions or experience is welcome!

Too obvious perhaps, but here are some google images of metrology labs (http://images.google.com/images?gbv=2&hl=en&sa=1&q=metrology+labs&btnG=Search+images&aq=f&oq=&aqi=&start=0).

Stijloor.

Great. Such chances are few and far between.

Alas, I have no pictures in spite of having spent years in inspection labs. I have seen a number of good as well as bad setups though, and just as you indicate, dishing gages in/out in an efficient way seems to be a frequent headache. Could you describe the snags in your current handling? I.e: What is taking time, and who is suffering: The inspection staff, the shop guys or both?


It's mostly the shop guys that suffer when finding equipment, since it's a 5:1 ratio and they don't all know where the "rare" equip is kept (i.e. - let's go drawer/cabinet hunting!). The thread/plug/ring gages waste everybodies time. Even though they're more or less sorted by size in drawers, they don't have individual labelled spots, so you can't easily tell if it's been checked out. Heck, a library card system would be great - fill out a slip w/ the part # and qty, and place it in where the gage was, as well as track use better. Right now it's a generic "sign out sheet" where the shop guys fill out the gage # & date checked out/in. Other larger items like dial bore gages, sine plates, & big mics sometimes end up being tough to locate quickly as well, since it's out of sight, out of mind...

Another use of my inspector's time is checking in equipment. All returned equip (incl deltronic plugs) gets placed in a bin or on the counter to be visualed for damage, plugs measured, and then returned to the right location. Not sure if I want to go all the way to having the shop guys put equipment back w/o a quick check for damage...

Stiljoor - thanks for the google images link! Too obvious for me to think of that. :)