Calibration/Verification of customer fixtures

[sealteamrick87]

Hello, We recently went through an IATF surveillance audit, and the auditor found a customer approved check fixture (a fixture we designed, built, sent to the customer for approval, got approval, and attached customer identification tag) that had no calibration sticker or results of how frequent the fixture is checked and ended up giving us a minor. The problem is the fixture is too big to send to the customer without tearing apart (which is unknown since the person(s) that designed and built are no longer there), we have no way of verifying the fixture and we cannot run the production of the parts without checking the parts in the check fixture which is the main reason we cannot send the fixture since we are the only producers of said part in the world. I have inquired to our customer to provide a waiver of the calibration/verification and duration time, but the auditor said that wasn't enough! What can we do here? I believe since this is a customer-approved fixture and the customer is willing to provide a waiver, that should suffice, or am I wrong?

 

[Ninja]

I have inquired to our customer to provide a waiver of the calibration/verification and duration time, but the auditor said that wasn't enough! What can we do here?

Smack the auditor, and allow the customer approval to override them.

 

[sealteamrick87]

HAHA, as much as I would like to smack the auditor.

Smack the auditor, and allow the customer approval to override them.

 

[Ashland78]

Hello, We recently went through an IATF surveillance audit, and the auditor found a customer approved check fixture (a fixture we designed, built, sent to the customer for approval, got approval, and attached customer identification tag) that had no calibration sticker or results of how frequent the fixture is checked and ended up giving us a minor. The problem is the fixture is too big to send to the customer without tearing apart (which is unknown since the person(s) that designed and built are no longer there), we have no way of verifying the fixture and we cannot run the production of the parts without checking the parts in the check fixture which is the main reason we cannot send the fixture since we are the only producers of said part in the world. I have inquired to our customer to provide a waiver of the calibration/verification and duration time, but the auditor said that wasn't enough! What can we do here? I believe since this is a customer-approved fixture and the customer is willing to provide a waiver, that should suffice, or am I wrong?

Fixtures wear over time. We had very much same situation with big fixtures we had a local accredited 3rd party vendor come on site and verify with a Faro Arm (portable CMM with our CAD file) on one of our big layout tables. If fixture passed two 12M intervals we could decrease interval but many times there was something on it that 'was suspect' from wear. If you are in Michigan I can refer a company.

 

[sealteamrick87]

We are located in California actually. What I did (to ease the mind of the auditor temporarily) was I used red paint and dabbed wherever there was a dowel pin, bolt, and crease to show there isn't any "tampering". We are also going to request to submit a PPAP while using the fixture as a checking aide to help ease the mind of the auditor.

 

[optomist1]

is the (what I call a QAF/Quality Acceptance Fixture) fixture marked in accordance with customer specified marking/control? Is it in fact CFT customer furnished tooling?

 

[Sebastian]

1. Customer is authorized to issue a waiver where standard gives him such authority. Here I see not such option.
2. Giving waiver for aspect directly affecting quality of product requires good rationale. Here is no such rationale.
You've designed this fixture and initial customer approval is not relevant to your duty to maintain its validity when used in serial production.
Even it was designed and manufactured by your customer, it is your duty to maintain its validity - see 8.5.3 for rationale.

Some time ago, I brought such a checking fixture to customer for verification of it and related product. To do this I needed to enter plant with a car, because of fixture size. It get initial customer approval, based on our inspection results, but later it was regularly measured to detect any deviations.

In my opinion your auditor is absolutely right.