Control of Personally Owned Gages

[chasf]

I have some gages that are owned by individuals these gages are used in our Tool Room for tool building they are not used to measure customer product. So far I have not included these gages in the calibration system but I am not completely comfortable with that. I would welcome feedback on how others have handled this type of thing.

 

[Jerry Eldred]

There are many ways to control personally owned gages. A few (not all inclusive) include:

1. Don't allow personally owned gages
2. Require personally owned gages to be calibrated the same as company owned gages. Issue ID #'s.

I would recommend a clear policy. Depending on what compliance you must adhere to (i.e.: FDA, FAA, ISO9000, etc.) there is the distinct possibility for trouble. An auditor could reasonably ask for an explanation of how you know those un-calibrated, personally owned gages can not be used for product measurements.

If the capability is there, one easy answer might be to require personally owned gages to be calibrated and keep records.

Another avenue could include something in policy or procedures that documents what gage is used in any product tests/measurements.

I won't suggest dis-allowing them, as I don't know your parameters. In many machine shops, machinists like using their own gages.

Bottom line, most companies that have compliance requirements have some measure defined to assure only properly calibrated gages are used where it matters to products.

That;s my two cents. Hope it is of some help.

 

[errhine]

All of the personally owned gages in our shop are in the Cal program. Typically only 0-1" mics are allowed with the exception of our machinists. Most of the machinists tools are not used on customers parts but we found it to be safer and easier if we had control in house.

 

[Helmut Jilling]

I have some gages that are owned by individuals these gages are used in our Tool Room for tool building they are not used to measure customer product. So far I have not included these gages in the calibration system but I am not completely comfortable with that. I would welcome feedback on how others have handled this type of thing.

They may need to be included in calibration, in some appropriate form.

You cite the old working requirement - "gages affecting product." The current standard carries the requirement a little more broadly - it adds "where necessary to ensure valid results." This infers taking the requirement a little more broadly than just measuring parts.

 

[potdar]

Include all personall owned gages in your calibration program and keep records for them.

Second, and more important, place the responsibility of using gages with valid calibration squarely on the shoulders of the user while defining your QMS. If anyone is found to be using any out of calibration gage, he is answerable. Not the lab.

 

[chasf]

Thanks to all for your input. What I have gathered from your comments is that adding these gages to the Cal. System or removing the gages from the building is the only way to eliminate the risks involved.

 

[Crash Not]

Here is the way we handle it at our ISO 9000/2000 facility. Any gage or measuring device that is used for final inspection (of customer product) is calibrated, whether employee or company owned. All other gages, ect. are marked for reference only.

 

[Helmut Jilling]

Here is the way we handle it at our ISO 9000/2000 facility. Any gage or measuring device that is used for final inspection (of customer product) is calibrated, whether employee or company owned. All other gages, ect. are marked for reference only.

Man, unless you have a very simple, one step product, that is a very old style approach. Hardly anyone nowadays only calibrates final inspection gages.

Why would you want to use gages that have not been verified measure anything with gages.

There is a lot of good discussion on the topic of good gage management here at Elsmar. It might be worth reviewing some of the more progressive thinking.

 

[chasf]

I think there are times when marking gages REFERANCE ONLY makes sense. For instants we have gage pin sets that number over 1000 in total. These pins are easily lost so if we calibrate and use the pin to check product and then the pin is lost before the next calibration we have a problem. What we have done is mark the gage pins sets REFERANCE ONLY. In cases when certain jobs would require gage pins for measurement we assign and calibrate pins just for that job so they are not part of the gage pin sets.

 

[Helmut Jilling]

I think there are times when marking gages REFERANCE ONLY makes sense. For instants we have gage pin sets that number over 1000 in total. These pins are easily lost so if we calibrate and use the pin to check product and then the pin is lost before the next calibration we have a problem. What we have done is mark the gage pins sets REFERANCE ONLY. In cases when certain jobs would require gage pins for measurement we assign and calibrate pins just for that job so they are not part of the gage pin sets.

Certainly there are times when gages should be reference only, or not in calibration at all.

However, the example you cite is different. Your gage may be marked "Reference" but in fact they are calibrated. You just chose a calibration method where you calibrate just prior to use. The rest of the time, the gage is not calibrated/verified.