Hired to set up a First Article Test Lab on base - 17025 Quality System?

[RLight]

Hello folks,
I have been reading many of the threads that pertain to the 17025 standard over the last two days and frankly I am lost.
Here is my deal. I got hired on as an intern with a govt agency that deals with Quality Assurance. Didnt realize it at the time but found out that the whole reason I was hired is to set up a First Article Test lab here on base. Now I do have some background for working in a lab but never setting up one. This lab will be dealing with First Article Tests only as far as I know. Now the boss asked me to do some best standard research for the quality system that we want to put in place. I found, after much research, that the most common standard used by industry is the ISO 17025. Fine Great in fact YAAA!!! At least I got somewhere with it. I went out and bought a copy to use for setting up the lab. (my thought is that if I set the lab up around the standard from the get-go i shouldnt have many problems when it comes to audit time.) Now the boss wants me to work on a calibration routine and he pointed me to Mil-C 145662. Now from my research and reading the threads on this site it seems that I have come full circle with this back to the ISO 17025. Is this so? Now I own copies of the Mil-C 14662, ISO 10012.1, and the ISO 17025. In all of these I do not really see a routine laid out for the calibration of our tooling. All give a general mention toward it but not what I wanted. Am I trying to look for something way too detailed on this?
man do I need the help.
Thanks folks.

 

[rmccallum]

Have you looked at calibration software.....What do you have to calibrate?

 

[Hershal]

For calibration, if you are working on a U.S. Military base, obtain a copy of ANSI/NCSL Z540-1-1994, which is the Standard in use by the military. It will provide some guidance into setting up a calibration system. It is also an American National Standard.

Obtain some calibration software. Get a good package, and there are several good mentions in other threads.

If you are in a military situation, the branches all have some good cal labs in their own systems.

As to 17025, you should address every clause. That does NOT mean that every clause applies in equal detail to your operation! For example, you will likely test 100% of what is sent to you, so then sampling may not apply. Addressing it with a short statement then is easy. Addressing clause that do apply should be taken with a realistic eye. Some clauses will likely need a separate procedure, some clause may be able to have the procedure in the higher level quality manual.

I hope this helps get you started.

Hershal

 

[RLight]

Thanks folks,
Here is where I am at so far. Tooling I will be calibrating ranges from vernier calipers, mics, to CMM and compression machines. I will also have some vibration beds and a tensile tester(I think on that one, havent bought it yet).
As for the standards, the US Army has already deemed the z540 out of date for usage in new labs developed under their system. I did find a guy down south that had the new protocols for calibration dates. Met him through this forum actually. Great place you all have here.
Thanks again for the help. I will be on this forum a lot in the future so keep a look out for me.