Inspection Kits for Each Customer Part: Calibration and Asset Control?

[SPC_Newbie]

Hello Again!

We are putting together little inspection kits consisting mostly of pin gages (regular minus pins and Deltronics pins) and thread gages for each part we run in our precision machine shop.

Normally we have an asset number and calibration sticker for each Deltronics pin (or pin set) that we keep in our inspection lab. That doesn't seem practical for these kits as any asset tags/cal stickers are normally placed on the blue plastic containers the pins come in and we are only placing the pins themselves in the kits (we stick them vertically in styrofoam).

Along the same lines, I'm ordering individual 'regular' minus pins for these sets as well. In the past inspection was done with pins pulled from sets we monitor calibration on. Now, not so much

What have others done with calibration for similar kits? I was thinking about making each kit an asset but it seems like that could also get messy in a hurry.

Thanks for sharing any thoughts/experiences!

 

[George Weiss]

Yes you have a pile of pins in front of you.
You have to look at what works for your situation.
1) In some cases a caged area issues a kit, which can be used and returned to the cage. The kit can be broken down and the parts returned to holding containers/"sets". In this case tractability could be lost, since complete records of where the individual artifact standards were used, would be nearly impossible to keep. You have a quality of same type/size pins.
2) Creating custom kits, or possibly multi-function kits would be a route. This keeps odd collections of pins together for at-same-time calibration. This would allow a single asset tag and reference.
3) There is the plastic Zip-Lock bag or similar container. This separates the types of artifact standards into the largest number of discrete item asset numbers.
4) If you have the ability to verify the loose pins before/after each kit release for a controlled area, (cage). You could verify and release kits.
.
I personally like the idea of multi-use or single-use kits. This would be tailored to your manufacturing process. It has a good reverse tracibility trail.