Laboratory Scope - Calibration vs. Test Methods - IATF 16949

[Crimpshrine13]

We recently had the third party audit to IATF 16949 and had been written up for the lab scope not indicating the test methods that is traceable to national standard. I understand the necessity and am trying to get this corrected, however I will need to improve our lab scope and separate one for mechanical measuring and one for calibration.

I was looking at some of the lab scopes for the ISO 17025 certified laboratories, and I noticed that the lab doing the mechanical measurements as their service (eg. metallurgy analysis) had references to ASTM standards as their test methods, but lab doing the calibration services (eg. micrometer, caliper, etc.) did not necessarily refer to any national standards and said "comparison to gage blocks" (and basically that's what we do internally, only that the gage blocks are calibrated externally by ISO 17025 certified lab periodically). One of the things that our auditor had mentioned was that I did not have reference to national standard calibrating the micrometer; therefore it is not traceable. So, in this case do I need to refer to ASME standards for calibration methods? I'd been having hard time finding ASTM standard for calibrating micrometers and calipers. Maybe I'm not looking enough or searching with wrong words.

Any thoughts and advise?

 

[Sebastian]

When related standards exist, it should be used directly or transferred into internal instruction.
But who knows, what standards exist?
Using traceable master during internal calibration activities, which are not traceable to existing standard, can be questioned.
I do not know database of existing calibration standards, and commercial laboratories probably wont help.
But maybe calibration certificate of commercial laboratory mentions standard you are interested in?

 

[John C. Abnet]

did not necessarily refer to any national standards and said "comparison to gage blocks" (and basically that's what we do internally, only that the gage blocks are calibrated externally by ISO 17025 certified lab periodically).

Good day @Crimpshrine13
Be sure you understand what the auditor is claiming versus what the standard/your organization requires.

Keep in mind that your auditor mentioned "method". Indeed, the standard reads as follows...
7.1.5.3.1 d) ..."capability to PERFORM (method) these services correctly...relevant process standard..."

It seems that somehow the METHOD is being commingled with traceability (i.e. your gage blocks, which I assume are traceable to NIST).

I don't recall a "...process standard...", which describes the METHOD of verifying micrometers via gage blocks.

Food for thought.

Hope this helps.

Be well.

 

[MEXPZN]

A traceability chart letter (internal) should do the work, and you need to ask your calibration supplier to provide theirs, so that way you will have uninterrupted traceabilty chain all the way to you internal lab scope.