Micrometer & Caliper Calibration (ISO-9001)

JDJohnson

Starting to get Involved
Just remember, YOU can't get everything fixed. Its going to take buy in from the top to the bottom. If you don't have top management support, and they just want a cert on the wall, you will be fighting a never-ending battle.
They brought me in because I have the experience I do and they seem to and was told that I basically have free reign to get the things done i need to. I report to the plant manager and work with the rest of the top management here at the plant. We are under an umbrella but we basically govern ourselves here. although it is only my 3rd day. lol
 

Mike S.

Happy to be Alive
Trusted Information Resource
Make sure none of your customers require calibration to a certain standard. I don't know who you customer base is, but in aerospace and defense a lot of customers demand calibration iaw ISO 17025 or some other standard for all M&TE as part of their flowdowns. In such case, just any old self-calibration or verification won't cut it.

Good luck in your new job. Working in a target-rich environment can be rewarding or soul-sucking depending on the culture.
 

JDJohnson

Starting to get Involved
Make sure none of your customers require calibration to a certain standard. I don't know who you customer base is, but in aerospace and defense a lot of customers demand calibration iaw ISO 17025 or some other standard for all M&TE as part of their flowdowns. In such case, just any old self-calibration or verification won't cut it.

Good luck in your new job. Working in a target-rich environment can be rewarding or soul-sucking depending on the culture.
In my previous work everything was required to be calibrated to NIST and was in the aerospace and medical industry, now im in the industrial bearing industry.
 

Jen Kirley

Quality and Auditing Expert
Leader
Admin
Lots of good advice here. Let's summarize.
  1. Calibration is needed to make sure the right product is going to the customer. So at a minimum, calibrated instruments are needed for final inspection. It is perfectly fine to question how many are needed to be active at any given time, but if some are placed inactive they should be secured from being confused with being in a calibrated status.
  2. If product is to be final inspected, then in theory reference instruments can be used for the earlier steps: setup and production. But this could cost you badly in waste.
  3. Internally calibrating and verifying (the terms are used almost interchangeably) with NIST traceable standards is fine, but technique matters. Personnel who do this need to be competent. Calibration/verification needs to be done within the range the instrument is used. Most of us use 10:1 discrimination, but I have never seen this as a requirement in print so I would consider setting out your own procedure to define it.
  4. It is not okay to verify the gage blocks with the same instruments they are used to calibrate.
  5. It is perfectcly okay to calibrate/verify before use, but you'll need a record of having done that. (Job router or shop traveler?)
  6. If instruments are to be used all day, I question whether an annual cycle is enough and I question if you never find it necessary to check for flatness of anvils on micrometers. Calibration is planned based on the accuracy needed, as well as risk introduced by amount and type of usage, the environment of usage, how the tools are stored and their sensitivity.
  7. Make sure there is an effective process for understanding potential effect on product if an instrument is found to be out-of-tolerance when it gets calibrated/verified, and taking action as needed.
I hope this helps.
 

CaliperJim

Involved In Discussions
JD, do your customers or regulations require you to adhere to any specifications such as MIL-STD-45662A or pass audits such as NAV04? Those are the documents I reference when making decisions regarding calibration.
 

CaliperJim

Involved In Discussions
You should not label anything "reference only." That's an like an engraved invitation to an auditor, asking him to start digging. The standard says that devices must be calibrated "if necessary to ensure valid results." If you feel like a given device doesn't need full-blown calibration, you should label it "Calibration not Required," and be prepared to provide the rationale. Also, "calibration" is nothing more than comparing a device to a standard, and doesn't imply adjustment. There are different levels of calibration. What's commonly referred to as "verification" of a device is a form of calibration.

Thank you for your dedication in helping people understand what calibration means. I'm very tired of vendors and customers insisting on using verification if no adjustment is possible.
 

JDJohnson

Starting to get Involved
JD, do your customers or regulations require you to adhere to any specifications such as MIL-STD-45662A or pass audits such as NAV04? Those are the documents I reference when making decisions regarding calibration.
No not that I am aware of. Only by ISO 9001 requirements. When I came in to this position the guy before we was in his infancy putting together a QMS for ISO 9001 and wanted to use an exclusion clause for all micrometers (even final inspection). I am looking to make critical to quality inspection equipment calibrated (final inspection/assembly and surveying/engineering departments) and in process inspection equipment at the machine to verify to a standard prior to use without the requirement of documenting the verification in order to keep it all manageable.
 
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