Gauge calibration, and checks that refuse an overdue gauge
Keep every vernier, micrometer, weighing scale and thermometer with its calibration due date, history and certificates. Quality managers get a to-do before a gauge falls due. A check cannot be finished with a gauge that is overdue or out of service.
PLANSScale only
Why it matters
In a machine shop the gauge is the last word on whether a part is good. Yet calibration dates sit in a register, and a gauge that is overdue or failed its calibration often stays on the bench. Every part it passes is then in doubt, and an auditor will ask about it. In SmartMy Manufacturing each gauge carries its due date, history and certificates. Quality managers get a to-do before it falls due. A check that names an overdue or failed gauge cannot be finished, so a doubtful reading never passes a lot.
The problem it solves
- The micrometer on the inspection table was last calibrated two years ago, and nobody knew.
- An auditor asks for the calibration certificate of the gauge used on a lot, and it is in a drawer somewhere.
- A gauge failed its calibration, but it stayed on the bench and kept passing parts.
- The calibration lab's visit is missed because the due dates live in one person's diary.
How it works
- List your gauges under Quality > Configuration > Gauges: number, kind, range, least count and where it is kept. Add how often to calibrate (365 days to start with) and whether it is done in house or at an outside lab.
- Record each calibration on the gauge: date, lab, who did it, the result (Passed, Adjusted and Passed, or Failed) and the certificate as a file. The next due date follows from the last calibration.
- Name the gauge on the lines of a check sheet. Every check made from that point carries the gauge on its line.
- Each day the system looks at every gauge. One within 15 days of its due date shows Due Soon. One past it shows Overdue, and a quality manager gets a to-do to calibrate it.
- When an inspector presses Done on a check that uses an overdue or out-of-service gauge, it is refused with the gauge named. They use another gauge, or the gauge is calibrated first.
- A failed calibration takes the gauge out of service at once. A later passed calibration puts it back in use and clears the to-do.
Everything it does
The gauge
- Name, Gauge No., kind (vernier, micrometer, weighing scale, thermometer and so on), range, least count, kept at
- Calibrate Every: 365 days to start with
- By: Outside Lab to start with, or In House
- Last Calibrated, Next Due (worked out), Out of Service
- Status: In Use, Due Soon (15 days before), Overdue, Out of Service; a gauge never calibrated counts as Overdue
- Every change is tracked in its history; gauges can be archived
Calibrations
- Date (today to start with), lab, done by, result, certificate file, note
- Passed or Adjusted and Passed: the gauge's last date moves on and it is back in use
- Failed: the gauge goes out of service
- The full list stays on the gauge, newest first
On the checks
- A check sheet line names the gauge to use; the check's line carries it as Gauge Used
- Done is refused while any gauge on the check is overdue or out of service
- The status is worked out again at the moment of Done, not only overnight
Reminders
- A daily job finds gauges due soon or overdue and gives a to-do to a quality manager of that Entity, dated on the due date
- One to-do per gauge at a time; it is cleared when a passed calibration is recorded
Who uses it
Quality ManagerKeeps the gauge list, gets the calibration to-dos and records the results with certificates.
Quality InspectorUses the named gauge on the check, records calibrations done in house, and swaps a gauge that is refused.
Auditor or customerIs shown the gauge's calibration history and certificate on request.
Where you use it
- Web: Quality > Configuration > Gauges (quality managers), with the calibrations on each gauge
- Web and the SmartMy Manufacturing app: a check with an overdue gauge is refused at Done
- Not in the app: the gauge list and calibrations are on the web
What you control
Settings
- Per gauge: Calibrate Every (365 days to start with) and By (Outside Lab to start with)
- Due Soon shows 15 days before the due date (fixed)
- Per check sheet line: the gauge to use
Notifications
- Calibrate a gauge: a to-do for a quality manager of the Entity when a gauge is due soon or overdue, in the activity list. No email or app message of its own
Questions
What happens if an inspector uses an overdue gauge?
Done is refused with the gauge named. The inspector uses another gauge, or the gauge is calibrated and recorded first.Are we reminded before a gauge falls due?
Yes. From 15 days before its due date, a quality manager of the Entity gets a to-do dated on the due date. It is cleared when a passed calibration is recorded.Can we keep the lab's certificate?
Yes. Attach the certificate file to each calibration. The history stays on the gauge, newest first.What does a failed calibration do?
The gauge goes out of service at once and any check that names it is refused. A later passed calibration brings it back into use.Which plan has gauge calibration?
Scale, with CAPA and SPC charts.Related features
PLANNING, QUALITY AND COSTQuality checks with sampling (AQL), held lots and non-conformanceCheck material as it comes in, each step on the floor, the finished product and goods going out. Each check has a sheet and a sample worked out from the lot. A failed check holds the lot, raises a non-conformance whose decision is approved, and a Rework decision makes the rework order.PLANNING, QUALITY AND COSTSPC charts with Cp and CpkDraw a control chart from the measurements your inspectors already record. Every value shows in date order with its control limits and specification limits. Points out of control are marked, a moving range chart sits below, and Cp and Cpk are worked out for you.PLANNING, QUALITY AND COSTCAPA: corrective and preventive actions with five whysWhen a problem keeps coming back, raise a CAPA. Ask why five times, write the root cause, and plan corrective and preventive actions with owners and dates. Have the plan approved, and close it only when you have checked that it worked.PLANNING, QUALITY AND COSTPreventive maintenance by days, hours or cyclesEach machine gets maintenance plans that fall due by the calendar, by its running hours or by the pieces it has made. A due plan raises a maintenance request with its checklist and spares, and closing the request costs it and moves the plan on.PRODUCTION AND JOB WORKTools, dies and moulds with their life and serviceKeep each mould, die, jig and fixture with its pieces per shot, its life and its service interval. The right tool is put on each job and its shots are counted when the job finishes. It is flagged for service and near the end of its life.
See your shop floor on it.
Tell us what you make, how many machines and people you run, and how production is recorded today. We will set up a line with you and run a job on the terminal.