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What are your "1st Piece Procedures" - in process checking, not FAI

ttrager

Cast Iron
Joined
Jul 23, 2015
Location
East Side / Detroit
Though this may at first appear long, the intent is to not ask for War & Peace from you. Rather, fast data points. My need is to ping "the industry" for a broader view from those of you having to do the work, perhaps involved in evaluating and making the decisions.

If you choose to answer the below Survey, your time and willingness to share experience is greatly appreciated.

Survey – Your Environment and the factors considered in defining your production Inspection Policy/Procedures

Background & Environment Questions
:

What is your Manufacturing Profile? (e.g. Production / casting versus precision tooling, aerospace)

Typical run volumes by job? Are you running production batches that might go on for days, weeks, or months +, or are they smaller batches of “custom” jobs?

General complexity level of what you produce? Simple or Complex, Include tolerances to be met (e.g. +/- .005, versus +/- .0002)

What standards, if any, are supported? (e.g. ISO 9001-2015, TS16949, other)

Number of positions and types (e.g. Mills, Gundrill, Dedtru, etc.)

Number of Machinists by shift?

Who trains your Machinists? Both machining and procedures (e.g. Non-conformances, signing travelers)?

Number of Floor Inspectors by shift?

Number of people in Quality overall?

Who performs job setup, including setup of checking devices (e.g. Micrometers, gage blocks/pins, fixtures), and validates same, Production/Machinists/Foreman vs Quality?

Does the Job setup include a Setup Checklist?

What is the expectation for technical knowledge of floor inspectors? Is it sufficient to have someone capable of being trained to the degree necessary, or do you need “machinist level” skill sets at hiring?

What type of measurement devices are used? Dial indicators & gage blocks versus CMMs, Lasermikes, etc.)

Your Inspection Procedures:

If you do FAIs, simply say “We do FAIs” and leave it at that. This survey is intended to illuminate how you are executing in-process production inspections, which operate in concert with FAI’s if you do those.

Identify the “First Piece” Inspection process during completion of a Part, or by Features on a Part. Is it a one-person check (Machinist) or a two-person check (Machinist + call for Inspector)?

Do you call an Inspector (2nd person check) for Rough cutoffs? Assume cutoff tol of: -0 / + .375, or +.675, or +1.5”

Do you call for an Inspector (2nd person check)for qualification passes at one position done for the next position? e.g. qualifying a chucking surface or perhaps removal of bulk stock prior to finishing at a grinding position.

What were the factors you considered when identifying your 1st Piece Inspection Policy? (One person versus two person 1st piece checks) Typical culprits are:
• Value of the Material and/or Job.
• Production vs Custom work (untrained labor vs trained machinists).
• Competency/Reliability of the Machinist.
• Competency/Reliability level of the Inspectors.
• Company expectations for Training of both Machinists and Inspectors.
• Staffing levels and work loading (e.g. Number of Inspectors vs Machinists vs Jobs vs volumes vs delivery dates).
• Complexity of the job/feature(s).
 








 
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