In the heat treatment of materials, it is often important that the quality is right: In food production on hygiene, in aviation on safety, in the automotive industry on reliability. Verification and documentation are crucial in industrial manufacturing to achieve proof of the desired properties and quality of the workpieces. In the past, processes were often documented with paper recorders that ran permanently. These records could only be evaluated individually. Nowadays, digital documentation offers an automatable and more efficient and accurate way of logging and monitoring the processes. In this blog post, we address the topic of documentation in heat treatment and shed light on its importance for quality assurance.
Which processes are documented?
In heat treatment, various processes are documented to ensure a complete record of the procedures. This includes, for example, information on temperature profiles, holding times, cooling rates and other relevant parameters. Each step is carefully recorded to ensure accurate traceability of the heat treatment performed.
Why is it important to document these processes?
Documentation plays a crucial role in quality assurance during heat treatment. It enables comprehensive monitoring and evaluation of the process parameters to ensure that the required standards and specifications are met. Detailed documentation allows potential sources of error to be identified and deviations to be detected at an early stage. This enables effective quality control and targeted optimisation measures.
Which standards does the documentation help to meet?
The documentation of heat treatment processes is of great importance to ensure compliance with various standards and regulations. These include the standards CQI-9 (Coating System Assessment), NADCAP (National Aerospace and Defense Contractors Accreditation Program), AMS 2750 / AMS 2770 (Aerospace Material Specifications) as well as ISO 9001 (quality management) and IATF 16949 (automotive industry). In the food industry, for example, DIN 6650, DIN 15000, DIN 13591, DIN 13886 or DIN 7218.
The complete documentation of the processes facilitates auditing and certification according to these standards, which ensures high quality standards and customer satisfaction.
Conclusion: Documentation as the basis for quality assurance
Documentation of heat treatment processes forms the basis for effective quality assurance. Not only does it enable compliance with the required standards and regulations, but beyond the proof of this, it also enables continuous improvement of the processes. By accurately recording the process parameters, trends and patterns can be identified that point to potential problems or optimisation opportunities. This allows targeted measures to be taken to increase efficiency, reduce costs and further improve product quality.