Quality Control
In metal parts the differences show up where you cannot see them: flatness, wall thickness, fin roots, coating thickness, hole position. None of that is visible on a finished part, so it has to be controlled in the process. Our approach puts checks inside the flow instead of staking everything on a final outgoing inspection.
Four control gates
| Gate | What is checked | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Incoming | Alloy and temper verified, batch matched to the material certificate, appearance and dimensions sampled | Material certificate, batch log |
| First article | Full dimensional inspection with critical dimensions recorded; datums and tool condition checked on CNC parts | First-article report |
| In process | Fin geometry and roots after skiving, flatness after milling, coating thickness and appearance after anodizing, hole position after drilling | Process check sheet |
| Outgoing | Key items sampled, appearance fully checked, packing and marking verified | Outgoing inspection record |
How common defects are prevented
Most aluminum problems have known causes, and the countermeasure can be built into the process:
| Issue | Typical cause | Our countermeasure |
|---|---|---|
| Flatness out of tolerance, warping | Skiving stress, uneven clamping load, thin-wall distortion | Rough and finish passes separated, symmetrical stress relief, dedicated fixtures and a low-stress clamping sequence |
| Burrs at fin roots, uneven fins | Tool wear, feed mismatch, pitch too tight | Tool life management, feed set per pitch, first article approved before the run |
| Uneven coating, colour variation | Incomplete pre-treatment, rack contact marks, bath drift | Fixed pre-treatment and racking, colour matched to coupon, batches controlled separately |
| Hole position drift, stripped threads | Inconsistent datums, wrong tapping parameters, stacked tolerances | One datum and fixture, hole position re-checked on first article, tapping parameters fixed |
| Scratches, transit damage | No separation between parts, unsupported long lengths, packing not suited to the part | Separated handling between steps, supports for long parts, packing designed per part type |
Inspection and records
- Dimensions: calipers, micrometers, height gauges, profile projector and CMM where the project requires it.
- Geometry: flatness, perpendicularity and concentricity checked against the drawing callouts.
- Surface: coating thickness measured, colour compared to coupon and sample, appearance judged under controlled light.
- Records: first-article report, process check sheets and outgoing inspection records ship with the parts or are filed per project.
Sample-to-production consistency
An approved sample does not by itself mean a stable run — fixtures, tools, parameters and operators sit in between. After sample approval we freeze the critical parameters into a work instruction: which fixture, where to leave stock, which dimensions to check, how often to re-set tools. Production follows the same instruction, which narrows the gap between a good first article and a loose run.
Traceability and cooperation
Aluminum batch, finishing batch and production batch are recorded against each other, so an issue can be traced back to a specific batch and step. Third-party testing or a specific standard can be arranged when the project calls for it, with cost and lead time stated in the quotation. We do not promise figures we cannot support, and we do not sell "zero defect" — a clear control method and honest records are worth more than a slogan.