Question
There is a second part to 7.6 para “a” which reads; “where no such standards exist, the basis used for calibration or verification shall be recorded.” It is clear for shops that are complying to the ISO 9001: 2008(E) we need to have measurement standards traceable to international or national measurement standards. My question has to do with cylindrical plug gages that are used at the machines to verify manufactured print dimensions. The pins/plug gages are not sent out at intervals for calibration however, they are compared to a traceable measurement standard before being issued to the manufacturing area. We consider these gages to be calibrated “as used ” and we do not record the initial actual size of the pins/plug gage but issue it only on the basis that the size was verified against a traceable measurement standard. Are we required per Para 7.6 to record the actual size of the pins/plug gages?
Answer
Thank you for your question. What you are describing is verifying prior to use, rather than calibration. If the rings or other standards being used to check these plug gauges each day are properly calibrated and traceable to national standards, you are compliant with ISO 9001:2015. If you are registered to AS 9100 or TS 16949, stricter requirements will apply and you may not be meeting those requirements for recording variable results of calibration.
Denis Devos, P.Eng
A Fellow of the American Society for Quality
Devos Associates Inc.
(519) 476-8951
www.DevosAssociates.com
For more about this topic, please visit ASQ’s website.