A rejected shipment costs far more than the parts themselves — in lost time, freight and customer confidence. Good quality control is not one final check but a series of checkpoints that begin before production.
Checkpoints from start to finish
- Incoming material — confirm grade and dimensions against the certificate, and verify composition by spectrometer where needed.
- First-article inspection — measure the first parts fully against the drawing and approve them as the reference.
- In-process checks — operators and inspectors sample parts during the run to catch tool wear before it creates scrap.
- Thread gauging — go / no-go plug and ring gauges confirm thread fit.
- Finish inspection — visual standard and plating thickness checks for finished parts.
- Functional tests — pressure or leak testing for fittings and valve parts, when specified.
- Final inspection — random sampling of the finished lot against an agreed plan.
- Packing audit — quantities, labels and carton condition before sealing.
Sampling plans and defect classes
Many buyers specify an acceptable quality limit (AQL) using the ISO 2859-1 sampling system. Agreeing the levels in advance — for critical, major and minor defects — removes ambiguity at the point of inspection.
Tell us what is critical
Not every dimension on a drawing is equally important. Marking the critical-to-function features lets inspection effort focus where it matters.
Independent inspection
Buyers who want extra assurance can appoint a third-party inspector to attend the pre-shipment inspection. We welcome this and will coordinate access and documents.
See the instruments and checkpoints we use on the process page.
Have a drawing or specification in mind? Send it to our export desk and we will respond with a clear quotation.