Part against sample and drawing
Shape and dimensions are checked against the approved sample and the confirmed drawing, and the part is checked for the function that was agreed: the way it fits, seals, grips or flexes.
What production is checked against
Quality & Testing
A molded part is checked against the sample you approved and the drawing you sent. Here is what that means in practice, and where testing fits.
- The approved sample is the reference
- Inspection before shipment, in person or by video
- Tests for your market quoted before production
Quality and testing
How a part is judged
Inspection is measured against documents and a sample you have already agreed, so a result does not depend on anyone's opinion on the day.
Four things form the inspection basis: the confirmed sample, the confirmed drawing, the key dimensions and the agreed function. They are settled before production, in writing, at the point where you approve the sample.
The partner factory keeps a signed reference sample of that approved part. Production is compared with it, and with the drawing and dimensions, rather than with a memory of the first part or with a later revision of the drawing.
During production
Checks against the reference
Multi-cavity tools
Where a tool has more than one cavity, parts from each cavity are checked against the same reference. One cavity can drift on its own, so a good part from one position does not stand for the whole tool.
The factory records the checks it makes and keeps the approved reference sample on file. Before shipment we check the order against what was agreed with you: the confirmed specification, the quantities, the colour and the packaging the order names. The delivered quantity may vary by ±5% unless the order states an exact quantity.
Inspection
Seeing the goods before they ship
You or your own third party may inspect the order before shipment, in person or by video. If you arrange an inspection through a third party, tell us the scope and the timing with the order so the goods are ready and available for it.
A video inspection walks the order with you: the packed goods, a count, parts drawn from the production run next to the reference sample, and the packaging as it will arrive.
When something does not match
If a check finds a difference from the confirmed sample, the confirmed drawing, the key dimensions or the agreed function, the point is raised with the factory before shipment rather than after. What happens next depends on the difference: a correction in production, a sorting of the affected parts, or a remaking of the tool where the fault is in the tool itself.
Visible problems with appearance, quantity or packaging should be reported within 7 days of arrival, so they can be traced against the production records and the reference sample. Report them with photographs of the parts, the cartons and the labels.
Testing
Material reports and what they cover
A material report describes a raw material. It is not a certification of every finished part made from it.
Material reports, such as documents related to FDA or LFGB requirements, cover specific raw materials. They do not by themselves certify a finished part, and they do not cover a different grade, a different colour or a different supplier's batch.
For each project we check the actual material, the part, the way it will be used and the destination market, and we say what that combination needs. Any extra test is quoted and arranged before production, so the result is available for the shipment rather than after it.
Tell us the destination market and the way the part is used when you send the drawing, and the testing question is answered together with the quotation. To begin, use the inquiry page, or read how it works for the sequence from drawing to delivery.