Material tag and incoming inspection

The material tag is the document with which RS Randack releases a bundle of bar stock after incoming inspection. It states the material, dimensions, heat and batch, the associated mill certificate issued by the steel mill, the characteristics inspected and the inspector. It is filed in the order file. Parts may only be produced from material whose tag number appears on the works order.

What incoming inspection covers

1. Delivery note, purchase order and mill certificate are checked against each other; the material remains quarantined until the inspection is complete.
2. Radioactivity check on every delivery.
3. Dimensional check on at least one bar per bundle, at positions offset by 90°, and visual inspection of the surface.
4. Material verification (PMI) with the spark spectrometer if the delivery consists of more than one bundle, on at least three bars per bundle.
5. Hardness testing of material delivered in the quenched and tempered condition, product analysis at the customer’s request.
6. Marking: A label on each bundle, at least three bars labelled with the heat number, ends colour-marked, separate storage for each batch.

Why this matters to you

Every subsequent test and every certificate depend on the right heat having been recorded at the start. The material tag is the first link in the traceability chain; the test bar and the marking of the parts are the next. The same procedure applies to customer-supplied material; the mill certificate for the heat must be supplied with it.