How One Manufacturer Cut Calibration Time by 75% with the MIC TRAC™ 4000.

Case Study: High-Precision Manufacturing, Inc.
Industry: Oil and Gas Equipment Manufacturing
Company Size: 350 employees

Challenge

The client was experiencing delays and rising costs due to outsourcing calibration of ring and plug gages, indicator-style gages, and various handheld inspection tools. These delays impacted their production schedule and complicated their compliance documentation for OEMs and government contracts.

Background

High-Precision Manufacturing, Inc., specializes in producing high-reliability components for oil and gas exploration and extraction. Their products demand the highest level of precision and quality control. The company faced several challenges with its existing gage calibration methods:

Inadequate Accuracy: Existing methods did not consistently provide the level of accuracy required for their critical components.
Time-Consuming Process: Calibration was slow, involving complicated setups and calibration outsourcing, leading to lengthy delays for critical gages and measuring instruments and production bottlenecks.
Limited Scope: The company struggled to calibrate a wide variety of gages, especially specialized thread gages, efficiently. They also needed to set dial bore gages and I.D. and O.D. micrometers to a wide range of sizes.
Compliance Requirements: Meeting increasingly stringent customer and industry standards (e.g., API) requires more rigorous and traceable calibration procedures.

Solution

High-Precision Manufacturing invested in 2 Gagemaker Mic Trac 4000 Precision Gage Calibration Systems with the optional CAL-PAK. This system offers several key advantages:

Ultra-High Accuracy: The Mic Trac 4000 provides a high-resolution .000010” scale and measuring accuracies up to .000020″, essential for the company's demanding requirements.
Versatility and Efficiency: The Mic Trac with the optional CAL-PAK includes a comprehensive assortment of fixtures for calibrating a wide range of gages, including thread gages, significantly improving efficiency.
Computerized System: The system includes a computer with CERTIFI™ Next Generation digital readout software, which generates reports and manages and recalls gage data.
Traceability: The system helps ensure traceability to NIST standards, which is crucial for meeting customer requirements and complying with industry regulations.

Implementation

The implementation process involved:

Installation and Setup: Thread Check Inc. provided on-site installation and setup of the Mic Trac 4000 and CAL-PAK.
Comprehensive Training: Thread Check Inc. provided training on the system's operation, software, and gage calibration best practices.
Customized Procedures: The Mic Trac 4000 included documented calibration procedures for many of the gages High-Precision Manufacturing used. The company was able to quickly tailor these to their specific needs.
Integration with QMS: The Mic Trac 4000 and its software were integrated with the company's quality management system (QMS) to streamline data management and ensure seamless traceability.

Results

The implementation of the Gagemaker Mic Trac 4000 with CAL-PAK yielded the following results:

Enhanced Accuracy: Calibration accuracy improved significantly, reducing measurement errors and improving the quality of manufactured components.
Increased Efficiency: Calibration times were reduced by up to 70%, thanks to the system's speed and the CAL-PAK's assortment of fixtures and versatility. Proper positioning of the gage improves the accuracy of the calibration and provides more consistent results leading to increased production throughput.
Expanded Calibration Capabilities: The company can now calibrate a wider range of gages in-house, reducing reliance on external calibration services and associated costs and delays. This was particularly beneficial for specialized thread gages used in oil and gas connections. Procedures now require this must be done at specified intervals during production.
Improved Compliance: The system's traceability and reporting capabilities have made it easier to comply with API and other industry standards.
Reduced Rework and Scrap: More accurate gage calibration and setting have decreased rework and scrap rates, resulting in substantial cost savings. Operators can quickly and accurately check their measuring instruments for first article and in-process inspection.
Streamlined Gage Management: The Next Generation CERTIFI software has improved gage tracking, recall, and management, ensuring that all gages are calibrated on time.

CAL-PAK is an assortment of fixtures that attach to the base unit for holding gages securely during the calibration process.

Conclusion

By adopting the Gagemaker Mic Trac 4000 with the optional CAL-PAK, High-Precision Manufacturing, Inc., transformed its gage calibration process. The company now benefits from higher accuracy, greater efficiency, expanded calibration capabilities, and improved compliance. This investment has resulted in enhanced product quality, reduced costs, and a stronger competitive position in the demanding oil and gas industry.