QUALITY CONTROL

Konetool is always striving for perfection. In 2014, Konetool started the quality control laboratory to guarantee that our product quality is well maintained, and established crystal-clear controls. Before delivery, each piece of our product is tested according to the standards. Our goal is to ensure high and consistent quality within every batch. Usually, our quality control personnel test products in the following aspects.

Dimension Inspection

For small-sized products, we inspect product dimensions by using a micrometer, a caliper, or a 2D vision measuring machine. For large-sized products, a ruler and a tape measure are necessary.

Micrometers may read a resolution of 0.001mm and provide a measuring accuracy of 0.01mm. The measurement of small distances (less than 50mm) should use micrometers, such as carbide insert knives. The accuracy of calipers is 0.02mm and a caliper is mainly applied in measuring length, inner&outer diameter, and depth. If we need to measure small distances (less than 150mm) such as carbide burrs and annular cutters, we use calipers. The 2D vision measuring machine is designed to measure complex parts, including radian, bore diameter, hole pitch, etc.

Some large products like snow plow blades are measured with tape measures.

Material Property Inspection

By inspecting material properties, we can ensure the consistency of product quality. There are two core aspects needed to be inspected.

  1. Coercivity

Coercivity is a measure of WC grain size and how well the tungsten carbide is sintered. First, we need a tungsten carbide sample that meets the required dimension. Then, put the sample in a Coercive Force Meter to test the Coercivity. If the Coercivity is higher, the WC grain size is finer.

  1. Magnetic Saturation

Magnetic Saturation, generally shortened to Magsat, is a measure of pure cobalt content in a tungsten carbide sample, and has nothing to do with WC grain size. Besides, the higher the magsat, the stronger the bending strength. First, we need clean specimens. Then, use a weighing machine and a Sigmameter to analyze the magsat of specimens.

Appearance Inspection

We can discover if there is any product defect by visual observation, e.g. if the cutting edge is defective. Besides, the product type should match the purchase order, e.g. if the shank type of annular cutters is the same as the customer’s requirement.