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Customers are keen to receive confirmation in writing from suppliers regarding the quality of goods supplied and the materials from which they are produced. Validation of quality, provided through the Mill Test Certificate, serves as a written declaration that the goods are as ordered and, therefore, fit for purpose.
The European standard norm EN 10204 defines different types of test documents that can be made available to the buyer for each delivery, in compliance with agreements made at the time of order placement. This standard supplements other standards that define the general technical terms and conditions of supply.
We can supply you with the following types of test certifications in accordance with EN 10204:
Confirmation of agreement with the purchase order
No test results
Compliance with agreementsConfirmation of agreement with the purchase order specifying the results of non-specific testsGuideline values, tested on a semi-finished product made using the same material, e.g.: -Density -Melting pointCompliance with agreementsConfirmation of agreement with the purchase order specifying the results of specific testsMean values, tested at a semi-finished product* from the same production** e.g.: -Density -Melting point -Tensile strength -Tensile elongation at break -Impact strengthCompliance with agreementsCertification of a certain material propertyNo test resultsCompliance with agreementsA certificate in which the manufacturer confirms, without indicating the test results that the supplied products comply with the requirements of the purchase order and the specified standard of quality.
A certificate in which the manufacturer confirms, with an indication of the test results that the supplied products comply with the requirements of the purchase order and the specified standard of quality.
Non-specific tests are intended to determine whether products, manufactured according to the same product specification and using the same method, comply with the requirements set out in the purchase order. The tested products do not necessarily have to originate from the delivery itself but can come from different comparable production processes.
In an acceptance test certificate in accordance with 3.1, the manufacturer confirms, with an indication of the specific test results, that the delivered products comply with the requirements specified in the purchase order. The acceptance test certificate is confirmed by an acceptance officer of the manufacturer who is independent of the production department.
The manufacturer is permitted to adopt test results based on specific testing of the input material or semi-finished products used. However, this is only possible if the manufacturer uses methods to ensure traceability and can submit the relevant test certificate. Otherwise, the test results are determined from cut test specimens from the relevant semi-finished production batch.
These are documents that provide a declaration on whether the material or the input material used in its production possesses a certain property.
Traceability of products and/or materials is designed to assist in investigating “what went wrong” in the event of an issue by recording and storing relevant details for future reference. Levels of traceability can be very precise, down to the exact time of manufacture, from the most detailed chemical properties of materials to the inspection, testing, and subsequent acceptability of assemblies. It may be sufficient to record the year a product was manufactured or whether it was produced before or after a certain batch of material was used.
The extent or level of implementation depends on an estimation of the criticality of the products and the cost of collating and archiving records, balanced against the likelihood of future product failure and its resultant consequences. Traceability is not a one-way activity, and if managed properly, it will provide any investigation with the means to trace through production, inspection, and test records of items from the end user to the source supplier, or vice versa.
A Traceable Certificate includes all of the information required to meet today’s stringent accreditation demands. This information includes Certificate No. & Date, Description of Items, Technical Specifications of Items, Heat Number, Manufacturer’s Name, Process of Manufacture, Test Results (Chemical Analysis & Mechanical Properties), Quantity in Pieces and Meters, the Signature of the QA Department, and details of disposal. The information, presentation, and completeness of data provided on the Traceable Certificate are all protected.
