Almost every household in the world have their own set of tool kits to help them from everyday troubles like pipe leaks, loose hinges, and any other household woes. A great percentage of consumers today are not quite sure on how to use some hand tools properly which result to minor to fatal injuries. Due to the nature of how certain hand tools operate, it is very important for both the consumers and the manufacturers to practice safety by encouraging product knowledge.
Types of Hand Tools
Hand tools come in different sizes and functionalities; there are hand tools for cars and special hand tools for electronic equipment. As a consumer, it is very important to know about the product specifications of each hand tool to ensure proper and safe use every time. Here are the most common hand tools being used today:
- Measuring Tools
- Long tapes, tape rules etc…
- Finishing Tools
- Putty knives, scrapes, specialized tools and blades
- Striking and Struck Tools
- Hammers(sledge, soft face, specialty, nail, framing), chisels (including wood),punches, pry and claw bars
- Layout Tools
- Levels, squares, chalk line reels and chalk, accessories and marking
- Fastening Tools
- Pliers, screwdrivers, wrenches, nut drivers and ratchets, staplers and tacks, staples and brad nails, glue guns and glue sticks, riveters and grommets
- Cutting Tools
- Knife blades, knives, planes, saw blades, hacksaws, accessories, snips and saws
- Automotive Tools
- Mechanics tool sets, ratchets and accessories, wrenches and wrench sets
- Miscellaneous Electronic Distance Measuring, laser layout and stud sensors, flashlights
HAND TOOLS INSPECTION PROCESSES
Every manufacturer knows the importance of providing quality product to each consumer worldwide. If consumers like the product, it is safe to expect that the consumer would be a repeat-customer. In order to obtain high quality products all the time, it is very important to perform different tests and inspection process to ensure product reliability, safety and ease of use.
This article will cover the standard inspection processes being done on various hand tools available in the market today:
PRE-PRODUCTION INSPECTION
The purpose of this inspection process is to verify that all of the needed tools for hand tool production are free from any damage, defects or any loose joints to ensure proper and consistent production when the operation starts. Any devices that show any defects should be repaired or replaced as soon as possible to avoid the risks of creating defective products.
RAW MATERIALS INSPECTION
The purpose of this inspection process is to thoroughly inspect and verify that all of the needed materials for molding, hardening, cooling, and assembling are in complete and good order to ensure that all of the materials to be used are free from any damages or defects prior to initiating the production process. Any component that is proven to show defects will be labeled “DEFECTIVE” and will be re-assigned to a different queue for repairs or refurbishment.
ASSEMBLY INSPECTION
The purpose of this inspection process is to verify that all of the specifications under the assembly queue meet the initial requirements in order for it to be considered in the next production queue. Items that have the following will be labeled as “DEFECTIVE” and will be reassigned to a different queue according to its defective state.
Defective list:
- Deformations (for steel-based tools)
- Visual Damage
- Loose components
- Pre-production anomalies
COATING INSPECTION
The purpose of this inspection process is to verify that all of the hand tools that require metal coating are properly coated evenly on all the needed surface of the hand tool to ensure that all of the products in need of coating are properly checked. Each hand tool that has missed spots during the coating process will be re-coated to save on production time.
VISUAL INSPECTION
The purpose of this inspection process is to thoroughly inspect all of the hand tools, regardless of the type, for any visible damages, dents, cracks, chips, or any known production anomalies to ensure that all of the hand tools on the queue are ready for the next set of inspection processes. Should there be any items that show poor craftsmanship and functionality, these will be labeled “DEFECTIVE” and should be reconfigured to pass the quality control and safety guidelines.
WEIGHT AND MEASUREMENT INSPECTION
The purpose of this inspection process is to accurately measure the different hand tools under the same category to ensure that all of the tools are uniform in height, weight, size and diameter. This process is important to assure the right number of components used under the same queue is in check.
For the actual measurements, each hand tool will undergo a machine that will accurately measure each dimension of the hand tool to ensure proper ergonometric features that is both safe and reliable for everyday use (if applicable). Any hand tool that have a different specification as provided will be labeled as “DEFECTIVE” and will be re-assessed accordingly.
HANDS ON/QUALITY CONTROL INSPECTION
The purpose of this inspection process is to thoroughly test and inspect the behaviors of the different hand tools when being used to raise awareness of how certain items can break and cause unwanted accidents. Each hand tool will be inspected and tested using different sets of tests that would fit the hand tool on the current queue.
The main focus of this inspection is to verify that there are no hand tools that have poor-quality plating and grinding capabilities all the time to keep the quality of excellence seal for all the hand tools being tested. By performing efficiency testing on all hand tools, inspectors will be able to accurately pin-point the maximum capabilities of these hand tools by battery testing and other hands-on exercises.
Any items that fail the hands-on inspection will automatically be labeled as “DEFECTIVE” and will be thrown away to avoid the risk of reconditioning defective equipment.
Electrical Hand Tools: Each electrical hand tool (drills, screwdrivers, polishers etc…) will undergo battery tests and efficiency tests to properly measure the performance and capabilities of each electrical tool to ensure safe, efficient and reliable use prior to shipping and distribution.
