Quality Assurance
Hi-Tek Manufacturing incorporates several Quality Tools within the manufacturing process. The quality tools and systems are focused around the PDCA (Plan Do Check Act) approach as outlined in Hi-Tek’s AS9100 / ISO9001 Quality System.
Airflow testing is key to any successful turbine. In addition to confirming that the parts we fabricate function as intended and don't include defects, our Airflow test make it simpler to improve part performance.
Airflow Testing
Computer-controlled machinery isn't just for taking the hard manual labor out of the machining process. We employ it to great success by using our CNC hardware to conduct detailed visual inspections.
Machine-aided optical inspections allow us to catch issues that human eyes might miss. It also empowers improved governance through uniform assessments. By tying our quality systems to our production line feedback sensors and oversight tools, we're also able to help our clients refine their designs and spot potential problems long before they occur.
CNC Optical Examinations
Hi-Tek has a met lab staffed with engineers that has decades of experience. Tests that are typically performed in the lab include failure testing, corrosion testing, chemical analysis, weld testing, and metallography
Thermal processes such as EDM, Laser, Material Joining, etc. have stringent requirements for such things as recast layer, heat affected zones, microcrack limits, etc.
In 1985, Hi-Tek realized the need to have an in-house Met Lab resource. Since then the equipment has been continually updated to stay on the leading edge of the process. Hi-Tek maintains appropriate Met Lab approvals from all our customers as required.
Metallurgical Lab
Hi-Tek maintains two full time Level III FPI inspectors that operate state-of-the-art equipment to ensure quality and compliance to specifications, drawings, and models
Fluorescent Penetrant Inspection (FPI)
As the Hi-Tek quality team populates customer requirements, process capability is the assurance of the repeatability of each manufacturing operation.
In process improvement efforts, process capability ratios are a statistical measure of ability of a process to produce output within specific limits or requirements. This process capability compares the output of a frozen manufacturing process to customer specification limits utilizing capability indices. It is a measurable property of a process to the specification, expressed as a process capability index, or Cpk. The output of this measurement is usually illustrated by a histogram and calculations that can predict how many parts will be produced by the process within the specification tolerance insights. The two parts of process capability are 1) the measure of the variability of the output of a manufacturing process and 2) the comparison of that variability with the provided specification or product tolerance.
Process Capability Measurement
Hi-Tek Manufacturing uses various tools and methods to provide an ongoing effort to improve its products and processes. One such method used to provide Continuous Improvement is centered on the DMAIC process.
Some of the tools that may be used during this process include:
Corrective Actions Based Upon Defect Analysis
Pareto Charting
Cause-and-effect / Ishikawa / Fishbone Diagrams
5-Whys
Quality System and Workstation Auditing
FMEA - PFMEA
Quality Gates
Continuous Improvement
To demonstrate our ongoing commitment to quality, cost-effectiveness, and continuous improvement, Hi-Tek Manufacturing has achieved Nadcap accreditation in several special process categories. Nadcap certification is an important way of communicating to our customers that we excel at manufacturing products that meet or exceed the high quality standards established for the aerospace and defense industries.
Nadcap is a global cooperative accreditation program that provides independent certification of special manufacturing processes for the aerospace engineering, defense, and related industries. Its membership brings together technical experts, prime contractors, suppliers, and government representatives who work together to define operational requirements for special processes and establish a standardized approach for supplier audit and approval.
We sought Nadcap Certification in an effort to develop cost-effective processes that strengthened the quality of our products while giving our customers increased confidence in our capabilities. As a major provider of complex components and assemblies used in aircraft, power generation, and marine turbine engines, our status as a Nadcap accredited supplier assures customers that work is performed competently and consistently. It also highlights our commitment to quality and continuous improvement, reinforced by our certifications.
The scope of our accreditation covers non-destructive testing, non-conventional machining, heat treating, and vacuum brazing. Achieving certification in these four special process categories was an extraordinary accomplishment for our team. With this level of technical authority, our turnkey solutions for OEM turbine engine customers lead to superior quality, lower costs, and greater innovation.
The Quality Tools We Use
Quality Tools are used to help identify causes, understand processes and to collect and analyze data to be able to make informed decisions. Some of the quality tools used at Hi-Tek Manufacturing include, but are not limited to:
Process Capability (Cpk) and Process Performance (Ppk) Studies
Histograms
Stratification Diagrams
Scatterplots
In process improvement efforts, the process capability ratio is a statistical measure of process capability, i.e. the ability of a process to produce output within specification limits. The concept of process capability only holds meaning for processes that are in a state of statistical control.
AS 9100D Certification Including ISO 9001:2015
Nadcap Airflow Certification
Nadcap Heat Treat Certification
Nadcap NonDestructive Testing Certification
Nadcap Nonconventional Machining Certification
Nadcap Welding Certification
ITAR Registered
