What is CQI (Continuous Quality Improvement)
CQI (Continuous Quality Improvement) in the field of heat treatment of metals is a set of standards and guidelines focused on the continuous improvement of quality in heat treatment processes. These standards are specified by the AIAG (Automotive Industry Action Group) under the CQI-9 guidelines, which are primarily intended for the automotive industry and establish requirements for controlling, monitoring, and managing heat treatment processes. The goal of CQI-9 is to ensure that heat treatment is conducted in accordance with strict quality standards.
Purpose of CQI-9 in Metal Heat Treatment
- Ensuring Heat Treatment Quality: CQI-9 ensures that heat treatment processes, such as hardening, tempering, carburizing, nitriding, and others, are performed correctly.
- Continuous Process Improvement: CQI-9 requires organizations to regularly monitor and analyze their heat treatment processes to continually improve quality and efficiency.
- Process Monitoring and Control: CQI-9 includes requirements for implementing quality management systems to monitor critical heat treatment parameters, such as temperature, heating time, cooling, and furnace atmosphere.
- Compliance with Automotive Standards: CQI-9 is a mandatory standard for automotive industry suppliers performing heat treatment of metal parts, ensuring that products meet both manufacturer and industry standards.
Key Requirements of CQI-9
1. Heat Treatment Process Audits:
- CQI-9 mandates regular internal audits of heat treatment processes to assess their ability to achieve desired outcomes and identify areas for improvement.
2. Temperature and Atmosphere Control:
- Heat treatment processes must be monitored to ensure proper temperature, heating time, and atmosphere control (e.g., carbon content control in furnaces during carburizing).
3. Calibration and Maintenance of Equipment:
- All equipment used in heat treatment (furnaces, quenching baths, measuring devices) must be regularly calibrated and maintained according to CQI-9 requirements.
4. Employee Training:
- Employees responsible for heat treatment must be trained according to CQI-9 standards to correctly manage and control the processes.
5. Documentation and Traceability:
- CQI-9 requires complete documentation of processes, including monitoring critical parameters, test results, and any deviations. This enables traceability of production batches and ensures product quality control.
6. Testing of Heat Treatment Results:
- Final products must undergo testing, such as hardness, microstructure, wear resistance, and mechanical properties, to ensure that the heat treatment has achieved the desired results.
