CQI-9 Heat Treat System Assessment

Independent Second-Party CQI-9 Audit

CQI-9 is the AIAG Special Process: Heat Treat System Assessment, developed for assessing heat-treatment processes used in the automotive industry. AIAG describes CQI-9 as a comprehensive assessment covering common automotive heat-treatment processes and intended to provide a common approach to heat-treatment management systems.

Resitech Solutions provides CQI-9 supplier audits for organizations involved in heat-treatment operations and for customers evaluating their heat-treatment suppliers.

What We Assess

Our CQI-9 audit evaluates the effectiveness of the heat-treatment management system and relevant process controls.
The assessment can include areas such as:

1. Heat Treatment Management System
We review how the organization controls and manages its heat-treatment operations.
Typical areas include:

> Defined responsibilities
> Process ownership
>Heat-treatment procedures
> Work instructions
> Process specifications
> Customer requirements
> Quality objectives
> Process performance monitoring
> Control of changes

2. Process Control
We evaluate whether critical heat-treatment parameters are defined, monitored and controlled.
Depending on the applicable process, this may include:

> Temperature control
> Time control
> Atmosphere control
> Heating and cooling parameters
> Quenching controls
> Process recipes
> Set-up verification
> Process monitoring
> Alarm and reaction systems

3. Pyrometry & Measurement Systems
Special attention can be given to the control of temperature measurement and heat-treatment equipment.
The audit may examine:

> Temperature measurement systems
> Calibration
> Instrument verification
> Sensor condition
> Furnace monitoring
> Temperature uniformity considerations
> System accuracy
> Records and traceability

4. Equipment Maintenance
We evaluate whether heat-treatment equipment is maintained to ensure process capability.
This may include:

> Preventive maintenance
> Furnace maintenance
> Quench system maintenance
> Burner/heating system maintenance
> SensorsControl systems
> Safety systems
> Maintenance records

5. Material & Product Traceability
We assess controls for:

> Material identification
> Batch identification
> Furnace load identification
> Process records
> Product traceability
> Identification of nonconforming material

6. Testing & Verification
Depending on the process and customer requirements, the assessment may review:

> Hardness testing
> Case-depth verification
> Microstructural evaluation
> Chemical/material verification
> Dimensional checks
> Process verification
>Test equipment calibration

CQI-9 Audit Deliverables
After the audit, the supplier/customer can receive:

> Audit findings
> Nonconformity observations
> Risk areas
> Improvement opportunities
> Corrective-action requirements
> Evidence requirements
> Final audit report

The exact assessment scope is determined according to the applicable CQI-9 requirements, process type and customer requirements.