Fitting without marking

As per our standards reject.

We specify (I am not sure at the moment since I don't have the copy of the ASME at the moment for identification and traceability requirements) in our standard that all these details aling with the companies monogram should be hard punched/ forged in the components.

The relevant certificates too should be produced in original. After all one can buy from open market and paint whatever they want can't they?

Getting the monogram and the original (not photocopy, these are manipulatable) is another story, possible but just a little bit difficult.

What did the bid specifications call for in the first place?

I don't have the 16.9 accessible at the moment.

However if you look at 16.11 (forged fittings)

clause 4: Each fitting shall be permanently marked with the required identification....

4.1.1 : the marking shall include but not limited to the following

manufacturere's name and trademark, material identification, product conformance, Grade, size

The 16.5 has almost similar requirements.

16.3 relaxes only for class 150 (where only manufacturer name and trademarks suffice)

I don't know your situation; but if you have to ask, I'm inclined to say you should reject the hardware.

If the part isn't up to code for markings what other 'shortcuts' do you suppose the manufacturer took so that they could sell you their part for less money and still make a profit... And let's not forget that there have been some pretty extreme examples of manufacturer neglect coming out of China in recent years.

If the part is required to meet a code or specification it must met all of that specification or be rejected.

Assuming the part is not required to meet any code requirements you need to consider the consequences of part failure, if there is ANY chance failure could cause injury or collatoral damage then you want to buy hardware that is traceable so you can shift the financial responsibility to the manufacturer of the failed part or the engineer that spec'd the failed part otherwise you get the bill at the end of the court proceedings (not to mention the moral and ethical responsibility). For a part to be traceable it needs to have PERMANENT markings (usually part of the forging on forged parts). These markings should include some indication of the part's expected performance (like a size or load rating) AND a manufacturer's mark so you can trace it to its maker. Having said that, you should also be aware that there is a lot of counterfeit hardware out there, so it is also important to know your supplier. Keep records of EVERYTHING... CYA my friend, CYA

GA

All of us suffer from low cost low class material which imported from china by "low class" supplier who look for the cheapest. Most of codes and standards have their recommendation for marking by stenciled. And we have to satisfy ourselves that the marking have been done at the mill and the name/logo of the manufacturer is located at the fitting. Therefore, no way to accept that material, please reject it.

See China Gate at CR4 Thread Flanges for Fittings, post #4.

I am unclear as to the origin of this procurement; however, if it is for the Government, there are clauses for RoHS and Pb free manufacture. Mil STD-100, Mil-STD-130 require permanent marking on the part (unless the part is to small to permanently marked or etched) or on a tag that encloses the part whose construction would indicate the bag had been tampered with after it is sealed.

The certifications must be originals with the signature and title of the person signing the certification. The title must be of a responsible organization person, not the janitor. The certs should contain the heat lot number of the original pour and, the additional numbers of the subsequent processing,

The company is required to have a copy of the specification and drawings, with applicable notes, that they followed to manufacture the item. If these parts came from China, check for the pedigree (womb to tomb traceability) The Chinese and Russians have a bad habit of using inferior materiel in the manufacture of their components. Class 3A threads are usually not to specification. Class 3 threads are usually no better that Class 2.

Even drain materiel can be made from greater than grade 8 metal. The problem with high carbon or heat treatment numbers is that the material becomes very brittle and will not survive in any type of vibration environment. We had CHT (Cargo Handling and Transfer) (A.K.A:sewer) piping that shattered like glass when tapped with a test mallet.

Good luck in the contest and trust your instincts.

REJECT ! REJECT ! REJECT ! REJECT ! REJECT ! REJECT ! REJECT ! REJECT ! REJECT ! REJECT ! REJECT ! REJECT ! REJECT ! REJECT ! REJECT ! REJECT ! REJECT ! REJECT ! REJECT ! REJECT ! REJECT ! REJECT ! REJECT ! REJECT !

Not on your life.

Reject.

ff you are installing these fittings on low pressure water or mill air it may be ok but you will always wonder if the fitting will fail and hurt someoneI. With the company I work for I would have to reject them per my quality control manual. I would suggest you follow your quality control manual if you have one or you could follow ASME section II but I can tell you that they are probably not in compliance without stamping. Do the fittings have a heat number on them and did they provide you with Material test reports that match the Heat number? More importantly can you trust a company that sends you unstamped fittings to supply you with the correct Material test report?

The receiving clerk where I work would have caught this in the receiving inspection, allowed the fittings be received without the proper markings stamped on the fitting. He would have called the me to write a non compliance report. Once the report was written the next step would be to call the vendor and send the fittings back. If the vendor did not fix it immediately they would be taken off the vendor list. Even if the vendor did fix it I would be nervous about buying anything else from them in the future.

This is all about safety and being 100% sure you did the best you could to prevent an accident and I see no way to be 100% sure unless you have them analyzed to see what material they are made from. I am pretty sure testing each fitting to determine the material type would cost as much or more than the fittings cost to start with unless your vendor agrees to pay for it all.You did not say how many fittings you have like this or how hard it is to get replacement fittings in your area of the world. Where I am located I have the luxury of having many different vendors I can buy from and the competition alone keeps them from doing things like this. The fear of loosing the buisness should make the vendor fix the problem.