Quality assurance and quality control play critical and very distinct roles in ensuring streamlined operations and production with metal fabrication companies. Understanding the differences between QA and QC can help companies specializing in metal fabrication processes to deliver the highest quality metal products possible for their clients. So what’s the difference?
Quality Assurance vs. Quality Control
- Quality assurance (QA) is a set of defined processes and actions for systematic monitoring and evaluation to ensure a safe, effective, and high-quality product.
- Quality control (QC) is the set of test procedures used to verify that a product meets the manufacturing specifications. It involves checking and testing both the manufacturing procedures and the quality of the final products.
Five Differences You Should Know
- Proactive QA Processes vs. Reactive QC Procedures
Quality assurance processes in welding are designed to be proactive and aimed at preventing defects even before occurring throughout the process design. On the other hand, quality control is often reactive and designed to identify welding defects and problems after they happen. A safe and effective welded product is the expected result after following proper QA processes.
For instance, think of a metal fabricator who needs hydraulic equipment like cylinders to hold various items in place when welding. It’s the responsibility of the QA team to meet the functional requirements of the project request and ensure the welding experts have the proper tools and follow the right procedures to meet the customer’s needs.
QC involves testing the products to ensure that they meet the necessary safety, quality, and efficacy standards. If quality issues are detected, reactive steps are required to prevent unsafe welded products from being distributed or shipped. QC issues often spark QA reviews to determine the root cause of quality issues so processes can be updated to prevent future problems. - Process-Oriented QA and Product-Oriented QC
Quality assurance in welding is process-oriented and focuses more on preventing quality issues, while quality control is product-oriented and focuses more on identifying quality issues in manufactured products. In short, QA involves the specific actions that create a product, while QC involves the resulting product actions.
Examples of QA processes
- Documentation
- Supplier management
- Audits
- Change control
- Personnel training
- Investigation procedures
Examples of QA procedures
- Product sampling
- Product sampling
- Batch inspection
- Laboratory testing
- Validation testing
- Quality inspection before shipping
- System QA vs. Parts QC
QA systems in welding industries are the procedures and methods used to safeguard the project’s quality standards. QC systems measure the parts and the overall output of the system. Quality control efforts also focus on specific parts used to fabricate a final metal product, such as the supplier’s raw materials. Quality assurance systems ensure that all inputs and actions taken are consistently safe and effective to ensure a streamlined metal fabrication process.
- Product Creation QA vs. Product Verification QC
The results of quality assurance activities in metal fabrication processes like welding create the roadmap for creating high-quality metal products. This step involves defining set standards for product design, manufacturing, packaging, distribution, marketing, and sales. Quality control processes take over to verify metal products post-fabrication or welding, before distribution, and before customer delivery to confirm that all the quality standards are met.
- Entire QA Team vs. Dedicated QC Personnel
QA activities involve entire teams in an organization. While the implementation of the quality management system in welding and other metal fabrication processes is often the responsibility of the quality assurance team and leadership, most of the quality assurance processes involve documentation, improving training standards, and reviewing the workforce.
Conclusion
Quality assurance and quality control in welding operations work better together when incorporated into an enterprise quality management system. That ensures reliable end-to-end quality processes throughout the product life cycle. Not carrying out adequate QA and QC during metal fabrication can result in welds of varying quality, which may delay the delivery of products for the customer when detected.
Understanding these differences will help you improve your overall quality management processes in your organization. With the combination of the right tools and techniques, you establish better quality assurance and control.