Maritime University of Szczecin
Akademia Morska w Szczecinie
2011, 27(99) z. 1 pp. 78–85 2011, 27(99) z. 1 s. 78–85
An IT system to support the quality assurance process
in hard coal mines
System informatyczny jako wsparcie procesu zapewnienia
jakości w kopalniach węgla kamiennego
Zbigniew Łupiński, Barbara Białecka
Silesian University of Technology, Faculty of Organisation and Management Institute of Production Engineering
Politechnika Śląska, Wydział Organizacji i Zarządzania, Instytut Inżynierii Produkcji 41-800 Zabrze, ul. Roosevelta 26, e-mail: barbara.bialecka@polsl.pl
Key words: coal mine, coal quality control, assurance system Abstract
On the basis of the conducted investigations and analysis of the hard coal quality assurance process, it has been found that new IT tools need to be introduced to support the process. The study presents a system developed by the authors, which has been implemented in hard coal mines to support product quality improvement.
Słowa kluczowe: kopalnia węgla kamiennego, kontrola jakości węgla, system wsparcia Abstrakt
Na podstawie przeprowadzonych badań i analizy procesu zapewnienia jakości węgla kamiennego stwierdzo-no, że muszą być wprowadzone nowe rozwiązania wspierające ten proces. W pracy przedstawiono system opracowany przez autorów, który został wprowadzony w kopalniach węgla kamiennego do wspierania po-prawy jakości produktu.
Introduction
Meeting the requirements on the contemporary market of primary fuels requires observance of an established technological regime that fulfils con-tractors’ needs expressed in limit parameters, which translate into an economic calculation. The assur-ance of the guaranteed quality parameters specified in contracts prevents contractual penalties and fa-vours the building of trust in business transactions, as well as minimizing a potential risk of losses due to excess quality of products.
An important role in the process of expected quality assurance is played by a reliable evaluation carried out by a quality control department, based on conducted laboratory tests within the scope of physical and chemical analysis, which is a basis for conformity assessment and product evaluation.
Quality control processes are geared towards the detection and correction of defects and errors made
at the stage of designing, manufacturing and sale of products in order to maintain a proper level of profitability and customer satisfaction [1].
The work presents an IT system, which has been implemented in Kompania Węglowa SA mines to support product quality assurance and the improve-ment of hard coals quality tests.
Selected issues related to the coal quality assurance process
A product quality assurance system is to a large extent related to the collection, processing and analysis of a large amount of information. It func-tions as an information system, in which the source of data are all production process links, and each element of the system is described by means of many attributes playing the role of quality informa-tion carriers. A quality assurance system is subject to continuous changes, which involves a number of
updates, corrective measures and a necessity to provide a quick and effective exchange of informa-tion.
The growing awareness of the role of coal qual-ity in the context of its economic use is important for both suppliers and customers, and from this point of view, monitoring and measurements con-stitute an integral part of product quality assurance. An IT system is a formal, computer-based sys-tem the task of which is to make available, select and integrate data from different sources, so as to provide information necessary to take managerial decisions in due time.
The use of the theory and practice combined with IT tools results in a synergy effect, which in the area of product quality assurance allows infor-mation to be logically connected, thus increasing the market chances.
Product quality monitoring in production processes Commercial goods quality is monitored in Pro-cessing Plants, where various coal grades which have parameters conforming to the quality specifi-cation contained in sale contracts, offers and pro-duction offer are manufactured. It is here, where the final product is manufactured, the quality of which determines the image of a company, its position on the market and customer satisfaction [2, 3].
In Processing Plants which deal with coal clean-ing, usually the 31 and 32 types of coal – fines are not cleaned; this is done only in few cases and to a limited extent. The continuous monitoring of raw fines quality is of utmost importance in these mines. In Processing Plants cleaning the higher types of coals, where fines are cleaned, the pro-duced mixtures consist of a few components and are better quality. Continuous quality monitoring of the produced grades is in this case essential.
The extent of cleaning is determined by the de-gree of carbonization (type of coal), contamination of the excavated material and customers’ require-ments. The applied technologies and a high level of process automation and monitoring favour quality parameters stabilization and allow adjusting them to the needs, which creates beneficial conditions for the production of good quality grades of coal which are sought-after on the market.
The process of commercial coal production has been included in an Integrated Management System. The established procedures within the scope of processing technologies as well as control and measurement processes allow their scheduled and monitored course in line with the formal and legal requirements in force. The major aim of the developed procedures is to ensure a proper level of
coal quality, in compliance with the customer’s requirements and expectations contained in specifi-cations, to minimize the number of complaints on the part of the customer and to take corrective measures resulting from the conducted analyses [4].
The below presented technological diagram of the Mechanical Processing Plant (Fig. 1) illustrates basic processes which lead to the obtaining of a product with declared quality parameters in the context of quality tests. Quality control of particular technological operations allows steering the pro-cess, so as to stabilize quality parameters on a planned level.
Basic phases in the presented technological process, starting with the preparation of excavated material (feed), which involves separating appro-priate coal fractions, and finishing with the loading, take place under monitored conditions, where qual-ity test results obtained from control and measuring equipment are monitored by a quality dispatcher. Any departures from the standard are corrected and provide a basis for improvement procedures.
Quality control of inter-operational technologi-cal processes makes it possible to eliminate a po-tentially non-conforming product and is a source of information confirming the failure-free work of processing machines and equipment. Quality con-trol of electronic measurements comes down to taking parallel samples and carrying out tests by the alternative method, the results of which provide a basis for conformity evaluation. The control of commercial products confirms the conformity of the above tests and provides a basis for releasing a product which complies with the specification, or allows a non-conforming product to be identified. Samples taken from a particular batch of coal are subjected to laboratory tests, the quality results of which are a basis for coal classification and evaluation.
IT tools to support product quality assurance
IT tools, which support the process of quality assurance in KW SA, allow a free flow of data within the organisation [5].
Basic IT tools used in the process of quality as-surance include: e-RDJ “Electronic Report on Sale and Quality Control”, SCM Central Marketing, Business Objects, e-SP “Electronic State Report-ing”, Production Quality Team Portal, DGA-Quality.
The monitoring of commercial fines quality is supervised by means of a database created in the e-RDJ programme. The functioning module is used to enter, view and print data on secondary calculations for the purposes of industrial power engineering.
Currently works are being performed on the sys-tem of raw/commercial coal quality monitoring, which will be finally based on a central database, supplied directly from continuous measurement equipment. The system is based on the multi-layer architecture – customer-serve type. At the current stage, the system requires an IT system to ensure an uninterrupted data transmission to the central data-base. Furthermore, some gaps in the programme have been identified, preventing a wider use of all the possibilities offered by the created tool, which among others include:
lack of full identification of measurement results with the recipient;
limited possibilities of data filtration;
lack of possibilities of conducting a statistical analysis of test results and interpreting the results in a graphic way.
The author’s IT system – QUALITY [6], which has been implemented in mines, supplements the currently built programmes with the above needs and enables the improvement of hard coal
qualita-tive tests, as well as supporting the products quality management.
Innovative solution of the QUALITY IT system The QUALITY application has been based on MS-Excel programme [4, 7], using the advanced programming techniques in the VBA language. It has been placed on the portal of KW SA, on SharePoint in Production Quality Team. The basic function of the application is to standardize the electronic recording of tests conducted in Quality Departments of mines as well as their monitoring combined with statistical analysis.
The application contains modules, which at the same time function as databases: product release, samples delivery proof, test results report, report for system (binding list), monitoring of the product release process, production offer.
The application functions enable:
the supervision and monitoring of the product quality assurance process in compliance with the requirements contained in „Coal Quality Control
Fig. 1. The technological process monitoring in ZPMW by Coal Quality Control service teams [own study based on KW SA mate-rials]
Rys. 1. Nadzorowanie procesu technologicznego w ZPMW przez służby Kontroli Jakości Węgla [opracowanie własne na bazie materiałów KW SA] i=2 3000 t Ruszt DS. - 200 mm i=2 i=2 f 700/500 Disa-3 i=2 40 t - 200 mm WP-1 1.5x5 o o o o o o Wk-1 1.5x5 CDR i=4 WP-1 1.5x5 UP-1000 o o o o o o UP-1000 Pomiar WP-1 2.2x5.5 o o o o o o 60 t 60 t 60 t 60 t Nael-3 - 20 mm - 30 mm 80-30 mm 200-80 mm i=8 o o 650 t 50 t 630 t 350 t - 1 mm - 20 mm - 200 mm - 30 mm S10/10 i=3 i=3 o o o o o o o o Pomiary radiometryczne radiometryczny ALFA 02 WILPO
KONTROLA JAKOŚCI PROCESU TECHNOLOGICZNEGO W ZAKŁADZIE PRZERÓBKI MECHANICZNEJ WĘGLA
1200
Operacje uzupełniające Składowanie i załadunek produktów
odpady 202 Przygotowanie węgla Wzbogacanie
200 mm 25 mm koncentrat 430 koncentrat 138 przerost 30 odpady 31 odpady 2 mieszanka 264 koncentrat 21 odpady 110 przesiewacz LIWEL osadzarka OM 20 3 E osadzarka OM 20 3 E flotownik IZ-12
flotownik kolumnowy REAFLOT przesiewacz LIWEL PROCESÓW TECHNOLOGICZNYCH POMIARÓW ELEKTRONICZNYCH PRODUKTÓW HANDLOWYCH
Regulations” and IMS (Integrated Management System) procedures;
the monitoring of test results documentation from the Headquarters level;
the archiving and statistical processing of the obtained test results;
the generation of parametrised reports; the monitoring of the product release process; the metrological supervision over control and
measuring radiometric equipment, determining the quality parameters of the produced coal; the analysis of production offer qualitative data
and the printout of parametrised summaries.
The basic functions of the module enable:
the full identification of an analysed sample by means of numbers assigned in the quality con-trol department, laboratory and a number gener-ated for the external IT sale system;
the entry of results obtained from an external accredited laboratory, which provide a basis for invoicing, and assigning the external coal test report number, which is a basis for sample iden-tification;
the formalisation and standardisation of docu-mentation in trade settlements;
the quantitative monitoring of a released product in compliance with the “Coal Quality Control Regulations”, i.e. one laboratory test for a maxi-mum of 1000 t or seven days for package cargo sale.
Advantages of the application:
minimisation of errors which might occur when entering and analysing the test results being a potential source of inconsistencies;
fulfilment of formalized requirements of test results traceability;
an effective use of IT tools, increasing the flow of information between interested parties; optimization and streamlining of work time; in the future the created database will turn into
a knowledge base, allowing data analysis, moni-toring and planning;
high flexibility of the application allows adjust-ing it to the specific requirements of mines; the system process structure is based on the
acquired experiences, optimized on the basis of the so-called mines specificity;
in the current financial and economic situation it provides a rational solution, which satisfies current functional needs.
Drawbacks of the application:
temporary problems in the process of implemen-tation, resulting from the specific character of
mines and the existing equipment resources. This refers to the initial phase and is dependent on the engagement of the staff, basic acquaint-ance with Excel application and the possessed resource base.
Relational structure
The below presented structure in a very general way visualises the flows of information in the area of the created application, which are improved on a continuous basis [8, 9]. The development and pace of evolutional transformations depend on the users, who create basic functionalities of the appli-cation.
At the current stage, the model satisfies the functional needs of users, as well as formal and legal requirements regarding the documentation.
One of the „Quality” application modules is „Product Release Process Quality Monitoring”. The process of releasing a finished product, i.e. a batch of coal for the recipient, takes place under super-vised conditions, in compliance with the Integrated Management System procedure. An objective proof confirming the process compliance with the algo-rithm established in the procedure is provided by records in a form of test reports. The introduction of electronic recording of test results ensures com-pliance with the formalized requirements. At the same time, it streamlines the flow of information and provides an initial base for the “Product Release Process Quality Monitoring” module. Each time during the editing process, the developed module updates data downloaded from the server for all KW SA mines. The generated tabular system is the source of data for charts, illustrating the com-pliance of the course of product release process. The created scatter diagram is a graphic interpreta-tion of correlainterpreta-tions between radiometric tests carried out in the process of finished product release in Coal Quality Control Divisions and the results of conventional laboratory tests, which provide a reference point.
It has to be emphasised, that test results involve a complex process of coal sample taking, averag-ing, preparing and analysaverag-ing, so we deal with a measurement uncertainty, the evaluation of which allows a measurement error to be compensated during the calibration of radiometric instruments. The implemented model makes it possible to de-termine a scale of discrepancies on the basis of graphic presentation and compensate the discrepan-cies in a dynamic way. It also provides a basis for measurement curves calibration in radiometric instruments. The chart has been created as a two- -dimensional plane, where one axis (Y) corresponds to laboratory results, whereas the other (X) – to the
results obtained by radiometric instruments for: moisture (Wtr), ash (Ar), sulphur (Str) and calorific value (Qir). This chart is an interactive tool allow-ing an operator to choose a mine, a quality parame-ter to be examined and the grade of coal. Each selection parametrises the scale to an optimum range. The source of data is provided by product release bases, which are a component part of the “Quality” application.
The results of tests in a form of points plotted on a scatter diagram are limited by the quality range, in which the upper and lower limits are defined by the maximum and minimum tolerance of admis-sible measurement error and reach the following values for the range of:
moisture Wt r ± 1%; ash content Ar ±1,5%; calorific value Qi r ±500 kJ/kg; sulphur content St r ±0,15%.
The analysis of correlations observed on the scatter diagram provides important information: it enables the identification of divergent results,
which are a source of potential quality problems;
within a defined range it ensures metrological supervision over radiometric instruments, which in a direct way participate in the finished pro-duct release process and the preparation of com-ponents for the production of energy mixtures; the conducted statistical analysis enables current
monitoring and initiation of corrective measures in the area of quality test results compliance; the plotted trends allow forecasting a necessity
of radiometric instruments calibration;
the observation of charts enables the type of dependencies and relationships to be analysed in the context of the conducted qualitative tests. The trend plotted on the basis of test results in relation to the dynamic quality range enables the visualization and analysis of the type of dependen-cies and relationships between the results of quali-tative tests conducted by instrumental and labora-tory methods.
Technological process optimisation module
The module reproduces the course of a techno-logical process from the moment the raw fines S t r u k t u r a r e l a c y j n a b a z y J A K O Ś Ć
. Numer faktury lub zlecenia . Tonaż zwolnionej partii . Data
. Ewidencję ilościowo-czasową zwalnianego węgla na drobnicy . Parametry jakościowe Kopalni
. Parametry jakościowe Laboratorium zewnętrznego . Fakturowane parametry jakościowe . Odbiorca
. Sortyment, typ . Klasa lub przedział węgla
Formularz „ Raport do systemu Szyk-Zbyt”
. Kod numer próbki nadany przez Odział Kontroli Jakości . Kod numer próbki nadany przez Oddział Laboratorium . Numer początkowy próbki dla systemu Szyk-Zbyt . Numer próbki wg Laboratorium zewnętrznego
. Kod numer próbki nadany przez Odział Kontroli Jakości . Kod numer próbki nadany przez Oddział Laboratorium . Numer zestawienia „Zwolnienie wyrobu” . Numer zestawienia „Dowód dostawy” . Numer „Zestawienia wiążącego”
. Informacja dotycząca próbki: Odbiorca, sortyment, klasa, przedział jakościowy
identyfikującym”
Zestawienie wiążące numer próbki z opisem
. Zawartość wodoru
. Zawartość chloru wyrażona w stanach: Cla Cltd, Cltr Sprawozdanie z badań laboratoryjnych
. Wartość opałowa próbki wyrażone stanach: Qsa, Qia, Qir . Zasiarczenie próbki wyrażone stanach: Sa, Std, Str . Liczbę Rogi
. Dylatację . Kontrakcję . Wolne wydymanie SI
. Opis próbki pobrany z „Dowodu dostawy” . Kod numer próbki nadany przez Oddział Laboratorium . Zagęszczenie próbki
. Wilgotność próbki wyrażone stanach: Wa, Wex, Wtr . Zapopielenie próbki wyrażone stanach: Aa, Ad, Ar . Części lotne próbki wyrażone stanach: Va, Vd, Vr, Vdaf . Kod numer próbki nadany przez Odział Kontroli Jakości . Datę
. Zmianę
Dowód dostawy
. Zmianę produkcyjna . Czas dostarczenia próbki . Opis próbki . Zakres analizy
. Uwagi dotyczące dostarczonej próbki . Odbiorca
. Liczbę porządkową określająca ilość dostarczonych próbek . Datę dostarczenia próbki
. Numer kolejny próbki nadany przez Oddziała Kontroli Jakości
. Średnio ważone parametry jakościowe podpartii węgla
Zwolnienie wyrobu zgodnego
. Klasę lub przedział zbytu . Tonaż lub ilość wagonów
. Średnio ważone parametry jakościowe dla zwalnianej partii . Numer próbki nadany przez Oddział Kontroli Jakości . Uwagi zwalnianego wyrobu
. Podpis osoby odpowiedzialnej za zwolnienie wyrobu i zatwierdzających zwolnienie wyrobu . Nr zestawienia
. Datę . Zmianę . Odbiorcę/zwał
. Nr zlecenia, tor załadowczy, sektor na zwale . Sortyment, typ
Baza danych
. Numer początkowy „Zestawienia wiążącego” . Numer początkowy kolejny próbki dla systemu Szyk-Zbyt . Opis próbki dla klientów zewnętrznych
. Zakres analizy
. Imię nazwisko osoby odpowiedzialnej za zwolnienie wyrobu . Opis próbki technologicznej
. Numer kolejny próbki nadany przez Oddziała Kontroli Jakości . Numer początkowy zestawienia „Zwolnienie wyrobu” . Numer początkowy zestawienia „Dowód dostawy” . Czas
. Odbiorca, zwał, opis . Sortyment, typ . Klasa przedział zbytu
. Numer zlecenia, tor, załadowczy, sektor na zwale . Opis próby handlowej na dowodzie dostawy . Datę
. Zmianę
Fig. 2. The relational structure of the „Quality” application [„Quality” application, own study] Rys. 2. Struktura relacyjna aplikacji „Jakość” [aplikacja „Jakość”, opracowanie własne]
Fig. 3. Product release quality monitoring – a correlation of laboratory and radiometric results for calorific value (Qir). [„Quality” application, own study]
Rys. 3. Monitoring jakościowy zwolnienia wyrobu – korelacja wyników laboratoryjnych i radiometrycznych w zakresie wartości opałowej (Qir) [aplikacja „Jakość”, opracowanie własne]
Fig. 4. One of the conversion variants of the model of energy mixture production process optimisation using the Solver tool [“Quality” application, own study]
Rys. 4. Jeden z wariantów przeliczeniowych modelu optymalizacji procesu produkcji mieszanek energetycznych przy wykorzystaniu narzędzi Solver [aplikacja „Jakość”, opracowanie własne]
13,9% 76,2% 44,2% 50,0% 25,0% 1,5% 25,0% 17 854 Koszt ogółem < 200 7 000 -1 520 zł -43 588 zł Odpady Poflotacyjne 30,0% Qir 19718 5,7% 4% 67,4% Wtr 9,0% Miał surow y Wartość Qir Nadawa 0,1 - 0 Udział % 10% Ilość ton 1 570 Ar Ilość ton 300,0 Wartość Przerost Flotokoncentrat - drobnica Udział 33,3% Udział w miesz.50,7% 19,7% Wartość - + 18,5% 26607 P1 P2 Ilość ton 25379 6,2% 14,4% Udział prod. 6,7% 17,0% Wtr Ar Qir 2,4% 6,1% 1002 390 365 Ery Odsiew 28,0% 7,9% Ton Wartość Klasa Qir [kJ/kg] Ar [%] 25101 14,8% 1 976 411 913 zł Flot Muł 50 48 121 9,0% Wtr [%] 2,5% 5,3% 3% 190 Ilość ton 228 5 031 Udział % > 200 92% Koszt -1 824 zł -40 244 zł Wartość Qir 2 000 6 299
Węgiel Przerost Kamień
34% 57% 10% Prasy SO Muł Odpad Wartość Qir 29 000 18 120 4 637 Ilość ton 4 786 826 2 829 Wzbogacanie wodne Udział % Klasyfikacja - kruszenie Wzbogacanie cc 2 202 Ilość ton 2 406 10% 43% Udział % 0% 100% 8 435 512 Ilość ton 8 441 Wartość Qir Węgiel Przerost 30 500 25 379 Kamień Udział % 47% Wartość Qir 20 500 Nadawa 20 - 0,1 Udział % 58% Ilość ton 9 310 Wartość Qir 19 718 Udział % 32% Ilość ton 5 120 Nadawa 20 - 200 kJ/kg Wartość Qir 19 785 Klasyfikacja - wstępna 16 000 ton 19 770 9% 869 20 327 Udział % Wartość Qir 91% 12% 17,3% 8,5% 29,4% 9,5% 190 7 000 20 000 Wartość Qir 1 200 180 15 000 4,9% Przerost 39,9% 20000 15000 7,9% 8,3% 24,5% Flotokoncentrat Wzbogacanie flotacyjne
Ery Odsiew Flot Muł
Udział % Ilość ton 76% 11% 6,0% 6,2% 8,5% 13,3% Konc. Wartość Qir 30 500 30 500 0 68,6% Ilość ton Udział % Ilość ton Deputaty 0 2 406 0 zł 30 500 0 Gruby ####### Wtr Ar 0 zł Wartość ogółem 0 zł 0 zł Qir % Ton Groszek ####### 0 ####### Orzech 29000 25993 18120 20327 8,6% 1,7% 900 180 7192 512 826 869
Konc. Przerost Ery Odsiew Flot Muł
Udział prod. 64,1% 13,4% 5,8% 69,3% 93,2% 7,6% Ilość ton 4608,5 68,6 47,7 602,6 838,9 58,6 Udział w miesz.74,0% 1,1% 0,8% 9,7% 13,5% 0,9% Klasa Qir [kJ/kg] Ar [%] Wtr [%] 26699 10,8% 9,5% Ton 6 225 Wartość 1 297 436 zł
- + Konc. Przerost Ery Odsiew Flot Muł
217 13 0 Udział prod. Ilość ton 1282 53 413 17,8% 10,4% Udział w miesz.64,8% 2,7% 20,9% Qir [kJ/kg] Ar [%] Wtr [%] 25635 14,1% 8,8% 1,4% 2,8% Udział % Miały płukane Typ 34.2 Typ 34.1 Ilość ton 30 500 Wartość Qir 30 500 100,0 200,0 Wartość 26 000 zł 52 000 zł Ogółem 78 000,0 zł MJ 27 MJ Deputaty GrII O Gk Ogółem Struktura Miały płukane Typ34.2 Typ34.1 Flot Mieszanki energ. 25 MJ 26 0,0% 0,0% Wartość 30 500 0 zł Udział 0,0% Qir[kJ/kg 30 500 0 zł 30 500 0 zł 39,0% 0,6% 25101 411 779 zł 25635 411 471 zł 12,3% 12,3% 100,0% 1,2% 26 699 1 304 146 zł 30 500 26 000 zł 57 000 zł 30 500 40 000 zł 200 6 257 100 19 680 2 206 808 zł 16 027
Wydobycie brutto - nadawa 200 - 0
6 325 -43 588 zł Odpady 20 MJ 300 5 221 1,9% 32,6% ZWAŁY + OSADNIKI Konc. 20 000 Ton 0 0 0 1 976 1 974 MIESZANKI ENERGETYCZNE Ton 1 978 Wartość 412 355 zł 11,0% 0,7% 0,0% Klasa Flot Muł Udział prod. 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 0,0% 0 0 Udział w miesz.####### ####### ####### ####### ####### ####### Ilość ton Zw ał Klasa Qir [kJ/kg] Ar [%] Wtr [%] 0 0,0% 0,0% Ton 0 Odsiew Konc. Wartość 0 0 0 0 Przerost Ery UKRYJ ODKRYJ
(feed) are obtained and separated till the moment the commercial coal grade is obtained. Particular tables illustrate the percentage and quantitative shares of the cleaned feed. The created algorithm maximises the pre-set value of sale by optimizing particular percentage contents of raw materials for production. The implemented Solver tool automates the computational process with pre-set limiting values.
Conclusions
The article presents an IT system based on the model, which is currently functioning in a mine and has been approved by the management and operat-ing staff.
The developed system has enabled:
the streamlining of the decision-making process based on matter-of-fact information;
full identification of test results in the monitored area of product quality assurance;
minimisation of errors by limiting the so-called human factor in the process of documentation preparation.
The system has been validated and its adequacy in view of real requirements and assumptions has been confirmed.
The practical implementation of the support sys-tem has allowed drawing a number of conclusions. In table 1 the effects and problems solved by the application have been summarised and possibilities of further improvements to coal quality tests have been indicated.
The systematic monitoring of the product release process by means of radiometric instru-ments, compared to laboratory tests, enabled the validation of high-speed measurement systems, increasing the level of results reliability. The identi-fication of equipment requiring calibration and its
further checking take place under supervised condi-tions, and the drawn-up documentation provides an objective evaluation of the course of the process.
Product and manufacturing processes quality control is based on measurement data collected in the production or quality release of the manufac-tured batches of finished products. For this reason, it is necessary to ensure a proper level of reliability of the analysed measurement data used in the deci-sion-making process. The developed IT system, based on the product release process quality moni-toring, ensures an effective metrological supervi-sion over industrial measurement systems. Apart from identifying the calibration curves and devices to be calibrated, we can make current corrections of quality results on the basis of the obtained trend equation, which additionally analyses the meas-urement system linearity, thus considerably enhanc-ing the evaluation of the obtained results reliability within a usable measuring range.
The developed IT system is a useful tool for supporting the decision-making process and evalu-ating the real course of such a large-scale process.
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Table 1. A summary of improvement measures in the area of quality tests and the obtained results Tabela 1. Podsumowanie działań doskonalących w obszarze badań jakościowych oraz osiągnięte efekty
No. Problem Effect solved? Was it a basis for improvement? Does it provide
1 Overcoming the interpersonal barriers Yes No
2 Streamlining the quality data flow and analysis Yes Yes
3 Quality tests standardisation. Partly Yes
4 Statistical forecast based on quality tests results Partly Yes
5 Commercial product release monitoring Yes Yes
6 Metrological supervision over control and measurement radiometric instruments Yes Yes
7 Technological process quality optimisation Partly Yes
8 Identification of quality test results Yes Yes
9 Streamlining of the decision-making process and operational risk minimisation Yes Yes
7. WALKENBACH J.: Excel 2003 PL. Programming in VBA Professional’s Handbook. Helion 2004.
8. GÓRSKI J.: Software Inspections. Information Technology.
No. 10. 1998.
9. Joint publication edited by J. Górski. Software Engineering in an IT Project, ZNI MIKOM, Warszawa 1999.
Recenzent: dr hab. inż. Zbigniew Matuszak, prof. AM Akademia Morska w Szczecinie
