Prevention and Improvement Measures for Brick Quality Problems

Prevention and Improvement Measures for Brick Quality Problems

To consistently produce high-quality bricks, the core lies in establishing a quality management system based on "prevention first, continuous improvement." When problems arise, the causes should be systematically analyzed, and corrective and preventive measures should be taken to prevent recurrence.

I. Systematic Preventive Measures: Establishing Key Control Points

Quality control should be integrated into every critical link of the production process.

Strict control of raw materials and proportions:

Prevention: Establish raw material acceptance standards and conduct simple inspections on each batch of raw materials. Precisely weigh the ingredients, especially cementing materials such as cement, and use a verified and stable mix ratio.

Improvement: If problems arise due to fluctuations in raw materials, find more stable suppliers and establish a raw material inventory buffer.

Ensuring a stable molding process:

Prevention: Regularly inspect and calibrate the brick machine pressure system to ensure sufficient and stable molding pressure. Establish a mold management system, regularly inspect, repair, and replace molds.

Improvement: If defects are caused by pressure or molds, immediately adjust parameters or replace the mold, and record the mold's lifespan data to optimize the replacement cycle.

Standardized curing management:

Prevention: Develop and strictly implement curing procedures to ensure that the green bricks are in a suitable temperature and humidity environment during the resting and watering curing periods. This is crucial for preventing cracking and ensuring strength.

Improvement: If improper curing leads to strength problems, strengthen the management of the curing area, such as adding sunshade nets and automatic sprinkler systems, and train curing personnel.

II. Correction and Improvement for Specific Problems

For cracking:

Correction: Immediately check and adjust the plasticity of the raw materials (e.g., increase the proportion of fine materials); ensure that the wet bricks are immediately moved to a sheltered and shaded area for resting after molding.

Preventive improvement: Add humidity detection after the mixing process, and install temperature and humidity meters in the curing area for monitoring.

For insufficient strength:

Correction: Verify and correct the mix ratio; check and restore the molding pressure; strengthen remedial curing for the batches already produced.

Preventive improvement: Conduct simple activity tests on each batch of cement; install a pressure recorder on the production line; establish a curing attendance system.

For chipped corners, missing edges, and inaccurate dimensions:

Correction: Immediately replace worn or deformed molds; adjust the feeding device to ensure even feeding. Preventive Improvements: Establish a "health record" for each mold, setting a clear replacement lifespan; regularly calibrate the fabric feeding device.

III. Building a Quality Improvement Cycle

Data Recording and Traceability: Record raw material batches, production time, molding pressure, and curing records for each batch of bricks. This is the cornerstone of quality analysis.

Regular Inspection and Feedback: Regularly send finished products to a third-party testing agency to obtain objective data on strength, durability, etc. Compare and analyze the data with production process records.

Hold Quality Analysis Meetings: When batch problems occur, organize relevant personnel (batching, molding, curing) to analyze the data and records, identify the root cause, develop corrective and preventive measures, and track the effectiveness of the measures.

Continuous Training: Regularly provide employees with quality awareness and standard operating procedure training to ensure that every employee understands how their operations affect the final quality.

Summary: From "Firefighting" to "Fire Prevention"

The highest level of quality management is "preventing problems from occurring." This requires shifting the focus from "post-production inspection to identify defective products" to "prevention and process control." By establishing standards, controlling key points, recording data, and analyzing and improving, a continuously self-optimizing closed-loop system is formed. When everyone becomes a quality gatekeeper, and every process becomes a quality reinforcement station, consistently producing high-quality bricks becomes a natural result.