Quality Inspection

Why inspection comes before payment, not after

The standard arrangement in Chinese manufacturing is a 30% deposit and a 70% balance before shipment. If you pay the balance and then discover the tools are out of tolerance, your leverage is gone — you are negotiating with a factory that already has your money, from another continent.

We inspect between production completion and balance release. If the goods fail, the balance does not go out. That single sequencing decision prevents most of the disputes buyers write to us about.

What we check

The inspection scope depends on the product, but the core checks for diamond tools are consistent:

Dimensional. Outer diameter, bore, segment height and width, core thickness. Measured against your drawing, not against the factory’s own internal spec.

Segment integrity. Weld strength on laser-welded blades, brazing coverage on core bits. We look for voids, misalignment and under-cut welds.

Hardness and bond. Rockwell or Brinell on the steel core where specified. Bond hardness testing on the working layer, and a visual assessment of diamond distribution and protrusion on a cut section.

Runout and balance. For grinding wheels and large blades, mounted runout is measured — a wheel that is dimensionally correct but unbalanced will destroy the spindle.

Marking and packaging. Whether the laser marking matches the agreed specification, and whether the packaging will survive the route you have booked.

How we report

You receive a written report with:

• Pass/fail against each line of the agreed specification
• Photographs of the goods, the measurement points, and the packaging
• Measured values, not just ticks
• A clear recommendation: release, rework, or reject

The report is issued before the balance payment request reaches you. If the factory disputes a finding, we handle that conversation.

Sampling standard

For most orders we inspect to ISO 2859-1 general inspection level II, with an AQL of 1.5 for major defects and 4.0 for minor. For high-value or safety-critical items — core drills above 200 mm, large diameter blades — we inspect 100% of units.

You can specify a different sampling plan. We will tell you if we think it is too thin for the product.

What it costs

Included in the standard 5% commission for orders within normal scope. Third-party laboratory testing (spectrometry, fatigue, certification) is billed at cost with the lab receipt attached.

Want to see a sample report? Ask us for one — we will send a redacted copy from a previous order.