Are you testing production clay bodies? Glazes?

Turn "spreadsheet chaos" into "database order"

Are you the technician at a company producing clay bodies, glazes, and underglazes? That creates a lot of data. Are you storing it in spreadsheets? That’s like filing lab reports in a shoebox! Searching for data ends up taking longer than the test itself. And it is seldom in the format you need, it is not linked to anything else, it doesn't have the information you need. Excel was not designed for this, your lab deserves a database. Databases enable insight. Insight-live.com is the right home for all the data you collect.

Imagine all your lab data in one searchable, structured, secure system — everything hierarchical, linked and accessible. Being able to compare results across time, batches, and processes. Having a full data trail. For example, maintain master recipes of everything and track their evolution — what changed, why it changed, and how it performed. Maintaining a file system full of thousands of spreadsheets is great for burying data.

Related Pictures

20 Skids of Material Just arrived

Fatique Freddie is overwhelmed!

This picture has its own page with more detail, click here to see it.

He is the lone quality technician, part time. Incoming materials properties keep changing, but management pretends they aren't. Freddie is tired of dealing with what could be lurking in these pallets—grit and fired specks, drying cracks, warping, blistering - he's flying blind. It’s just a matter of time before something fails… and his name is on it! But there is a way to start "owning the problem" by starting QC small (using Insight-live):
-Number the pallets with a big marker.
-Add a new record in Insight-live, assign a new code number and date and link it to a specification.
-In the notes, log lot numbers from the bags and any pertinent details (e.g. supplier invoice, PO#).
-Upload supplier certificate photos.
-Grab samples through the bag spouts— one per lot or pallet.
-Do testing for oversize particles (especially in clays).
-Make SHAB test bars (for clays). Dry them in a dehydrator and fire them overnight (because production wants to start using this tomorrow!).
-Snap close-up photos of the fired bars and upload and annotate them for future comparison.

This is survivable QC. It won’t fix everything. Now he is Ready-Freddie, with a solid plan to stand on when the blame starts flying. Maybe he will even be able to establish coordination between sales, production, and QC (using a group account) and even refine the specifications and procedures for each material type.

Protect your reputation as a clay body manufacturer.

Unread Freddie is not monitoring incoming clays!

This picture has its own page with more detail, click here to see it.

A kaolin shipment just came in. "UnReady Freddie" is panicking. He thinks he remembers that products made with the last shipment were lacking plasticity and the fired color was off. He is going to have to come up with different lame excuses for complaining customers this time.

"Ready Freddie" has Insight-Live and has collected years of data on incoming shipments in one searchable place. He knows what to check on each and has fired bars, in-mix tests, particle size checks, data sheets, lots of pictures, notes, etc. He also has traceability - he knows what material batch went into what product. He works with production to do material lot tracking and with purchasing to keep suppliers aware he is testing. Because Ready Freddie knows how materials vary he can compensate recipes and processes so customers see a consistent product.

UnReady Freddie has a few spreadsheets somewhere. But he is busy with other things. Who do you want in charge of product consistency (and company reputation)? Here is what to do next: Have your technician study the page "Testing a New Load of EP Kaolin" (link below). You will be hearing from him/her soon.

Is your clay supplier testing incoming materials?

Monitoring the properties of clay bodies they sell?

This picture has its own page with more detail, click here to see it.

A kaolin shipment just came in. "UnReady Freddie" is panicking. Customers have been complaining about bodies containing this. He doesn't know what to do because he has poor records. But he has a new excuse when you complain this time.

"Ready Freddie" has Insight-Live and has collected years of data on incoming material shipments in one searchable place. He knows what to check on each and has fired bars, in-mix tests, particle size checks, data sheets, lots of pictures, notes, etc. He works with production to do material lot tracking so he knows what materials went into the code numbered boxes you bought. And he keeps suppliers aware he is testing. He leverages the data to compensate recipes and processes so you see a consistent product despite material variations.

If you want more consistent clay bodies from your supplier ask about their testing program. Ask if they know about Digitalfire Insight-live.com. Give them a link to this page.

Videos

Links

Glossary	Digitalfire Insight-Live A cloud-hosted ceramics-targetted LIMS (lab info management system) enabling collection, organization and learning from data to develop, adjust and study their recipes, materials and processes.
Glossary	Physical Testing In ceramics, glazes, engobes and bodies have chemistries and physics. Your formulation and quality control most likely need to focus on the physical properties.

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