ISO 9001:2015
Instituted in 1998, Leth Iron is proud to maintain an ISO-9001 quality system. Our ISO-9001 certification is testimony of the emphasis put on quality control at every step of the manufacturing process. Through quality management and continuous process improvement Leth Iron ensures that clients’ needs and expectations are met or exceeded on every order.
LETH IRON QUALITY POLICY
Lethbridge Iron Works produces quality iron for customers around the world. We are committed to ensuring that our castings consistently meet or exceed our customer’s requirements and will continually improve our Quality Management System to ensure that it meets the requirements for the standard(s) to which we are registered.
This policy statement is the basis of our quality management philosophy and reflects the commitment to excellence of all employees within the Lethbridge Iron Works organization.
QUALITY TESTING
Backed by 125 years of experience, Leth Iron has built a name that’s synonymous with industry-leading foundry quality. To honour that reputation, a broad range of quality tests are performed throughout the casting process.
Sand Testing
To ensure optimal properties, tests are performed at set intervals throughout every shift to monitor grain size, green strength, compactability, friability, active clay percentage, and other key variables. The resulting data allows Leth Iron to create superior moulds that maintain the overall quality of the iron castings in both dimensional tolerance and surface finish.
Metallurgical Testing
From the moment that raw materials arrive, tests are done to validate that the metallurgical inputs and casting outputs meet Leth Iron’s world-class standards.
These tests include:
Chemical Analysis
- 2 in-house SPECTROMAXx Arc/Spark spectrometers are used to analyze elemental properties on both incoming raw materials and all iron poured.
Microstructure Analysis
- When pouring ductile iron, at each tap test plugs are taken, polished, and inspected under a microscope for microstructure and nodularity.
Hardness Testing
- Hardness Tests are taken on all materials poured to ensure that the requirements of the grade have been met.
Mechanical Testing
- Unlike typical foundries that send test bars out to 3rd party labs, Leth Iron machines all test bars to spec and pulls them in-house to validate tensile strength, yield strength, and elongation.
All testing is done at set intervals. Further testing to meet customer-specific requirements can be undertaken upon request.