[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 10 (Wednesday, January 15, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2134-2135]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-942]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Institute of Standards and Technology


Notice of Public Meeting on the Fastener Quality Act

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), 
Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of open meeting.

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SUMMARY: NIST will hold an open meeting on February 4, 1997, to solicit 
industry views on the use of the statistical process control (SPC) in 
the manufacture of fasteners under the Fastener Quality Act (Public Law 
101-592, as amended by Public Law 104-113) (The Act). The purposes of 
the meeting are to determine what impact, if any, the inspection, 
testing, and certification requirements of the Act and regulations may 
have on fastener manufacturers who use statistical process control and 
to identify ways in which the requirements of the Act and regulations 
might be met by SPC. Fastener manufacturers, Major End Users of 
fasteners (Automobile, Aerospace, Heavy Machinery, and others), 
representatives of Consensus Standards Bodies and Laboratory 
Accreditation Organizations, and academics with appropriate engineering 
expertise are invited to make presentations not exceeding 15 minutes 
each during the meeting.

DATES: The meeting will be held on February 4, 1997, from 9:00 a.m. 
until 5:00 p.m. Individuals and organizations wishing to present 
information orally during the meeting must contact NIST not later than 
January 24, 1997, to request time, not to exceed 15 minutes, on the 
program.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will take place in the Green Auditorium, 
Administration Building (Bldg. 101), at NIST in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Individuals and organizations wishing to present information orally 
during the meeting should contact Mr. David

[[Page 2135]]

Edgerly, Deputy Director, Technology Services, NIST, telephone 301-975-
4510, telefax 301-975-2183. All other questions should be directed to 
Dr. Subhas Malghan, Program Manager, Fastener Quality Act, Building 
820, Room 306, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 
Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899; telephone 301-975-6101, telefax 301-975-
2183.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

    The agenda for the meeting is:
    1. Welcome and opening remarks.
    2. NIST overview of SPC issues raised by industry.
    3. Statements by members of the public on the issues.
    4. Discussion of potential solutions.
    5. Next Steps (NIST).
    Various industries, including automobiles, aerospace, and heavy 
machinery industries have established quality assurance programs as a 
means of assuring quality parts and materials from large networks of 
suppliers, and have invested considerable energy and expense in 
developing such systems. Companies supplying fasteners under quality 
assurance systems (such as QS9000), have also invested considerable 
energy and expense in putting quality systems in place and in getting 
registered to them as a condition of supplying fasteners to major end 
users. NIST has heard from some representatives of industry that the 
Fasteners Quality Act's reliance on lot control and final inspection of 
fasteners may be inconsistent with and may not meet the standards of 
modern mass production using statistical process control.
    The proposed meeting is for the purpose of addressing these issues 
and to provide a forum for discussion of possible solutions under the 
Act and regulations. NIST would like to hear from a variety of sources 
including the aerospace, automobile and heavy machinery industries, 
fastener manufacturers who supply such industries on the use of 
statistical process control under quality assurance plans similar to 
QS9000, and interested academics. Also, because reliance upon existing 
consensus standards and specifications is a cornerstone of the Fastener 
Quality Act, representatives of consensus standards organizations are 
invited to discuss efforts underway to recognize statistical process 
control in fastener standards and specifications. Similarly, some 
fastener manufacturers rely on in-process measurements of critical 
fastener parameters by manufacturing personnel rather than upon final 
testing of such parameters by an accredited laboratory. Because SPC may 
implicate laboratory accreditations under the Act and regulations, 
laboratory accreditation bodies are also invited to present their 
views.

    Dated: January 8, 1997.
Elaine Bunten-Mines,
Acting Associate Director.
[FR Doc. 97-942 Filed 1-14-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-13-M