Should the approved sample travel back and forth between buyer and factory?

Avoid making an untracked travelling sample the sole acceptance reference. First define which requirements the physical piece controls and which belong to drawings or reports. If the sample must move, document its identity, custody and condition. Consider agreed matched references when repeated transfers would make control difficult.

Define which physical or digital references control acceptance

List what the approved sample is meant to demonstrate: an appearance detail, a mounting relationship or another explicitly defined feature. Do not assume that an approval sticker makes every dimension and material property authoritative. Record the drawing revision and the approval's limitations alongside the piece.

If the sample differs from the production specification, identify those differences. A development blade with intentional modifications should not become an unexplained master for receiving inspection. The pre-production approval guide addresses the wider approval programme; this decision concerns keeping a physical reference usable and unambiguous over time.

Record custody and condition changes that could alter the reference

Before dispatch, photograph the identifying marks and relevant surfaces, record the condition, and name the custodian at each end. Use protection appropriate to the part and the approved handling method. Ask the recipient to check condition on arrival before using it as a reference. A shipping receipt alone does not confirm that the controlled features are unchanged.

Keep a transfer log with dispatch, receipt, purpose and any observed damage or alteration. Do not allow cleaning, grinding, drilling or trial use that could change the reference without technical review. If a change occurs, suspend its reference status for the affected feature until the responsible authority assesses it.

Distinguish ordinary possession from permission to approve production. The person holding the sample may be checking a particular characteristic without having authority to waive other requirements. That boundary belongs in the approval record, not just in conversations between workshop and factory.

Use documented matched references where agreed rather than relying on an untracked travelling sample

Where both sites need a reference, ask whether documented matched pieces, controlled images or a suitable gauge can cover the relevant purpose. Specify how equivalence is established and what each reference can demonstrate. Two visually similar blades should not simply receive matching approval stickers without a comparison.

For the carbide blade programme, keep a reference register showing the active identifier, location, condition and controlling documents. If one sample is superseded, mark that status so it cannot return to service as an old but convenient master. Preserve its history separately from current approval evidence.

The preferred arrangement depends on the feature and the inspection method. Some checks need a physical reference; others are better tied directly to the drawing. Choose the smallest practical set of controlled references that answers the acceptance questions, and make any shipment an accountable transfer rather than a substitute for document control.