Quality control of the electroforming process isn’t difficult. There are basic parameters to stay within concerning the chemistry and once you become familiar with these you can then customize the chemistry with different additives and adjustments that may help the end product. It’s the customization of the process that can get away from us so the best way to keep these changes under control is to do preventive maintained on a timely schedule that is based on the volume of workflow and quality of any chemical additions.

NiPro Records has its own proprietary process based on decades of process improvements and it shows in every stamper we produce but one critical key is chemistry maintenance and our continuous / daily listening of each mother produced to learn of any unsuspecting process issues before the next day’s production is begun.

ALL mothers are listened too for tics and pops and if found, the lacquer for the particular project will be played and inspected for the same defect to help determine if the problem was a form of process error, dirt or dust within the lacquer or simply a defect in the cutting material.

Mothers that are listened too can be recorded and a file made available for the customer to upload and listen for themselves. This process is also very helpful for a method of quick feedback if test pressing issues arise.

Tooling / inspection / processing

Other items that are important to quality is the stamper centering, backside sanding and the center forming tools for the overall inspection process.

NiPro is running an automatic / inspecting process of each stamper after the centering  and punching process  on our optical cmm to confirm the concentricity of product before it moves on to additional process steps. This is probably a first for the industry as many of the tools we use on a daily basis wasn’t available in the 70’s and 80’s.

The backside sanding of the stampers is very important and we have developed a cross-cut sanding process that produces a smooth and consistent surface finish that leads to a better cosmetic record once off the press.

Our center crimping and coining tools cover all known die types for pressing records and are kept in clean and oiled condition to help allow for a smooth bend and less center tearing for the center pin.

Mother Recording

Our Quality Control Testing Room