How to tell if a guide rail is made in the US or Europe?

[Klemm]

how can you identify a FESTOOL Guide Rail made in the US? - from one made in Europe?
How can you buy a US made guide rail and be sue that is what you're getting? - who stocks them now?

Hans

 

[Svar]

If you bought your rail before today it was made in Europe. [big grin]

 

[Cheese]

If you bought your rail before today it was made in Europe. [big grin]

Good answer...or maybe if you purchased it prior to  the last month, the rail would have been manufactured in Europe, since the newly created rail forming machine in Indiana is cranking out product daily.

But more to a point, I certainly hope some form of product demarcation has been implemented to prevent possible future confusion if fit/finish/interchangeability issues raise their head.

 

[AlexThePalex]

Why is it important to know where it has been made?

 

[Bob D.]

I would say because there could be slight differences between rails made on different machines.
Both may be within the manufacturing tolerances but still vary enough as to have alignment issues.

No two snowflakes are exactly alike, but they're all snowflakes.

 

[Big G]

Easy, as it is to identify anything that is made in the USA, it will leak oil

 

[mrboult]

Easy, as it is to identify anything that is made in the USA, it will leak oil

I clicked on this link to make basically the same joke  [big grin]  the thread title was too much of a set up  [tongue]

 

[Cheese]

Why is it important to know where it has been made?

What Bob D said... [smile]

It could be as simple as a Made in USA stamping. 

 

[AlexThePalex]

You guys really think tolerances could be that far off? Hmmm.

 

[six-point socket II]

Hi.

If I was selling accessories to compliment these guide rails I would also make sure everything fits and accuracy is still spot on after there has been a change in production of said rails.

I suppose this is why Hans is asking about this?

Kind regards,
Oliver

 

[Cheese]

Well I'm sure Festool isn't doing 100% inspection of all the rails they produce, they're probably using typical AQL charts which basically say "at the AQL risk level of your choice, and with "X" amount of received parts, you need to randomly select and sample "X" number of those parts. And of that number sampled, only "X" number can fail.

So inherent in the inspection process, it is known that some outliers will make it through inspection. Short of 100% inspection, it's just a risk everyone takes. Everyone tries to minimize the risks, that's the reason it's imperative to choose the correct AQL level. If there are problems in the field, a Quality Assurance group can/will change the AQL level or they may demand 100% inspection of critical dimensions...but 100% is soooooo expensive.

Besides, everything changes, the tools wear, the tooling wears, the composition of the material itself may change slightly, the process can have a hiccup...it all adds up in the end.

 

[Klemm]

many good comments here - because we interface the guide rails with our GRS_16 family we want to verify that nothing changed that would give us concern. "Trust but verify . . ."
new tool, new manufacturing source, all ingredients that call for inspection that what we expect has not changed in  a way that can adversely affect function.

Unless we know the origin of the part we can't be sure what we are inspecting. Our customers have every right and reason toexpect us to do this homework.
Hans

 

[antss]

Doesnt the rail's shipping box have the country of origin stenciled on it ?  [unsure]

 

[peter halle]

If I remember the stuff I have read about Festool's production of guide rails in the US, availability will be later in the fall.

Peter

 

[Svar]

You can determine it by measuring. For example, FS 1400/2 made in Europe is 1400 mm long, while the US made will be 55.1" long.  [big grin]

 

[Harvey]

My rails do have the country of origin printed on the shipping boxes.

 

[Bohdan]

Why don't we wait for a problem to appear before we try to come up with a solution?  [popcorn]

 

[antss]

Why does there need to be a problem before questioning where a tool or accessory is produced ; or how to differentiate between factories ?

 

[Cheese]

Why don't we wait for a problem to appear before we try to come up with a solution?  [popcorn]

Because at this point in time, the solution is extremely simple, far simpler than the task will ever become as we kick the can further and further down the road...date stamp or made in USA or revision level. These are absolutely conventional & effective methods to manage the current inventory status. 

Check out any current Festool manual, they all carry current rev levels...for this very same reason.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  [big grin]

 

[Klemm]

-since this is the ASK FESTOOL section of the FOG, I was hoping to get a response from Lebanon.
Perhaps we can get an answer to this very simple question: has the first US-made FESTOOL rail been shipped to a dealer yet?

Hans