Heat lot numbers are a recording of a specific group of steel. The heat lot number identifies the steel’s chemical composition. Manufacturers can track individual steel lots back to the raw material suppliers based on this lot number. This will enable raw material suppliers to recall any lot that includes products that are damaged or defective. It also enables the manufacturer to identify if the heat lot is to his chemical specifications. To track heat lots, you must have the heat lot number.
Locate the heat lot number on the billet. A billet is an ingot or roll of continuous metal. The number will be stamped into the raw material. It is a five- to six-digit number signifying the furnace the steel was heated in, the year it was melted and the melt numbers.
Contact your supplier and identify the specific chemistry makeup and heat specifications of the piece. This information is then transferred to any product made from the steel in the lot.
Enter the heat lot number in a database along with its chemical properties and the supplier.
Update your heat lot number records as the steel is processed further. When products are cut or changed, they are stored in smaller lots, so the manufacturer can identify if the defect is from the original raw material supplier or is from the in-house manufacturing process. As the product is manufactured, the lot number will change. Update this change in the database system. Include a description of the product and expiration date. Include the industry or any other user-specific data that is necessary to identify and track specific goods.
Create a bar code for each final, finished product and record the bar code number in the database system.
Identify the newest heat lot number and bar code on the bill of lading that accompanies all deliveries to retailers or final customers.
