Most old revisions that reach a machine travel electronically: a program in control memory, a file on a USB stick, a drawing saved to a desktop. Paper control alone cannot stop them. The arrangement below costs little in a small shop and closes most of the paths.
| Element | How we set it up | Why |
|---|---|---|
| One released folder | A single network folder per part for released programs, setup sheets and inspection plans, read-only for everyone except document control and the programmer releasing a change | One place to look; nobody edits a released file by accident |
| Work in progress kept apart | Programs being written or proved live in a separate folder that the machines cannot load from | An unproved program cannot be run by mistake |
| Revision in the name and the header | File name and program header both carry the revision, and the header shows on the control's screen | The operator and the auditor can read it at the machine |
| Superseded folder | Old revisions move to a superseded folder, read-only, kept for traceability | History without risk |
| Machine memory | Programs are loaded from the network for each job; anything left in memory is cleared at every program issue and checked at configuration checks | Memory is where old revisions hide |
| Removable media | No USB sticks at the machines, or only numbered ones held by the supervisor | A stick is a binder nobody audits |
| CMM programs | The same rules as CNC programs: one released folder, revision in the header, proved before release | The CMM decides what is accepted |
| Customer models and drawings | Downloaded once from the customer's portal by document control into the controlled drawing folder; nobody works from email attachments | One copy, one revision |
| Backups | Nightly, with a restore tested twice a year | A record you cannot restore is a record you do not have |
Where the shop uses a DNC system or a production data system, the same rules apply inside it: released and work-in-progress areas kept apart, revision visible at the machine, and old revisions removed from the machine side at every change.
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Clause numbers refer to AS9100D (SAE AS9100 Rev D) unless another document is named. The standards' text is not reproduced here: use your own licensed copy.
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