Quality
Inspection, testing and documentation
Every head leaves with paperwork. This page says exactly what that paperwork contains, so your quality department can decide before you order whether it is enough.
Thirteen inspection steps
Incoming material, forming, finishing and final release — at each step the piece is either measured or it does not move on.
Incoming material
Coil and plate checked against the material certificate and the heat number before it enters the press line.
In-process
Forming parameters, profile, wall thickness and surface checked through pressing, trimming and necking.
Final release
Dimensional inspection on the finished head, then documentation assembled against the batch.
Non-destructive testing, in house
Where a head has a weld seam, it gets tested. Where it does not, there is nothing to test — and that is the better outcome, not a shortcut.
Radiographic (X-ray)
Detects internal defects in welds and formed material where the specification calls for it.
Ultrasonic
Suits thicker wall sections; locates and sizes discontinuities quickly and at low cost.
Magnetic particle
Finds surface and near-surface discontinuities on ferromagnetic material and welds.
Testing can also be witnessed by, or carried out through, a third-party inspection body when your purchase order requires it. Tell us the inspector and the acceptance criteria at enquiry stage so it is built into the price and schedule rather than added later.
Seamless heads up to Ø1500 mm
Carbon steel heads up to Ø1500 mm are pressed from a single full plate. The head therefore has no weld seam: no joint to radiograph, no heat-affected zone to corrode, and no weld repair to argue about at inspection. Our supervision inspection certificates for these sizes record no welding and no non-destructive testing, because there is no seam in the part.
Above Ø1500 mm the blank can no longer come from one plate. The plate is joined, the joint is welded, and that weld is inspected — radiographically, ultrasonically or by magnetic particle, depending on wall thickness and your specification.
- No seam means no weld weak point and no weld corrosion in service
- No NDT cost on the sizes that do not need it, so the piece price is lower
- Consistent forming — one sheet, one pressing operation, one dimension report
When testing applies
- Heads above Ø1500 mm made from a welded plate blank
- Heads with welded necks, nozzles or bosses
- Where your purchase order or code specifies testing regardless of size
- Where you want third-party witnessing on any of the above
Test method and coverage are agreed at enquiry stage, not after the batch is made.
What the documentation pack contains
- Dimension report — outside diameter, height, straight flange, neck depth, roundness and minimum wall thickness, measured per batch
- Material certificate — grade, heat number, chemical composition and mechanical properties
- NDT report — method, coverage, acceptance criteria and result, where testing is ordered
- Supervision inspection certificate — available for Chinese-standard pressure element work, issued through a provincial special-equipment inspection institute
- Packing list and shipping documents — matched to the batch markings on the heads
Certificates and reports are sent with the shipment or by email as PDFs. We do not publish certificate scans on this website — they are shared during supplier qualification, where they belong.
Standards we work to
- GB/T 25198 — Chinese pressure vessel head standard; the basis of our dimensional tolerances
- ASME VIII Div. 1 head forms — 2:1 elliptical (UG-32(d)) and hemispherical (UG-32(e)) geometry pressed to drawing. Note: we press to these head forms; we do not hold an ASME U stamp — that sits with the fabricator of the finished vessel. ASME certification is planned for the new plant.
- DIN 28011 / 28013 — torispherical (dished) head geometry
- Customer drawing — where your own standard or acceptance table governs
If your project requires a specific certification scheme or an audit of the manufacturing site before award, tell us at enquiry stage. We will confirm what can be supported before you spend time on the enquiry.
Quality questions buyers ask
Will you accept our inspector, or a third-party inspection agency, in the plant?
Yes. Your own inspector or an inspection body of your choice — SGS, BV, TÜV and others — is welcome at final inspection, and can witness the non-destructive testing while it is carried out. Tell us at order stage so the schedule and the documentation allow for it, instead of trying to fit it in after the batch is packed.
Do you hold an ASME U stamp?
Not yet. We press heads to the ASME VIII Div.1 head forms — 2:1 elliptical per UG-32(d), hemispherical per UG-32(e) — and supply them with material certificates, dimensional reports and NDT. On a finished vessel the U stamp is held by the fabricator who welds the head to the shell, so most of our customers buy heads on that basis. ASME certification is planned for the new pressure vessel plant in Junan. If your specification requires an ASME-stamped head supplier, tell us at enquiry stage — we will say honestly whether we can meet it today rather than waste your time.
Will you provide EN 10204 3.1 or 3.2 material certificates?
Certificates carrying grade, heat number, chemistry and mechanical properties are available with the batch. If your order specifies a particular certificate type, name it in the enquiry — we will confirm what can be issued before you place the order rather than after.
Can you supply heads certified to ASME VIII or EN 13445?
We press the standard head geometries used by those codes and hold tolerances to GB/T 25198. Whether a project can be certified under a particular code depends on the scheme, the material and the third-party inspection arranged — tell us the code and the project requirement at enquiry stage and we will confirm what is possible before you rely on it.
Who carries out the inspection?
Our own inspection team, with radiographic, ultrasonic and magnetic particle testing done in-house. Third-party inspection bodies can witness or repeat the testing when your purchase order requires it.
Can we see the inspection records for the batch we buy?
Yes. Dimension reports, material certificates and NDT reports are sent per batch. What we do not do is publish them publicly — they are shared with you during qualification.
Group companies
- Shandong Huabao Solar Energy Equipment Co., Ltd. — forming plant · Huabao Industrial Park, Banquan, Linyi, Shandong
- Huabao Yefeng Precision Technology Co., Ltd. — precision forming plant under construction · Junan, Shandong
Heads are formed by Shandong Huabao Solar Energy Equipment Co., Ltd in Linyi, Shandong. Material certificates, dimensional reports, inspection reports and packing lists are issued in that name, for the batch you buy.
Every quality document behind this site is issued in the manufacturer's name. The ISO 9001 certificate is held by Shandong Huabao Solar Energy Equipment Co., Ltd, and the material certificates, dimensional reports and supervision inspection certificates are issued to Shandong Huabao Solar Energy Equipment Co., Ltd for the batch you buy.
Request a quote
Send us a drawing, a size list or just the application.
Open the RFQ formsales@formedheads.com
Quotes usually go out within one working day. Drawings stay confidential.