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Cam Inspection Notice & Update: Axle Nut June 11, 2008 As of this posting, the incidents are extremely rare and are not considered widespread, but we feel that it is in the best interest of climbers’ safety to inform the climbing community of the potential for this problem. Should any Link Cam owner wish for us to perform the inspection, we will be happy to do so. Please contact us for information how to prepare the return. In May 2008, we became aware of situations in which axle nuts were not properly and permanently fixed on the axle assemblies permitting the cams to potentially become disassembled. Upon receiving the units, our Quality Assurance department launched an exhaustive investigation to determine the cause and establish correction of the issue. Our QA inspectors have determined that the returned units were allowed to progress from one assembly station to the next without this important step having been completed. It was determined, based on identification by lot numbers, that the cams returned were manufactured prior to the implementation of upgraded quality assurance procedures and employee training sessions which were instituted in May 2007. At that point, new work instructions were written, additional quality inspection steps were introduced and employees were either reassigned or retrained to reduce the likelihood of such lapses in quality from occurring. Upon receiving the units subject to this Inspection Notice, our QA department met with department supervisors and upper level management to review those steps, ensure that they were being followed and met with all employees to reinforce the importance of maintaining quality control. Although we were not aware of this specific issue at the time, we are confident that the upgrades we instituted last spring closed the opportunity for it to occur any longer. Thanks to the new procedures and retraining, no units built since that time are believed to exhibit this characteristic. We have no reason to suspect that this is a widespread or repeated problem, but we’re issuing an inspection notice to the climbing community so that climbers may inspect their Link Cams to ensure that their cams meet proper specifications. Of course, we will be happy to inspect cams for anyone should they wish to send them to us for analysis. However, a very simple visual examination as described below is adequate to determine whether this problem exists with any Link Cam. The inspection should be made on either #1 or #2 Link Cams, regardless of lot number or date of manufacture. We request that anyone with cams that fail the exam immediately contact us. Should we become aware that this is a larger problem, we will respond accordingly. It
should be noted that no accident occurred nor any injuries suffered as
a result of this incident. 2)
Identify whether the axle is “peened” or “mushroomed”
over the round nut.
(photo removed by mfg) I f your cams fail this examination - or if you are in doubt of the results for any reason - we request that you contact us at 1-800-360-3990 to arrange for the return of your cam(s). We will repair or replace them as necessary. We
apologize for this inconvenience. Please feel free to contact us for any
additional information Michael
Lane |