Quality Management Technologies

Trust in the Canon brand is based on quality. Canon quality is based on a fundamental philosophy of "no claims, no trouble," and the goal of not only maintaining, but improving quality. Canon's dedication to a quality-first approach supports the continued evolution of its products.

2018/12/27Featured Technology

#Fundamentals That Raise the Value of Technology#Environment

Canon's Vision of Quality

Canon aims to achieve quality that provides customers with safety, smartness, and satisfaction.
Safety means no breakdowns, injuries, defects or other negative characteristics.
Smartness means easy to use, well-designed, comfortable, reliable and an overall sense of high quality.
Satisfaction means having customers think, “Great! Glad I bought it. It’s Canon for me from now on.”
This is the level of quality that Canon products must provide.

Cutting-Edge General Measurement Testing Facilities

#Quality#Electrical engineering#Chemistry#Environmental awareness

Pursuing Ever-Greater Product Quality

Canon's Tamagawa Plant in Kawasaki City is the company's product evaluation hub. Located here is a diverse array of cutting-edge general-measurement testing facilities for comprehensively evaluating product quality and performing ultra-high-precision measurements.

Major Evaluation/Testing Criteria and Testing Facilities

EMC tests	・Unnecessary electromagnetic wave evaluation: determine whether unnecessary electromagnetic waves emitted by products affect other products and whether products will malfunction due to the effects of lightning, TV electromagnetic waves, etc. ・Canon possesses one of the largest anechoic chambers in Japan	Anechoic chamber Shield room	ISO/IEC 17025 certified laboratory
Noise tests	・Noise evaluation: evaluation of the various levels of noise produced by products ・Enables noise testing required to obtain ecolabels ・Canon owns one of the industry's largest hemi-anechoic chambers	Hemi-anechoic chamber	ISO/IEC 17025 certified laboratory

VOC evaluation

・Evaluation of safety levels related to chemical substances emitted by products (VOCs, ozone, dust, UFP)
・Performs testing required for eco-label certification in various countries and regions

Special-purpose chamber

ISO/IEC 17025 certified laboratory
Laboratory for German ecolabel certification trials

Genotoxicity tests

・Evaluation of the effects of products (chemical products) and their raw materials on health (e.g. carcinogenic properties)
・Reverse mutation tests (evaluation of carcinogenic properties by using microbes)
・Micronucleus tests (evaluation of carcinogenic properties by using cultured cells)

Fully automatic colony counter, etc.

Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare-certified laboratory
Facility complies with the Chemical Substances Control Law / OECD “Good Laboratory Practice (GLP)”

Plastic flame resistance tests

・Flame resistance evaluation of plastics

Plastic flame resistance testing room

UL CTDP certified laboratory

Large-product flame resistance tests

・Flame resistance tests that simulate a fire has broken out. Performed to verify the flammability of products in such an event.
・Possible to perform complete burning tests for large products such as production equipment

Large-product flame resistance verification room

Facility shared by the entire company

In addition, certification tests that include EMC¹ tests, noise tests, and plastic flame resistance tests can be completed in-house by third parties. This ensures both security and a greatly reduced testing period.

By conducting a variety of measurements utilizing the industry's top class of testing facilities, Canon is able to check safety, evaluate compliance with public regulations, select safe components and materials, and otherwise strive to further increase the quality of Canon products--all from the design phase.

1 EMC (electromagnetic compatibility)
A product's EMC ensures that it does not cause electromagnetic interference that prevents other equipment, etc. from operating correctly. EMC also refers to the ability of devices or systems to function at satisfactory levels even when subjected to interference in an electromagnetic environment.

Largest Anechoic Chamber in Japan

Large-Product Flame Resistance Verification Room

Chemical Safety Evaluation Technology

#Quality#Chemistry#Environmental awareness

Steps to Preserve the Environment During Product Usage

VOCs², dust, ozone, particulates, and other chemicals emitted when a product is used are called emitted chemicals. The safety of these chemicals must be prioritized over all else in order to prevent harmful effects on human health. Canon began full-scale measurement of these chemical emissions in 2000, taking steps to ensure safety that meets standards established in Japan and abroad, as well as stricter standards (limits on emitted chemicals) specified by the company itself.

For example, in 2005, Canon became one of the first companies in the industry to have its chemical emission measurement laboratory awarded ISO / IEC 17025 and German ecolabel certifications after having the safety of its products evaluated by third parties. These certification-based measurement technologies have led to many Canon products receiving ecolabel³ certifications such as Germany's Blue Angel label.
In addition, Canon also evaluates the safety of its inks, toners, and other consumables to ensure that its customers can use Canon printers and office multi-function devices without worry.
Regarding the materials in its inks and toners, Canon performs evaluations related to genotoxicity—said to be closely related to carcinogenic properties—by performing in-house reverse mutation tests using microbes and micronucleus tests using cultured cells. These tests detect chromosomal abnormalities and predict the carcinogenic effects of chemicals.
As of August 2014, Canon has also been able to perform in-house tests of insoluble materials (materials that do not dissolve in water).

The Canon laboratories that perform the above kinds of tests comply with the Principles of Good Laboratory Practice (GLP)⁴ specified by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (the OECD). In addition, Canon obtains certification from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare indicating that these laboratories comply with GLP as prescribed by laws related to regulations governing such aspects as chemical examination and manufacturing to ensure that the laboratories maintain a high level of trust.
Also note that Canon was the first company in Japan to obtain certification indicating that its micronucleus tests using cultured cells comply with GLP under the Chemical Substances Control Law.

In 2017, Canon newly introduced advanced equipment as part of its efforts to further streamline the testing process. Canon will continue endeavoring to realize safety and security for its customers, now and in the future.

2 VOCs
volatile organic compounds
3 Eco-labels
Labels indicating the environmental friendliness of products. Germany's Blue Angel label, the world's first established ecolabel, has stringent certification standards.
4 Good Laboratory Practice (GLP)
A set of prescribed standards related to the management, testing and reporting done at testing facilities in charge of safety evaluation testing of such substances as chemicals. The OECD established the Principles of GLP in 1981, and member countries/regions have established domestic regulations to ensure that these principles are followed.
To continue to receive GLP compliance certification under the Chemical Substances Control Law, a renewal procedure is necessary every three years, and the next compliance check (examination) must be performed before the certificate expires.

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