Common Quality Defects of American-Style Cabinets
Based on on-site quality inspection practices and industry experience, the common quality defects of American-style cabinets are categorized and detailed as follows, which are consistent with the defects identified in the previous inspection report:
1. Surface Finishing Defects
- Paint Imperfections: Bubbles, pinholes, and uneven coating occur on door panels and side panels. This is mainly caused by inadequate surface treatment (such as insufficient sanding, degreasing, or dust removal) of the base material before painting, as well as unstable temperature and humidity in the painting workshop during the coating process.
- Color Differences: Obvious color inconsistency exists between individual cabinet panels and door panels. The root causes include inconsistent dyeing parameters during veneer processing and mixed use of materials from different production batches without strict color matching.
- Scratches & Dents: Surface scratches (2-5cm in length) and small dents are common. These defects are usually caused by improper handling, stacking, or transportation during warehouse storage, such as lack of protective measures between cabinets.
2. Structural & Dimensional Defects
- Unqualified Dimensional Accuracy: Deviations in the spacing of installation holes (ranging from 2mm to 3mm) and uneven cabinet tops (levelness deviation >1mm/m) are frequently found. Such defects will affect the subsequent on-site installation and overall fit of the cabinets.
- Loose Joints: Visible gaps (0.5mm to 1mm) appear at corner joints due to insufficient adhesive application during assembly and incomplete curing of the adhesive, which reduces the structural stability of the cabinets.
- Door Panel Misalignment: After installation, the gap between the door panel and the cabinet body is uneven (the difference between left and right gaps >2mm). This is caused by incorrect hinge adjustment and unevenness of the cabinet frame itself.
3. Hardware-Related Defects
- Hinge Failure: Hinges have problems such as inflexible opening and closing, abnormal noise, and peeling plating. This is mostly due to the use of low-quality hinges that do not comply with American National Standards (ANSI) and lack of strict incoming inspection for hardware.
- Drawer Slide Issues: Drawers slide unsmoothly and have poor load-bearing capacity (sagging when loaded with 5kg). The main reasons are insufficient thickness of slide rails and non-standard installation techniques by assembly workers.
4. Environmental & Material Defects
Formaldehyde Emission Exceeding Standard: Some cabinets fail to meet the environmental protection requirements, with formaldehyde emission reaching 0.15-0.16 ppm (exceeding the CARB P2 standard limit of ≤0.124 ppm). This is caused by using low-grade particleboard with unqualified formaldehyde emission as the base material.
These defects are typical in the production and processing of American-style cabinets our qc inspected. Strict process control and incoming inspection can effectively reduce the occurrence of such problems.
