This page describes how DomiDo holds every block to a known dimensional, structural, and visual standard. DomiDo is built by Avvyland Limited (UK) and sells universal blocks and fasteners only; every construction shown on the platform is a user-generated design, so quality assurance (QA) focuses on the universal block and fastener inventory and on the software pipeline that turns a design into a buildable kit. The page begins with the applicable standards and the Acceptable Quality Limit (AQL) framework, then walks through the pre-production, production, and incoming-inspection regimes, the traceability that ties every block back to its batch and cavity, the defect catalogue and remediation policy, and finally the software-side QA that protects the dd-mesher pipeline and the block-design itself.
A small set of injection-moulding standards forms the QA baseline. ISO 2859-1 governs sampling procedures for inspection by attributes and supplies the AQL tables that drive the production inspection regime. ISO 20457 sets the general dimensional tolerances that apply to plastics-moulded parts. ISO 294 defines reference geometry for injection-moulded test specimens. ISO 9001 sets the quality-management-system requirements that wrap around all of the above, and BS EN ISO 8124 with EN 71 covers the safety of toys only if blocks are ever marketed to children. Additional standards supply specific test methods for impact, tensile strength, dimensional stability, and weathering when those properties need formal characterisation.
| Standard | Purpose |
|---|---|
| ISO 2859-1 | Sampling procedures for inspection by attributes and Acceptable Quality Limit (AQL) tables. |
| ISO 20457 | General dimensional tolerances for plastics-moulded parts. |
| ISO 294 | Reference geometry for injection-moulded test specimens. |
| ISO 9001 | Quality-management-system requirements. |
| BS EN ISO 8124 / EN 71 | Safety of toys (applicable only if blocks are ever marketed to children). |
| Additional standards | Specific test methods for impact, tensile strength, dimensional stability, and weathering. |
The active position is that DomiDo blocks are an adult outdoor creative-building system, not toys. The BS EN ISO 8124 / EN 71 series therefore does not apply by default, but the test methods inside it remain useful reference points for impact and small-parts evaluation.
The Acceptable Quality Limit is the percentage of defective units that is considered acceptable in a sampling inspection, and it is split into critical, major, and minor defect classes. Critical defects have a near-zero AQL because they affect safety or structural function. Major defects have a small AQL because they affect form or fit. Minor defects have a larger AQL because they affect appearance only. The active AQL levels for DomiDo are tight on critical defects (any non-conforming interlock geometry, any sharp edge), tight on major defects (warping, dimensional drift, short shots that compromise the locking face), and proportionate on minor cosmetic defects so that the inspection regime stays fast at production volumes.
Pre-production QA happens before the first production run releases stock to the third-party logistics provider, and it has four pillars that have to clear before stock can be released. Prototype validation runs on the aluminium tool to confirm that the geometry is exact, the connection mechanism mates correctly with reference blocks, and the assembly forces are within specification. Mould validation then proceeds through the standard tool trials T0 through T3: the first trial validates basic dimensional capability, the second adjusts process parameters, the third proves repeatability across multiple shots, and the fourth produces the first-article inspection (FAI) sample for sign-off. Material validation tests the chosen resin grade under the production process, covering melt-flow index, ultraviolet-stabiliser content, batch-to-batch consistency, and conformance to the resin specification. Compliance testing covers the product-safety claims relevant to the intended use: outdoor weathering, dimensional stability across temperature, ignition and burn behaviour where required, and small-parts evaluation where required.
Production QA uses AQL sampling on each batch and a process-control regime that catches drift before a batch fails. AQL sampling by batch follows ISO 2859-1: the sample size depends on lot size and inspection level, a sample is drawn, every block in the sample is inspected against the defect catalogue, and the batch passes or is held based on the count of critical, major, and minor defects. Critical dimensional measurements cover the locking-face geometry, the height datum, the width and length, the wall thickness on stressed faces, and the surface roughness on visible faces. Connection-force specifications define the engagement and disengagement force ranges: a force that is too low risks accidental disassembly, while a force that is too high frustrates the assembly experience, and both extremes are out-of-specification. Temperature testing exposes finished blocks to the working envelope, with a representative low temperature (subfreezing for outdoor use) and a representative high temperature (sun-baked outdoor for the upper bound), and connection force is re-measured at both ends. Multi-cavity tools require per-cavity inspection, with each cavity identified on every part by a small cavity number moulded into a non-visible face and per-cavity dimensional data tracked over time. Statistical process control (SPC) tracks key dimensions and process parameters by control chart, allowing drift to be caught long before a batch fails.
When pallets arrive at the third-party-logistics (3PL) provider, an incoming inspection happens at two levels. Level-one inspection runs on every shipment and covers package integrity, count, batch identification, and a visual sampling of the top layer for obvious defects. Level-two inspection runs periodically or when triggered by an upstream defect signal, with a deeper sample inspected against the defect catalogue and sampled across pallets and across cavities. A visual defect guide sits at the 3PL inspection station, a hold-and-release process documents any pallets that fail incoming inspection (which are quarantined, photographed, reported back to the moulder, and replaced or reworked under the supplier-corrective-action process), and the 3PL is equipped with calipers, gauges, sampling tools, and a defined defect-decision authority for clear cases.
Every block carries a batch identifier in the format [material]-[SKU]-[year-week]-[lot]-[cavity], laser-marked or moulded into a non-visible face. Sample retention rules keep a representative sample of every batch for the warranty period plus a margin, and database records store the identifier, the production date, the cavity-by-cavity dimensional record, the AQL inspection result, the receiving inspection result, the kit identifiers the batch entered, and the resulting customer orders. Customer-facing traceability is limited to a batch identifier on the kit packaging and a digital record in the customer's order history.
The defect catalogue on each pack bench shows photographs and tolerances for the defects DomiDo cares about, and marginal cases escalate to a named senior inspector rather than to the bench operator alone.
| Defect | Description | Severity for DomiDo |
|---|---|---|
| Warping | Uneven shrinkage causing a part to deform. | Major when it affects interlocking faces. |
| Flash | Thin excess plastic outside the part outline at the parting line. | Major when it affects locking faces; cosmetic otherwise. |
| Sink marks | Surface depressions over thick sections. | Cosmetic on non-functional faces; major on visible faces. |
| Short shots | Incomplete cavity fill leaving a partial part. | Critical. |
| Weld lines | Visible flow-front lines where melt fronts meet. | Major if on a load-bearing face; cosmetic otherwise. |
| Burn marks | Discolouration from trapped-gas combustion. | Major on visible faces; cosmetic otherwise. |
| Jetting | A snake-like flow pattern visible at the gate. | Cosmetic. |
| Ejector-pin marks | Indentations from ejector pins. | Cosmetic when on non-visible faces. |
| Colour streaks | Inconsistent colour distribution. | Cosmetic on most parts; major on premium colour SKUs. |
| Brittleness | Inadequate impact strength due to material degradation. | Critical. |
DomiDo's defective-product policy benchmarks against the long-established practice in adult building-block systems: replace anything that ships with a defect, with simple proof such as a photograph and the kit identifier. The tiered policy works at three levels — a small number of defective blocks per order is replaced for free with no return required, multiple defective blocks or any structural defect triggers a full kit replacement, and a pattern of defects across multiple orders triggers the supplier corrective-action process under the 8D framework (define, contain, root-cause, correct, verify, prevent, recognise, close). UK Consumer Rights Act 2015 compliance underpins all of this: goods must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose, and as described, with statutory remedies for the buyer, and the defective-product policy meets or exceeds those statutory rights. A cost provision for defects sits in the per-unit cost model, sized from observed defect rates and reducing as production maturity improves.
The quality agreement with each contract moulder sets out the AQL levels and inspection responsibilities at the moulder and at the 3PL, the First-Article Inspection requirements for every new tool, tool revision, and change of material grade or colour, the mould-maintenance schedule and responsibilities (including who pays for what at each maintenance interval), DomiDo's right to audit (including on-site audits with reasonable notice), the 8D corrective-action process to be followed when defects are detected, and the allocation of defect costs between moulder and buyer for various root-cause categories.
The software pipeline that turns a design into a kit has its own quality regime, because a perfect block does not help if the bill of materials, the layout, or the assembly instructions are wrong. Voxelisation validation tests the dd-mesher pipeline against a fixed corpus of input meshes, comparing the voxelised output to a golden reference. Assembly validation checks that the resulting block layout is buildable by a human in the order the assembly instructions specify, with no impossible interlocks or floating blocks. Bill-of-materials accuracy tests check that the block counts and types produced by the pipeline match the visualised structure. Regression testing runs the full corpus on every release candidate with a quality gate that blocks release on any regression beyond an agreed tolerance, and end-to-end (E2E) testing exercises real customer flows from upload or prompt through job processing to artefact production.
Block design itself is subject to engineering QA before any tool is cut. Finite-element analysis (FEA) validates structural performance under representative loads. Interlocking-strength testing measures engagement force, disengagement force, shear strength at the joint, and cyclic-loading fatigue at the joint. Weather and ultraviolet ageing tests use accelerated weathering — typically a xenon-arc weatherometer — to estimate years of outdoor exposure in compressed time. Certification and third-party testing covers the relevant standards for the intended use case, with documented test reports retained by Avvyland Limited.