Quality articles from April 2009

Quality archives from April 2009

Employee empowerment.(Editorial)
April 1, 2009... People are your most valuable asset. To get the most out of your employees, empower them. Employee empowerment is one of the many strategies that recipients of our Quality Plant of the Year award cite as a reason for their success. From...

Coming events.(INDUSTRY NEWS)(Conference news)(Table)(Calendar)
April 1, 2009... COMING EVENTS MAY 4-7 QUALITY MEASUREMENT CONFERENCE (QMC), Orlando, FL. Quality Magazine, (888) 530-6714. www.qualitymag.com/qmc 4-7 QUALITY NDT CONFERENCE (QNDTC), ...

ISO achieves membership of 160 countries.(INDUSTRY NEWS)(International Organization for Standardization)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... GENEVA -- The International Organization for Standardization (ISO), developer of international standards, has achieved a membership record that now comprises the national standards institutes of 160 countries. Four new members from West...

Chrysler transmission plant receives Shingo award.(INDUSTRY NEWS)(Chrysler L.L.C.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... KOKOMO, IN -- Chrysler LLC's Indiana Transmission Plant II (ITP II), located in Kokomo, IN, has been awarded the 2008-2009 Shingo Silver Medallion for operational excellence. The Shingo Prize for Operational Excellence, established in 1988,...

MD&M East comes to New York in June.(INDUSTRY NEWS)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... NEW YORK -- MD&M East 2009 will present nearly 1,000 exhibiting companies and is expected to attract approximately 10,000 medical design and manufacturing professionals, June 9 to 11, 2009, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York....

Dimensional mark up language updated.(INDUSTRY NEWS)(Action Group)(National Institute of Standards and Technology)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... SOUTHFIELD, MI -- The Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) has announced that the Dimensional Mark Up Language (DML) has been updated. Developed in partnership with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), DML is a common...

BSI Management Systems (London), a certification body, and the ANSIASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB, Milwaukee), the national accreditation body of the United States, have signed an agreement under which ANAB will provide accreditation services to BSI around the world.(BUSINESS NEWS)(American National Standards Institute)(American Society for Quality)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... BSI Management Systems (London), a certification body, and the ANSIASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB, Milwaukee), the national accreditation body of the United States, have signed an agreement under which ANAB will provide accreditation...

Emerson Process Management (Austin, TX), provider of process-automation products, and Beamex (Pietarsaari, Finland).(BUSINESS NEWS)(Emerson Process Management Inc.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... Emerson Process Management (Austin, TX), provider of process-automation products, and Beamex (Pietarsaari, Finland), provider of calibration solutions, have formed a partnership to deliver integrated asset management and calibration in...

SMAC Inc.(BUSINESS NEWS)
April 1, 2009... SMAC Inc. (Carlsbad, CA), provider of moving coil actuators, has launched a newly redesigned Web site, www.smac-mca.com. The site, divided into seven major sections, has been designed to provide current and prospective customers access to...

Olympus (Waltham, MA), provider of nondestructive testing technologies, was presented the 2008 FAA-ATA Better Way Award by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA, Washington, D.C.) and the Air Transport Association of America (ATA, Washington, D.C.).(BUSINESS NEWS)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... Olympus (Waltham, MA), provider of nondestructive testing technologies, was presented the 2008 FAA-ATA Better Way Award by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA, Washington, D.C.) and the Air Transport Association of America (ATA,...

Mahr Federal.(BUSINESS NEWS)(Mahr Federal Inc.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... Mahr Federal (Providence, RI), provider of metrology solutions, has opened a customer resource and training facility in the greater Cincinnati area. The facility is located two miles from the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport,...

Labsphere Inc. (North Sutton, NH) and Otsuka Electronics Co. Ltd. (Osaka, Japan) have partnered to develop spectral light measurement systems based on Otsuka's patented HalfMoon hemispherical design.(BUSINESS NEWS)
April 1, 2009... Labsphere Inc. (North Sutton, NH) and Otsuka Electronics Co. Ltd. (Osaka, Japan) have partnered to develop spectral light measurement systems based on Otsuka's patented HalfMoon hemispherical design. Labsphere specializes in light measurement,...

Forest City Gear.(BUSINESS NEWS)(ISO 13485 certification)(International Organization for Standardization)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... Forest City Gear (Roscoe, IL) has achieved ISO 13485 certification, the quality management certification for manufacturers of medical devices. The company manufactures various gear types, with products found in aerospace and transportation...

Haydon (Waterbury, CT), manufacturer of motor miniaturization, announces a merger with Kerk (Hollis, NH), manufacturer of non-ball lead screw, linear rails and actuator systems.(BUSINESS NEWS)(Kerk Motion Products Inc. and Haydon Corp.)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... Haydon (Waterbury, CT), manufacturer of motor miniaturization, announces a merger with Kerk (Hollis, NH), manufacturer of non-ball lead screw, linear rails and actuator systems. Together, the two companies have become HaydonKerk Motion...

Surfware Inc.(BUSINESS NEWS)
April 1, 2009... Surfware inc. (Camarillo, CA), developer of computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) software, has received a patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for its engagement milling technology. The patent protects...

The Baumer Group (Southington, CT), supplier of sensor solutions, motion control equipment, vision technologies and process instrumentation, has announced the recent merger of four divisions, creating an entity focused on motion control solutions.(BUSINESS NEWS)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... The Baumer Group (Southington, CT), supplier of sensor solutions, motion control equipment, vision technologies and process instrumentation, has announced the recent merger of four divisions, creating an entity focused on motion control...

PQ Systems celebrates 25th anniversary.(INDUSTRY NEWS)(Company overview)
April 1, 2009... DAYTON, OH -- Software developer PQ Systems Inc. is celebrating its 25th year of providing software, training and training materials to support product and process improvement in manufacturing, healthcare, education and service environments....

Obituary: Norm Leduc, CEO of Vermont Precision Tools.(INDUSTRY NEWS)(Vermont Precision Tools Inc.)(Obituary)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] SWANTON, VT -- Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Vermont Precision Tools Norman C. Leduc, 67, died January 22, 2009, in Burlington, MA. Born in Saint Albans, VT, on April 14, 1941, Leduc was the son of...

What is your legacy? Ask yourself what, or perhaps more appropriately, who is your legacy.(FACE OF QUALITY)
April 1, 2009... In his book "The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership," John Maxwell asked, "with whom are we working to prepare to take over when we leave?" With many quality professionals facing retirement decisions, how would you answer this question? No...

The bailout ... will it work? Rather than treat the symptoms, we need to address the root cause of the problem.(MANUFACTURING EXCELLENCE)
April 1, 2009... There is a new methodology for improving business performance called the bailout. This bailout methodology has been the most rapidly adopted global approach to solve the economic crisis. Will the bailout address the root cause of the problem or...

Cost-cutting cowboys: reigning in costs must be done carefully in order to maintain quality.(OTHER DIMENSIONS)
April 1, 2009... The worldwide financial mess leads many to the simple fix for the bottom line: reign in costs. With such a Western flavor to the term, it is understandable that people consider hiring cowboys to do the job. With due respect to real cowboys, I'm...

Selecting quality calibration laboratory: it is important for an organization to use an accredited laboratory that can ensure the fulfillment of all of its calibration needs.(QUALITY 101)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Many companies determine that outsourcing precision measurement gages and tools for calibration is the best choice for maintaining accuracy and repeatability vs. in-house calibration methods, which can be error-prone...

Understanding yield.(BRAIN TEASERS)
April 1, 2009... Anyone who has faced a production problem with a need to solve it by using production data can relate to the notion of a brain teaser. The brain teasers presented here are based on real-world situations encountered by workers in manufacturing...

Shaft measurement made simple: shaft measuring systems can accomplish checks faster than other methods and have the ability to perform directly on the shop floor.(QUALITY MEASUREMENT)
April 1, 2009... Shafts are everywhere. Whenever a part is made to turn on an axis, a shaft is usually involved. Shafts can be tiny enough to turn the gears in a watch or large enough to spin the propellers of huge ships, and they can contain any number of...

Microscopes made personal: personal electron microscopes provide fast, interactive, high-resolution imaging.(QUALITY TEST & INSPECTION)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Affordable, compact scanning electron microscopes (SEMs) are providing fast, direct access to high-resolution imaging to an expanding number of engineers and technicians. A new generation of personal electron...

Document control goes digital: today's document control software transcends the domain of the management system, integrating with business systems for an enterprisewide document control solution.(QUALITY SOFTWARE & ANALYSIS)(Editorial)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Whether implemented manually or digitally, document management and control is crucial for a management system's success, helping organizations to maintain up-to-date business processes and procedures and satisfy ISO...

Quality at 400 blades per minute: American Safety Razor has no second-grade blades--a fact that has this Tennessee manufacturing plant on top of its test-and-inspection game, and has earned it Quality Magazine's 2009 Plant of the Year award in our small plant division.(QUALITY MANAGEMENT)(Personna American Safety Razor)(Editorial)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Take a look at the product you shave with. If you own a store-brand razor, it's likely that that razor came from our 2009 Quality Plant of the Year recipient, Personna American Safety Razor (ASR, Knoxville, TN). The...

Quality first: Lockheed Martin Clearwater, the 2009 Quality Plant of the Year in the large plant division, manufactures electronic assemblies that must work the first time and every time.(QUALITY MANAGEMENT)(Company overview)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Lockheed Martin MS2 Tactical Systems-Clearwater Operations (Oldsmar, FL) received nearly a perfect score from our judges on their winning Plant of the Year application. When told that the judges only deducted points...

Your best investment.(THE LAST WORD)
April 1, 2009... How much are you investing in quality? Companies that want to emerge from the current economic slowdown in a strong position vs. their competitors continue to invest in quality. Read the stories of both Lockheed Martin (Oldsmar, FL) and...

The good old days.(EDITOR'S NOTE)(Editorial)
April 1, 2009... At the risk of sounding 50 years older than I am, it seems that they don't make cars like they used to. Or at least according to my automotive technician, cars today aren't what they used to be, and my car specifically. He says that as car...

ASTM honors retired Instron president.(INDUSTRY NEWS)(American Society for Testing and Materials)(Joseph Amaral)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] NORWOOD, MA -- Joseph Amaral, retired president of Instron, provider of testing equipment solutions designed to evaluate mechanical properties of materials and components, was awarded the John M. "Tim" Holt Lifetime...

TUV Rheinland acquires non-destructive testing services.(INDUSTRY NEWS)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... NEWTOWN, CT -- TUV Rheinland North America Holding Inc., supplier of testing, assessment and certification services, has acquired Non-Destructive Testing Services (NDT), a full-service material inspection company based in Grand Rapids, MI. ...

Laboratory Testing Inc. promotes NDT personnel.(INDUSTRY NEWS)(Rich Goodwin, Steve Walmsley and Rick Stuart have been named)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... HATFIELD, PA -- Laboratory Testing Inc. (LTI), a testing and calibration laboratory, has promoted a number of employees to supervisory positions in its nondestructive testing (NDT) department, which is made up of five key service areas:...

Carestream Health hires Canada sales manager.(INDUSTRY NEWS)(Glenn Snell has been appointed)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... ROCHESTER, NY -- Carestream Health Inc., provider of X-ray products to a variety of industries, announced its Non-Destructive Testing group has added Glenn Snell as sales manager for nondestructive testing (NDT) products in Canada. ...

Nonexecutive director added to Ashtead Technology board.(INDUSTRY NEWS)(Derek Shepherd has been appopinted)(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... ABERDEEN, SCOTLAND -- Ashtead Technology, a provider of specialist equipment rentals including that which is used for nondestructive testing, has added Derek Shepherd to its board as a nonexecutive director. The appointment of Shepherd brings...

Imperium announces joint project with Boeing.(INDUSTRY NEWS)
April 1, 2009... SILVER SPRING, MD -- Imperium Inc., maker of the portable ultrasound imaging camera the Acoustocam, has partnered with Boeing for remote wireless inspection capabilities. Boeing engineers will use the Acoustocam to survey damage without having...

Albion Devices acquires Ultrasonic Arrays.(INDUSTRY NEWS)
April 1, 2009... SOLANA BEACH, CA -- Albion Devices Inc., maker of precision measurement instrumentation, has acquired the assets of Woodinville, WA-based Ultrasonic Arrays Inc., maker of in-process, non-contact ultrasonic distance, thickness and internal bond...

AAI opens test facility for composite-based aircraft.(INDUSTRY NEWS)(Arcadia Aerospace Industries )(Brief article)
April 1, 2009... PUNTA GORDA, FL -- Inspection provider Arcadia Aerospace Industries (AAI) has opened a nondestructive inspection (NDI) and portable coordinate measurement (PCMM) facility at its Punta Gorda, FL, headquarters. The facility will be used for the...

The inspector of the 21st century: a new breed of NDT inspector has arrived.(KEY TO QUALITY)(Column)
April 1, 2009... In my last column, I talked about the emergence of a new breed of NDT inspector, also known as the new inspector of the 21st century, and the need to properly educate these new inspectors on the principles of configuration management. There are...

A leak testing challenge: discover how a calibrated leak tester verified to a calibrated leak could produce useless data.(BACK TO BASICS)
April 1, 2009... Manufactured parts that are out of specification are not only worthless to the customer but an expense to the producer. Manufacturers want to understand and control the variables to consistently produce not only saleable products, but products...

Ultimate ultrasonics: handheld ultrasonic thickness gages have come a long way.(ULTRASONICS)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Precision ultrasonic nondestructive thickness gages have been in use for more than 50 years. Early ultrasonic units were large and bulky, but effective with their measurement capabilities. Precision ultrasonic...

X-ray adds value: high-quality X-ray 3-D computed tomography provides a valuable quality control tool.(X-RAY)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The capability of X-ray computed tomography (CT) to extract multiple slices from an object and then develop a 3-D-reconstructed volumetric image has proven to be a powerful tool in quality control. The technique can...

Get the most out of CT software: use the appropriate software for best results with computer tomography technology.(CT SOFTWARE)
April 1, 2009... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Industrial computer tomography (CT) is in the process of revolutionizing quality engineering. It provides an enormous amount of information and makes components transparent in the true sense of the word. To be able...

An in-depth look at borescopes: options abound when selecting borescopes.(TECH SHOWCASE)(Gradient Lens Corp.)(Titan Tool Supply Co.)(Lenox Instrument Company Inc.)
April 1, 2009... Industrial borescopes are divided into three general subgroups: rigid borescopes, flexible borescopes and videoscopes. Many industries use borescopes to ensure product quality without having to destroy a part in periodic testing. Borescopes...

Bring testing in-house.(APPLICATIONS)
April 1, 2009... X-spine Systems Inc. (Dayton, OH) conceives, designs and manufactures advanced spinal implant products, including titanium and Invibio Peek Optima biocompatible polymer structures. The company also manufactures complementary spinal...

Ultraviolet lamp.(PRODUCTS)
April 1, 2009... The FC-100 high-intensity ultraviolet (UV) lamp has an internal fan that provides low running temperatures and improved operator safety. Because the handle and cord are at the balance point of the lamp, it can be held for long periods with...

X-ray sensitive camera.(PRODUCTS)
April 1, 2009... The SkiaGraph 8 is a large-area X-ray sensitive camera. It consists of eight sensors that are tiled in a two-by-four matrix for a total active sensing area of 8 inches by 8 inches. The camera is capable of real-time imaging at up to 1.3 frames...

Microscope image acquisition software.(PRODUCTS)
April 1, 2009... ProgRes Version 2.6 offers new functionality and enhancements that make camera operation easier. An annotation function allows markers and text to be inserted in a previously acquired image. The images will be saved as "overlays," in order...

Ultrasonic flaw detectors.(PRODUCTS)
April 1, 2009... The Sitescan D Series ultrasonic flaw detectors have a menu navigation scroll wheel, easing access to functions and enabling single-handed menu changes. The keypads have direct access keys, allowing immediate access to essential parameters such...

XRF technology.(PRODUCTS)
April 1, 2009... The Niton XL3t Series X-ray fluorescence (XRF) handheld analyzer is now available with geometrically optimized large-area drift detector (GOLDD) technology. GOLDD technology improves light element detection, overall sensitivity and measurement...

Handheld digital microscope.(PRODUCTS)
April 1, 2009... The Mighty Scope is a handheld precision magnifier with a USB interface. Its focus range is adjustable to any magnification from 10X to 200X. A brightness control wheel allows fingertip adjustments of illumination from six white LEDs to suit...

Digital x-ray detectors.(PRODUCTS)
April 1, 2009... The XRD N ES Detector Series is comprised of amorphous silicon (a-Si) digital X-ray detectors that are radiation-hardened and designed to withstand the demanding, high-energy test environments found in continuously operated production lines,...