Quality articles from December 2002

Quality archives from December 2002

Whom do you trust? (From The Editor).(Editorial)
December 1, 2002... Six Sigma is a hoax! Or, is a key to quality? ISO 9000 is a hindrance. Or is it a roadmap to quality? Judging by the mail received during the last couple months, Six Sigma and ISO are all of these things. How can it be all of these things?...

Handling distortion and perspective errors in imaging systems: Imaging errors introduced by lenses can limit the quality of an optical system. Both distortion and perspective errors, however, can be measured and corrected. (Training Trends).
December 1, 2002... While all vision systems try to accurately reproduce an object's features, the degree of image resolution and contrast needed are determined by the specific application (see "Now You See It," Quality, May 2002, pg. 8). The application also will...

Get involved early. (Quality Mailbag).
December 1, 2002... Dear Editor, I was impressed with two pieces of writing--"The Big Picture" (Quality, Oct. 2002, p. 6) and Scott Dalgleish's ISO 9000 `Hindrance' article (Oct. 2002, p. 64). I would like to share a quality story with the readers. We are...

Way off base. (Quality Mailbag).
December 1, 2002... Dear Editor, Scott Dalgleish is way off base in the story "ISO 9000: More Hinderance Than Help" (Quality, Oct. 2002, p. 64). I'm not sure what front lines he's been on, but it's obviously not the same front lines I've been on. I'm...

ISO common sense. (Quality Mailbag).
December 1, 2002... Dear Editor, I don't understand how so many "quality professionals" can develop their own quality management system (QMS) and then cry so hard about how much documentation it contains! If you want a manageable quality system, then build it...

ISO 9000 suits our needs. (Quality Mailbag).
December 1, 2002... Dear Editor, I don't know if I am part of a "silent majority" or not, but our company has benefited from going through the ISO 9000 process. About 1987, I was the inspection supervisor at my company. We had an important customer who...

Coming events.
December 1, 2002... JANUARY * Transitioning from QS-9000 to ISO/TS 16949 2nd Edition, Schaumburg, IL, Jan. 9-10. Affiliated Educational Consultants Ltd., (888) 404-3304. * 2003 Measurement Science Conference, Anaheim, CA, Jan. 13-17. Measurement Science...

Quality problems persist at Ford. (Industry News).(Ford Motor Co.)
December 1, 2002... Ford Motor Co. (Dearborn, MI) has been plagued with yet another round of quality problems. The company stopped production of its high-performance 2003 SVT Mustang Cobra because of quality concerns. Alan Hall, spokesman for Ford's Special...

Redlake MASD Inc. (San Diego) has acquired DuncanTech (Auburn, CA). (Business News).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Redlake MASD Inc. (San Diego) has acquired DuncanTech (Auburn, CA), a manufacturer of digital cameras.

Mott Corp. (Business News).(receives award from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Mott Corp. (Farmington, CT) has been recognized by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory under NASA's Supplier Outreach and Process Control Initiative. The award acknowledges Mott's accomplishments in implementing and sustaining innovative quality...

Dunwoody College of Technology. (Business News).(Dunwoody Institute changes its name)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Dunwoody Institute has changed its name to Dunwoody College of Technology (Minneapolis).

Trumpf Photonics Inc. (Business News).(Trumpf Group is the establisher)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... The Trumpf Group, a manufacturer of laser technology and laser systems, has established Trumpf Photonics Inc. (Cranbury, NJ).

Hertzler Systems Inc. (Goshen, IN) and Syscon-PlantStar (South Bend, IN) have formed an alliance to integrate the analytical tools. (Business News).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Hertzler Systems Inc. (Goshen, IN) and Syscon-PlantStar (South Bend, IN) have formed an alliance to integrate the analytical tools of Hertzler's GainSeeker SPC with PlantStar's automated production and process data collection systems.

California State University, Dominguez Hills, has developed two new quality programs. (Business News).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... California State University, Dominguez Hills, has developed two new quality programs--a bachelor of science in quality assurance and a bachelor of science in quality assurance with a measurement science option.

Ambios Technology Inc. (Business News).(PSIA finalizes an accord over distribution rights)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Ambios Technology Inc. (Santa Cruz, CA) and Korean scanning probe microscope manufacturer PSIA, have finalized an agreement in which Ambios will have exclusive distribution rights for PSIA's microscopes throughout North America.

Post Glover Resistors. (Business News).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Post Glover Resistors has moved to a new facility in Erlanger, KY.

ISO9 (Oakland, CA), a provider of Web-based enterprise quality management solutions and services. (Business News).(Ryerson Tull uses technology)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... ISO9 (Oakland, CA), a provider of Web-based enterprise quality management solutions and services, announces that Ryerson Tull (Chicago) has used ISO9's technology to implement a fully automated quality management system.

Edison ESI Metrology. (Business News).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Edison ESI Metrology (Westminster, CA) has earned ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation.

EDS (Plano, TX) and Tecnomatix Technologies (Nashua, NH) have formed an alliance to jointly develop and deliver manufacturing process management software. (Business News).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... EDS (Piano, TX) and Tecnomatix Technologies (Nashua, NH) have formed an alliance to jointly develop and deliver manufacturing process management software and best-practice solutions designed to decrease manufacturing costs, shorten...

The Annis Group Inc. (Business News).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... The Annis Group Inc. (Southfield, MI) has achieved ISO 9001: 2000 registration.

Fluke Corp. (Everett, WA) has acquired Raytek Corp. (Business News).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Fluke Corp. (Everett, WA) has acquired Raytek Corp., a provider of non-contact infrared temperature measurement instrumentation.

Assemblers move quality money. (Industry News).(Illustration)
December 1, 2002... U.S. assembly plants spent more than $2 billion in assembly technology in 2002, and they plan to spend a total of $2.15 billion on equipment in 2003, according to Assembly magazine's seventh annual capital equipment spending survey. ...

NAM elects chairman. (Industry News).(Archie W. Dunham elected chairman of National Association of Manufacturers)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Archie W. Dunham, was elected chairman of the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), the nation's largest industrial trade group. Dunham, elected for a one-year term, will serve as chief spokesman and pursue policies that promote strong,...

Quality sponsors Six Sigma Summit. (Industry News).(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Quality is an official sponsor of the 4th Annual Six Sigma Summit to be held in Miami on Jan. 21 to 22, 2003. The conference provides the opportunity to meet early implementers of Six Sigma, as well as with experts. Highlights include: ...

Dresser Instruments. (People News).(Calvin E. Kish becomes vice president and general manager)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Calvin E. Kish has been promoted to vice president and general manager of Dresser Instruments (Stratford, CT).

Hernon Manufacturing. (People News).(Gary Vaughn becomes regional sales manager)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Gary Vaughn has been appointed regional sales manager for Hernon Manufacturing (Orlando, FL).

Chiron America. (People News).(Hans J. Strey named senior vice president)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Hans J. Strey has joined Chiron America (Charlotte, NC) as senior vice president, sales and marketing.

Alloy Engineering Co. (People News).(Gerald M. Pierman becomes sales and marketing manager)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Gerald M. Pierman has been appointed sales and marketing manager for Alloy Engineering Co. (Berea, OH).

IQS Inc. (People News).(Jeff A. Stuart becomes senior consultant)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Jeff A. Stuart has been promoted to senior consultant for IQS Inc. (Cleveland).

Entela Inc.'s. (People News).(Paula Grzbowski becomes engineering sales consultant of Testing and Engineering-Grand Rapids division)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Paula Grzybowski has been named engineering sales consultant of Entela Inc.'s (Grand Rapids, MI) Testing and Engineering-Grand Rapids division.

Valenite Inc. (People News).(Rod W. Drummond becomes president)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Rod W. Drummond has been appointed president of Valenite Inc. (Madison Heights, MI).

ASTM Commitee E11. (People News).(Edward G. Schilling received 2002 ASTM Award of Merit)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Edward G. Schilling has received the 2002 ASTM Award of Merit and the accompanying title of fellow for his contributions in developing sampling standards and more than 28 years of service to ASTM Committee E11 on Quality and Statistics. The...

Motorola to sell manufacturing assets. (Industry News).(Telco Inc. acquires equipment repair, manufacturing assets of Motorola Manufacturing Solutions test equipment business)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... Motorola Inc. (Schaumburg, IL) has entered an agreement to sell the equipment repair and manufacturing assets of Phoenix-based Motorola Manufacturing Solutions test equipment business to Telco Inc. (Franklin, TN). Under the agreement, Telco...

GE Fanuc to buy software company. (Industry News).(GE Fanuc Automation North America will acquire Intellution Inc.)(Brief Article)
December 1, 2002... GE Fanuc Automation North America (Charlottesville, VA) will buy Intellution Inc. (Foxborough, MA), a provider of a software platform that collects, distributes, controls and visually presents information from the plant floor throughout the...

Quality welcomes Williams. (Industry News).(Thomas A. Williams becomes publisher and editor)
December 1, 2002... Business News Publishing (BNP, Troy, MI) announces the hiring of Thomas A. Williams as publisher and editor of Quality magazine (Bensenville, IL), which is entering its 42nd year of publication. "Tom brings a wealth of magazine experience,...

Customer requirements. (Brain Teasers).(Illustration)
December 1, 2002... Everyone who has faced a production problem with a need to solve the problem by using production data can relate to the notion of a brain teaser. The brain teasers presented here are based on real-world situations that are encountered by...

Gage calibration: when in doubt, send it out: outsourcing gage calibration can be an effective means of improving quality at a reduced cost. (Measurement, Test & Inspection).
December 1, 2002... Nothing lasts forever, and so it is with gage accuracy and repeatability. Drop them enough, subject them to the rigors of manufacturing plants or mar their measuring surfaces from abrasive contact and sooner or later gages will need to be...

Documentation in the electronic age: document control software enables companies to meet ISO document control requirements. (Software & Analysis).
December 1, 2002... Document control has been and continues to be a key element in ISO quality management system (QMS) standards. Without reliable control of procedures and records, a company's QMS integrity will fail as a practical business matter and as an...

Take the mystery out of process improvement: at look at several tools and techniques helps give a better handle on process improvement. (Controlling The Manufacturing Process).
December 1, 2002... A manufacturer may face stringent customer requirements that prompt the process improvement journey. Or, it may be an intrinsic endeavor; an internal quest for excellence. No matter whether it is driven by internal or external pressures, no...

Equipment leads $2.5B quality spending: a stop-and-start economic recovery has some bright spots in Quality 2003 spending forecast. (Quality Management).(Illustration)
December 1, 2002... Almost everyone has read, and in some cases ridden, the rollercoaster of financial and manufacturing news of the past year. The first part of 2002 saw consecutive gains in factory orders, and declines in inventory and an overall manufacturing...

Life, liberty and the pursuit of quality. (Case Studies).(DaimlerChrysler's new Toledo North Assembly Plant is involved)
December 1, 2002... When DaimlerChrysler decided to go after the growing entry-level sport utility market segment, the company designed a brand new vehicle and built a brand new plant in which to produce it. From the get-go, the company wanted to achieve high...

Vision molds inspection capability. (Case Studies).(Spectrum Plastics is committed to quality)
December 1, 2002... "We must provide the highest quality product to our customers. This has been our goal since day one," says Pierre Dziubina, president of Spectrum Plastics (Ansonia, CT). Dziubina is a stickler for quality, and it shows in every aspect of...

IBS--The integration of quality and productivity: featuring the QSI system and the QSYS professional series. (Supplier Showcase).
December 1, 2002... The QSI System: Quality Management Addresses the elements of ISO 9000 and, if used in its entirety, provide a paper-free quality system, helping your organization reap the promised benefits of ISO 9000 certification. Quality...

MINITAB: the standard for six sigma success. (Supplier Showcase).
December 1, 2002... One of the key requirements for a successful Six Sigma effort is statistical problem solving. The leading Six Sigma consulting groups use and recommend MINITAB, reinforcing its position as the premier general-purpose statistics package for...

Starrett CMMs slash inspection time, boost accuracy. (Supplier Showcase).
December 1, 2002... Faced with a challenging process required to inspect their products, padlock manufacturer Wilson Bohannan Co. (WB) of Marion, OH turned to Starrett for the solution. The padlocks, made on two large rotary transfer machines, were previously...

The measure of quality. (Supplier Showcase).
December 1, 2002... New PosiTector[R] Ultrasonic Thickness Gage DeFelsko, a U.S. manufacturer of coating thickness gages and inspection instruments, is pleased to introduce the newest member of its expanding family of quality gages, the PosiTector[R]...

Instron[R] announces affordable benchtop testing solutions. (Supplier Showcase).
December 1, 2002... Instron[R], a leading provider of testing equipment designed to evaluate mechanical properties of materials and components, unveils its 3300 series single-and dual-column tabletop systems. Designed to test tensile, compression and flexural...

A broad range of precision tools. (Supplier Showcase).
December 1, 2002... S-T Industries Inc. started manufacturing precision measuring instruments at its St. James, MN, factory in 1942 under the brand name of Scherr-Tumico. S-T has continued to expand its line of precision measuring instruments over the last 58...

Visicon offers FineScan 120 part scanner. (Supplier Showcase).
December 1, 2002... New to its line of optical and laser scanning systems, the Model 120 couples serious precision with patented FineScan imaging technologies to greatly increase throughput and add to ease of use and versatility. Our 8000 pixel line scan and 8...

Laser micrometer. (New Products).
December 1, 2002... The Takikawa LDM precision noncontract laser micrometer measures length, width, height, position, thickness, gap, and inside and outside diameter to within [+ or -] 2 micron linearity with 0.1 micron resolution. Two models offer a measuring...

Light/laser-based inspection. (New Products).
December 1, 2002... The Trumpf Qualifier is a light and laser-based visual inspection machine that allows sheet metal fabricators to measure punched, formed and laser-cut sheet metal parts. The measuring machine also makes it possible to develop programs using...

Electronic height gages. (New Products).
December 1, 2002... The Micro-Hite Plus M Electronic Height Gage uses the Tesa rotary power feature to switch between manual and motorized operations. The height gage has a constant measuring force of 1 N. An on-board microprocessor automatically compensates for...

Package tester. (New Products).
December 1, 2002... The BT-1000 package tester combines leak integrity tests with seal strength tests including burst, creep and creep-to-failure tests. It can be used to test strength porous pouches, trays or blisters with materials such as Tyvek, paper, foil...

Dew point meter. (New Products).
December 1, 2002... The PosiTector Dew Point Meter is used prior to coating application to measure and record climatic parameters such as air temperature, surface temperature, relative humidity, dew point temperature and the difference between surface and dew...

NDT inspection. (New Products).
December 1, 2002... The PowerStation flaw detector is a single instrument design that operates in one to four channels in real time, in either ultrasonic, eddy current or bond testing. It will operate either as a dedicated single nondestructive testing instrument,...

Thermal imaging camera. (New Products).
December 1, 2002... The Torpedo Car Inspection system uses the Stinger thermal imaging camera to provide thermal inspection of a torpedo car as it passes to detect potential breakouts. It is capable of single or dual camera measurements for one-sided or two-sided...

Turning center. (New Products).
December 1, 2002... The Hawk TC-200CX Turning Center features Siemens A2100Di digital control and drive technology; It offers maintenance free linear guideways on X and Z axes for increased rigidity and dynamic stiffness. The spindle drive motor and additional...

Optometer. (New Products).
December 1, 2002... The benchtop P-2000 optometer offers two-channel parallel operation for universal use in any optical radiation measurement including radiometry, photometry, optical and laser power and integrating sphere applications. Designed for laboratory...

Crankshaft inspection system. (New Products).
December 1, 2002... The crankshaft inspection system is an off-line audit inspection system that monitors residual stress from manufacturing processes and detects grinding damage and some heat-treat qualities. The unit requires manual loading and unloading of the...

Flaw detector. (New Products).
December 1, 2002... The 1000 series of portable flaw detectors are available in an optional instrument package that works on a single LithiumIon battery and operates for up to 16 hours on a single battery charge when using a backlit LCD. It weighs less than 4...

Automated inspection system. (New Products).
December 1, 2002... The automated inspection system is designed to inspect a variety of non-fixtured parts. The turnkey machines include the company's EZVision machine vision systems with camera optics and lighting along with material handling capabilities. The...

Materials test software. (New Products).
December 1, 2002... The Nexygen MT version 4.5 materials testing software is a Windows-based program that holds a library of international standard tests. It features security and data audit tracking, video capture and playback, and extended instrument interfaces....

Stereomicroscope. (New Products).
December 1, 2002... The S8 APO offers a fully apochromatic corrected optics systems. The 8-to-1 zoom magnification system, in concert with a variety of available eyepieces and supplemental objectives, produces magnifications from 3.2 to 640 with a 10 to 80...

Encoders. (New Products).
December 1, 2002... The servo-controlled linear encoders can resolve to 0.05 micron with an accuracy of less than 1-micron over 100 millimeters. In conjunction with the company's Orbit network system, a combination of 62 channels of input/output modules, servo...

Torque tester sensors. (New Products).
December 1, 2002... Three new models of sensors for the company's torque tester products are now available. The STB10Z, 20Z and 50Z, were designed for smaller devices. The sensors are used in conjunction with the BGI digital force and torque indicator. The new...

Camera software. (New Products).
December 1, 2002... The IC Imaging Control software supports Sony's 1394 Firewire machine vision cameras. The software is said to eliminate the need for special software tools to access Sony's Firewire cameras. Developers can access these cameras with 1C Imaging...

Proprietary software. (New Products).
December 1, 2002... Man-Tec/2k software provides fully integrated distribution, manufacturing and financial modules. The software is supported by a variety of hardware platforms that provide client-server based operating systems. Applications include product...

Borescope. (New Products).
December 1, 2002... The Hawkeye Blue line of precision borescopes has a direction of view capability that can be rotated by a full 360 degrees to scan and inspect machined parts. The scopes are available in diameters ranging from 1 to 8 millimeter and lengths up...

Fiber-optic sensor. (New Products).
December 1, 2002... The FI22 in-line fiber optic sensor is designed to be used without an enclosure and because of a new snap-mount bracket and adhesive mounting method, it does not require DIN-rail mounting. It carries an IP67 environmental rating so it can be...

Crankshaft measurement gage. (New Products).
December 1, 2002... The Adcole Model 1000 surface finish gage for crankshafts, camshafts and transmission shafts can be measured with results on screen or in plots. The average cycle time for a crankshaft is 6 minutes. The gage features three variable reluctance...

Multimeter. (New Products).
December 1, 2002... The Model 5491 multimeter is a benchtop unit that has a 5 1/2 inch digit display resolution, dual display and the ability to select the display count from 120,000, 40,000 or 4,000 counts. It uses a standard 115 volts AC powersource and features...

Power analyzer. (New Products).
December 1, 2002... The Model WT2210 is a single-phase digital power analyzer that has a self-contained power measurement range from 75 milliwatts to 12 kilowatts. Currents as low as 50 microamps AC or DC can be measured for standby power applications. An average...

Accelerometer. (New Products).
December 1, 2002... The new miniature charge mode accelerometer weighs 0.006 ounce. The Model 357A08 charge mode accelerometer does shock and vibration studies in space-restricted locations. It connects to laboratory-style charge amplifiers or in-line charge...

LED ring light. (New Products).
December 1, 2002... The Model RL40 is an LED ring light for inspection microscopes. It provides 360 degrees of white illumination to eliminate shadows while using less than 3 watts of power. It comes with set screws for connection to microscopes. The ring lights,...

Is top management the quality scapegoat? Building a bandwagon can re-light the quality fire at any company. (Probing The Limits).
December 1, 2002... Stop blaming top management for all the things that all the quality profession. While management is not blameless, they are more a scapegoat than a root cause to the problems in the quality profession.. They need a reason to re-light the...