Quality articles from February 2008

Quality archives from February 2008

It's a small world.(FROM THE EDITOR)(Editorial)
February 1, 2008... The world's most inexpensive car was unveiled at the Ninth Annual Auto Expo in New Delhi, India, in January. Priced around $2,500, the Nano from Tata Motors caused quite a stir. The car won't be available for sale in India until later this...

Coming events.(INDUSTRY NEWS)(Conference news)(Brief article)(Calendar)
February 1, 2008... MARCH 3-5 35TH ANNUAL AICE QUALITY CONFERENCE, Davenport, IA. American Society for Quality (ASQ), (815) 729-5208. www.aiceconference.com 10-12 MEASUREMENT UNCERTAINTY WORKSHOP, Wixom, MI. Quametec Institute, (810) 225-8588....

DMIS 5.1 approved.(INDUSTRY NEWS)(Dimensional Measuring Interface Standard)(American National Standards Institute)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... ARLINGTON, TX -- DMIS 5.1, the latest version of the DMIS dimensional metrology standard, was formally approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) in November 2007. DMIS version 5.1 has the official designation ANSI/DMIS...

Baldrige recipients announced.(INDUSTRY NEWS)(PRO-TEC Coating Co.)(Mercy Health System)(Sharp HealthCare)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... WASHINGTON, D.C. -- President George W. Bush and Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez honored five organizations that received the 2007 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation's highest Presidential honor for organizational...

Marposs S.p.A. acquires Control Gaging Inc. (CGI).(INDUSTRY NEWS)
February 1, 2008... AUBURN HILLS, MI -- Marposs S.p.A. (Bologna, Italy), provider of inspection and process control technologies, has acquired Ann Arbor, MI-based Control Gaging Inc. (CGI), provider of set-up gages and process control systems for machine tools....

Association for Manufacturing Technology.(ASSOCIATION NEWS)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... The Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT, McLean, VA) announces a new theme and logo for IMTS 2008. The theme, Connecting Global Technology, is meaningful as IMTS brings together the worldwide manufacturing community to showcase the...

ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board.(ASSOCIATION NEWS)(American National Standards Institute)(John J. Knappenberger )(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... The ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB, Milwaukee) announces that John J. Knappenberger has been named president. Knappenberger oversees ANAB accreditation programs for management systems and testing and calibration laboratories. ...

Fabricators & Manufacturers Association.(ASSOCIATION NEWS)(Boyd Coddington, James P. Bouchard and Delbert Mullens )(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Boyd Coddington, James P. Bouchard and Delbert "Del" Mullens were elected to the board of directors of the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association (FMA, Rockford, IL) Foundation at the group's recent annual meeting. Each will serve a two-year...

Olympus NDT.(BUSINESS NEWS)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Olympus NDT (Waltham, MA), provider of NDT solutions, introduces the new self-guided Phased Array Ultrasound Tutorial on its Web site www.olympusndt.com. This extensive tutorial is an introduction to ultrasonic phased array testing, both for...

Instron (Norwood, MA), provider of testing equipment, announces a limited partnership with J.A. King & Co. LLC (Greensboro, NC), provider of accredited laboratory management services, dimensional laboratory equipment and custom products.(BUSINESS NEWS)(Instron Corp.)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Instron (Norwood, MA), provider of testing equipment, announces a limited partnership with J.A. King & Co. LLC (Greensboro, NC), provider of accredited laboratory management services, dimensional laboratory equipment and custom products. The...

The Value Engineering Alliance (Cambridge, MA), provider of technologies based on machine vision and nanotechnology, announces a strategic alliance with the DTI-NanoTech division of Discovery Technology International (Sarasota, FL), provider of biomedical instruments.(BUSINESS NEWS)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... The Value Engineering Alliance (Cambridge, MA), provider of technologies based on machine vision and nanotechnology, announces a strategic alliance with the DTI-NanoTech division of Discovery Technology International (Sarasota, FL), provider of...

Caliber Inspection/CONAM Inspection & Engineering Services.(BUSINESS NEWS)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Caliber Inspection/CONAM Inspection & Engineering Services (Seattle, WA) announces that its management systems have achieved AS 9100 and ISO 9001 certification. This recent accomplishment, combined with the company's existing Nadcap NDT...

Major Tool and Machine Inc.(BUSINESS NEWS)(Raytheon Co. Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Major Tool and Machine Inc. (Indianapolis), a fabrication and machining company, was recognized with the 2007 Supplier of Excellence Award from Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems (IDS, Tewksbury, MA) for recognition of exemplary performance in...

Zumbach Electronics.(BUSINESS NEWS)(Zumbach Electronic AG)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Zumbach Electronics (Orpund, Switzerland), provider of online measuring and control systems, celebrates its 50th anniversary. The company operates internationally with 13 companies in Europe, the United States, South America and Asia, and has...

Sixnet Holdings LLC (Clifton Park, NY), manufacturer of process automation, Ethernet connectivity and PSTN (landline) modem products, announces that it has signed an agreement to acquire 100% of the outstanding shares of BlueTree Wireless Data, supplier of machine-to-machine cellular data products.(BUSINESS NEWS)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Sixnet Holdings LLC (Clifton Park, NY), manufacturer of process automation, Ethernet connectivity and PSTN (landline) modem products, announces that it has signed an agreement to acquire 100% of the outstanding shares of BlueTree Wireless Data,...

Bureau Veritas Certification.(BUSINESS NEWS)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Bureau Veritas Certification (Fort Lauderdale, FL), a certification service provider, announces the opening of its North American head office in Houston, TX. This office will be strategically located with other business divisions of the company...

Serus Corp.(BUSINESS NEWS)(Advanced Micro Devices Inc.)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Serus Corp. (Mountain View, CA), provider of intelligent operations management solutions, announces that the deployment of its solution at Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD, Sunnyvale, CA), provider of processing solutions, has resulted in...

MTI Systems (W. Springfield, MA), provider of cost estimating software solutions for manufacturing, announces a partnership with ProfitKey International (Road Salem, NH), provider of manufacturing planning, manufacturing operations and financial management.(BUSINESS NEWS)(MTI Systems Inc.)(ProfitKey International Inc.)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... MTI Systems (W. Springfield, MA), provider of cost estimating software solutions for manufacturing, announces a partnership with ProfitKey international (Road Salem, NH), provider of manufacturing planning, manufacturing operations and...

Metris acquires X-Tek.(INDUSTRY NEWS)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... LEUVEN, BELGIUM -- Metris has signed a share purchase agreement with the shareholders of X-Tek Group (Herts, UK) for the purchase of 100% of the company's stock. Metris says the purchase fits in its acquisition strategy to strengthen its...

Mark-10 equipment aids college research.(INDUSTRY NEWS)(Farmingdale State College)(Mark 10 Corp.)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... COPIAGUE, NY -- Amid growing concerns about global warming and foreign oil dependency, Farmingdale State College (FSC, Farmingdale, NY) has been engaged in research to help make energy-efficient fuel cells more durable, cost-effective and...

Bosch Rexroth Corp.(PEOPLE NEWS)(Erwin Wieckowski has been appointed)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Bosch Rexroth Corp. (Charlotte, NC), the drive and control company, recently appointed Erwin Wieckowski as vice president and general manager for its Linear Motion and Assembly Technologies Group. Wieckowski will be responsible for all linear...

Smithers Quality Assessments Inc.(PEOPLE NEWS)(Jeanette R. Preston has been appointed)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Smithers Quality Assessments Inc. (SQA, Akron, OH) named Jeanette R. Preston director of operations, responsible for overseeing the company's accreditation, auditing and certification activities. Preston brings to more than 20 years of quality...

FKI Logistex.(PEOPLE NEWS)(Matt Wicks has been appointed)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... FKI Logistex (St. Louis, MI) announces the appointment of Matt Wicks to vice president of systems engineering for the company's Manufacturing Systems group. Wicks' promotion follows a recent consolidation of the Systems and Conveyor Engineering...

Marathon Monitors Inc.(PEOPLE NEWS)(George Demary has been appointed)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Marathon Monitors Inc. (West Chester, OH) appointed George Demary to the position of quality systems specialist at its West Chester, OH, manufacturing facility. Demary's responsibilities include development of new quality systems as well as...

DiagnoSYS Systems Inc.(PEOPLE NEWS)(Ed Shonkwiler has been appointed)(John Kohlberger has also been appointed)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... DiagnoSYS Systems Inc (Kissimmee, FL) has added Ed Shonkwiler and John Kohlberger to its sales and sales engineering teams. They bring more than 70 years of combined experience in testing to the company. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

Listen to all employees: listening to employees strengthens leadership.(MANUFACTURING EXCELLENCE)
February 1, 2008... Achieving excellence means producing units virtually defect free. I was practicing the target-driven manufacturing at a manufacturing company. As usual, the company has opportunities for improvement in different areas. For example, too much...

Reinventing the wheel: many of the calibration standards are essentially the same as ISO 17025, which has been used as the framework for them.(OTHER DIMENSIONS)
February 1, 2008... Many industry sectors are complaining about offshore competition and its effect on North American manufacturing. To avoid a "protectionist" label the complaints are directed to a concept called the "level playing field." What this implies is...

A year of NDT.(Column)
February 1, 2008... Since writing my last note for October, I have been traveling yet again, to Spain, Morocco and, of course, the Midwest. I flew into Detroit three times since writing that column, attending the MS&T show at the end of September, a Powertrain...

Carl Zeiss opens CT Technology Center.(INDUSTRY NEWS)(Computed Tomography )(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... MAPLE GROVE, MN -- Carl Zeiss celebrated the grand opening of its North American Computed Tomography Technology Center located in Brighton, MI. During the two-day event, held December 6 and 7, 2007, visitors had the opportunity to learn...

Test Equipment Distributors purchases unit of Universal NDT.(INDUSTRY NEWS)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... TROY, MI -- Test Equipment Distributors (TED), a supplier of nondestructive testing equipment and supplies nationwide, announces the acquisition of the supplies and accessories business unit of Universal NDT (Upland, CA). The move was made to...

Carestream Health names area sales manager.(INDUSTRY NEWS)(Michael R. Holloway )(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... ROCHESTER, NY -- Carestream Health Inc. announces that Michael R. Holloway has been appointed area sales manager, Southeastern region, for the company's Nondestructive Testing (NDT) Solutions Group. Holloway, who will be based in Pensacola, FL,...

Bulbtronics appoints vice president for subsidiary.(INDUSTRY NEWS)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] NEW YORK -- Bulbtronics Inc., international distributor of bulbs, batteries and related lighting products, appoints John M. Dahdouh as vice president of a newly created subsidiary designed to serve the Latin American...

BNP Media acquires Professional Services Division of Ascend Media.(INDUSTRY NEWS)
February 1, 2008... TROY, MI -- BNP Media, NDT magazine's parent company, announces the acquisition of the Professional Services Division of Ascend Media which includes the food, beverage and packaging group and the gaming group of magazines, conferences, Web...

NDTMA 2008 conference.(INDUSTRY NEWS)(Nondestructive Testing Management Association)(Conference news)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... The 2008 NDTMA annual conference is being held at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas, February 12 to 14, 2008. The conference is being held in conjunction with the third session of the Management Training Seminar, held February 15, 2008, also at...

PANalytical celebrates 5th anniversary.(INDUSTRY NEWS)(Company overview)
February 1, 2008... ALMELO, THE NETHERLANDS -- PANalytical, supplier of analytical instrumentation and software for X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF), is celebrating five years of growth and development achieved since its launch in...

Eddy current applications: because of its extreme versatility, inherent accuracy and ease of implementation, eddy current inspection can be readily adapted to a myriad of uses.(BACK TO BASICS)
February 1, 2008... Eddy current inspection is a versatile nondestructive testing technique. It allows accurate measurement and evaluation of the conductivity and, therefore, the chemistry, hardness and geometry of any electrically conductive material that is...

Ultrasonic material analysis: learn more about ultrasonic nondestructive testing.
February 1, 2008... Ultrasonic nondestructive testing (NDT) is a versatile technique that can be applied to a variety of material analysis applications. While ultrasonic NDT is perhaps better known in its more common applications for thickness gaging, flaw...

Metrology meets tomography: learn more about a powerful nondestructive testing tool.(Cover story)
February 1, 2008... Computed tomography systems for industrial applications, such as R&D, production and quality, can see inside parts and quantify characteristics normally inaccessible to probing or optical sensors. The same dataset can be used to inspect the...

Eddy current crack testing advances: crack testing advances with preventive multi-filter testing issues.(NDT INNOVATIONS)(NDT Systems Corp. )
February 1, 2008... At ibg NDT, a new eddy current instrument can detect multiple types of surface flaws simultaneously with no resolution loss for any of the types. Bill Buschur, general manager of ibg NDT Systems Corp. (Farmington Hills, MI), likened it to...

Resonant inspection increases quality.(NDT APPLICATIONS)(Remington Arms Company Inc.)(Company overview)
February 1, 2008... Maximizing product output and production efficiency without compromising quality is a cornerstone for any successful manufacturing company. A company's reputation and brand perception in part rests on its ability to produce a quality product...

Surface analysis options: surface analysis is widely used in industry for many applications.(TECH SHOWCASE)(Keyence Corp.)(Carl Zeiss Inc.)(JEOL U.S.A. Inc.)
February 1, 2008... Surface analysis is key to many QC/QA requirements in a range of industries. It can be used to inspect finished products, for R&D and for in-process inspection during production. Materials inspected include metals, composites, plastics, paper,...

X-ray workstation.(NDT PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The ARL 9900 Series X-ray workstation combines full X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) into a single instrument. With the instrument it is possible to perform a complete elemental (chemical)...

Rotating beam fatigue.(NDT PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2008... The R.R. Moore rotating beam fatigue system applies flexural stress on materials through failure, and can be used as a hands-on tool for classroom testing to demonstrate the basic principles of fatigue. The system is designed with a variable...

Binocular microscopes.(NDT PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2008... The 23-millimeter System 273 binocular microscopes are designed for inspection and assembly applications in static-sensitive environments. The ESD-safe lenses and body guard against uncontrolled static dissipation. The achromatic lenses and...

X-ray imaging camera.(NDT PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2008... The Shad-o-Box HS X-ray imaging camera has a 49.2-millimeter by 98.6-millimeter sensing area. The camera comes with a 12-bit digital interface for direct connection to a frame grabber that operates in real-time radiography applications at up to...

Composite inspection.(NDT PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2008... The BondMaster 1000e+ composite inspection instrument is optimized to detect internal defects or delaminations in composite structures used for aerospace, marine, automotive or other manufacturing applications. The unit's data processing...

Eddy current.(NDT PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2008... The smartEDDY 4.0 metals and metal parts inspection system is fully automated, contact-free and has an auto-restart feature, which automatically re-starts the unit in the event of a power failure. The functions of this feature include...

Calibration of machine tools: why, what and how: calibration and compensation of CNC machine tools relates to improvement in throughput.(QUALITY 101)
February 1, 2008... In the past, calibration and compensation have been considered strictly quality issues. Today, adopters acknowledge that calibration and compensation directly relate to substantial improvement in throughput because feed rates can be set higher...

Pumping leaks.(BRAIN TEASERS)
February 1, 2008... 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...

Intelligent testing: the Autograph AG-X offers high-end materials testing.(QUALITY INNOVATIONS)(Shimadzu Scientific Instruments Inc.)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Shimadzu (Columbia, MD) aims to match its 'top of the line testing machine, AG-X Autograph, with the right applications. Product manager Gilbert Vial says that their goal is to fit the machine to the application...

Data acquisition for handheld gaging: both wireless and wired data acquisition systems for handheld gaging come with distinct advantages.(QUALITY MEASUREMENT)(Editorial)(Cover story)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] When looking for a system to Handle data collected by handheld gages, there are two choices: wireless and wired. Both systems have their place in industry, and carefully considering the attributes of each will allow...

Sorting through optical options: a look at the overall picture will help in choosing the right noncontact inspection solution.(QUALITY TEST & INSPECTION)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Noncontact measurement and inspection is a fundamental practice in many manufacturing environments and quality control labs. Understanding the available options is a continual learning process as the power of video...

Three quality data traps: and how to avoid falling into them.(QUALITY SOFTWARE & ANALYSIS)
February 1, 2008... When technology makes things easier--as it always does--it also comes with its own set of complexities. The development and widespread use of the personal computer is no exception. A computer can do in minutes what it used to take hours or days...

The inside track on Six Sigma training: examine the benefits of each training approach against available resources.(QUALITY MANAGEMENT)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It is essential to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of training methods that lead to certification and implementation of Lean Six Sigma and related methodologies. This is necessary for any organization to...

Process improvement drives operational excellence.(Asahi Glass Company Ltd.)(Juran Institute Inc.)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Competitive pressures compounded by increased customer expectations with respect to quality, service and price has prompted many businesses to seek creative solutions. A wholly owned subsidiary of the world's second...

Portable, affordable calibration.(CASE STUDIES)(Omax Corp.)(Optodyne Inc. )
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Omax Corp. (Kent, WA), a manufacturer of waterjet and abrasivejet systems, had called in an outside calibration service to correct linear accuracy issues affecting its machine tools. The value of this service was...

Modular fixturing.(QUALITY PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Modular Fixtures are available to make CMM and vision systems more productive. The fixture setups are created with components that are simple to use and can be quickly rearranged without the need of tools. Regardless...

Infrared cameras.(QUALITY PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2008... T-series infrared cameras feature 76,800 pixels and advanced signal processing, delivering four times the resolution of a 160 by 120 infrared camera. The series also includes a 1.3 mega pixel visual camera, one-hand control ergonomics, an...

Composite inspection instrument.(QUALITY PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The BondMaster 1000e+ composite inspection instrument is optimized to detect internal defects or delaminations in composite structures used in the aerospace, marine, automotive or manufacturing industry. The...

Laser scanning microscope.(QUALITY PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The LSM 5 Exciter laser scanning microscope provides professionals in the materials research and quality analysis industries with a microscope system that analyzes relatively soft materials such as polymers in a...

Data acquisition software.(QUALITY PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] xScan 1.3 is data acquisition software that now includes new enhancements and functionalities. The software now has new memory management algorithms in order to increase its power and reliability. The software can...

Process improvement software update.(QUALITY PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2008... Quality Companion 2.3 is a Vista-compatible update to the company's process improvement software. Designed specifically to help professionals implement Six Sigma, the software provides guidance and tools that simplify every step of a project,...

Console-controlled force testing frames.(QUALITY PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The MultiTest-x range of console-controlled force testing frames offers a solution for product quality testing in design, quality control labs and production environments. Available in a range of capacities from...

Software for medical device manufacturers.(QUALITY PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2008... CompliantProMD software is Web-based compliance software for medical device manufacturers, designed to help with the building and maintaining of safe and effective devices and compliance with FDA QSR requirements, ISO 13485 and ISO 14971. To be...

CMM.(QUALITY PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2008... The Cobra is an in-process three-axis gage CMM. The machine is factory hardened, allowing it to be located on the factory floor next to machining cells. The machine also can be ordered as a DMM (diametric measuring machine). The Cobra DMM...

Off-line CAD-based programming software.(QUALITY PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] NewCastle Offline is CAD-based offline programming software. Model Transparency is a feature that allows users to view points through the model without having to constantly rotate the part, and Smart Probe allows all...

Calibration management software.(QUALITY PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] GAGEtrak 6.5 calibration management software is 40% faster than the previous version of the product (GAGEtrak V6). The current version provides the tools to better manage workloads, minimize overtime costs, maintain...

Measuring software.(QUALITY PRODUCTS)
February 1, 2008... WinWerth 3-D measuring software has fully automatic element and method recognition, which reduces mouse clicks and keeps the user interface to a minimum level. WinWerth is intuitive measuring software that, through its modular construction,...

Solving the shortage.(THE LAST WORD)
February 1, 2008... The 2008 elections are in full swing. Both the Republican and Democratic debates have been somewhat predictable. As I write this, voters in Nevada, South Carolina and Michigan are set to make their presidential primary choices. In all...