Quality articles from July 2005

Quality archives from July 2005

Why follow the 'laws'?(FROM THE PUBLISHER)
July 1, 2005... A recent news story focusing on the ever-increasing need for tools to enforce traffic laws made me reflect on the use of tools to enforce quality. Maryland State Police experimented with night-vision goggles to determine whether motorists have...

Coming events.(INDUSTRY NEWS)(Calendar)
July 1, 2005... JULY 18-22 PRINCIPLES OF METROLOGY, Boulder, CO. Fluke Corp., (800) 44-FLUKE. 25-29 SIX SIGMA BLACK BELT CERTIFICATION TRAINING, Boston. Stat-A-Matrix Institute, ...

Cognex Corp. acquires DVT.(INDUSTRY NEWS)
July 1, 2005... NATICK, MA -- Cognex Corp., a supplier of machine vision systems, acquires DVT Corp., a privately held company based in Duluth, GA. Under the terms of the acquisition, Cognex purchased all of the outstanding shares of DVT for approximately $115...

Sheffield Measurement acquires Starrett's CMM business.(INDUSTRY NEWS)
July 1, 2005... FOND DU LAC, WI -- Sheffield Measurement Inc., a division of Hexagon Metrology North America, acquires the Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM) product division of The L.S. Starrett Co. Only Starrett's coordinate measuring machine product line is...

Surface metrology technology considered.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... TUCSON, AZ -- Late last year, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) B46.1 committee on classification and designation of surface qualities met to discuss developments in surface metrology. Dr. James C. Wyant, director of the...

Sypris Test and Measurement Inc.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Sypris Test and Measurement Inc. (Orlando, FL) is named a certified supplier for testing military aircraft electronics manufactured by BAE Systems (Greenlawn, NY). Sypris Test and Measurement is a provider of calibration services, test and...

Columbia Marking Tools Inc.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Columbia Marking Tools Inc. (Chesterfield Township, MI) is certified by Cognex Corp. (Natick, MA) as an authorized vision system integrator for the state of Michigan. Columbia Marking Tools is a manufacturer of metal and plastic marking...

Adcole Corp.(Adcole Measuring Equipment Shanghai Company Ltd.)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Adcole Corp. (Marlborough, MA), manufacturer of special-purpose machines for measuring camshafts, crankshafts and pistons, establishes Adcole Measuring Equipment Shanghai Co. Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary that will handle all customer service...

Laboratory Testing Inc.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Laboratory Testing Inc. (LTI, Hatfield, PA) has been re-approved by the National Aerospace and Defense Contractors Accreditation Program for accreditation in nondestructive testing methods. LTI is approved for liquid penetrant, magnetic...

Quality Brain Teasers available.(INDUSTRY NEWS)
July 1, 2005... Quality Brain Teasers: Real-World Challenges to Build Your Manufacturing Skills (Volume 1) is now available from Quality magazine: Based on Brain Teasers, the popular monthly column in Quality magazine written by Dr. Sophronia Ward, the new...

Acquisition renews focus on quality.(INDUSTRY NEWS)
July 1, 2005... LIVONIA, MI -- Air Gage Co., manufacturer of complete gaging systems, is acquired by Thomas V. Fernandes, president and CEO of AirTronics Gage & Machine (Elgin, IL). Terms of the acquisition were not released. Air Gage, which celebrates its...

Agilent Technologies Inc.(appoints William P. Sullivan )(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... William P. Sullivan is named president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Agilent Technologies Inc. (Palo Alto, CA). Sullivan, who previously served as executive vice president and chief operating officer of the company, succeeds Edward W....

KUKA Robotics Corp.(appoints Timothy J. Arndorfer)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... KUKA Robotics Corp. (Clinton Township, MI), a manufacturer of industrial robots, appoints Timothy J. Arndorfer as account manager, southwest region. Arndorfer is responsible for the company's system partners and customer accounts for the...

Thermalcast LLC.(appoints Russell D. Davis )(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Thermalcast LLC (Worcester, MA) appoints Russell D. Davis as president and chief executive officer of the company. Davis brings 40 years of experience in the die-casting industry to the company, which provides technically advanced die-cast...

Kolene Corp.(Dennis McCardle promoted as general manager)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Kolene Corp. (Detroit) promotes Dennis McCardle to general manager, alloy descaling. Also, Thomas Strickland is promoted to general manager, surface cleaning technologies for the corporation.

In memoriam.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Dr. Grant Boctor, president of Digitaltest (Germany), has passed away. Boctor was founder of the test, production and quality control solutions provider for a variety of industries including automotive, medical and aerospace. The company...

Caring lays foundation for quality system: the most fundamental element of a good quality system is people who care.
July 1, 2005... I'm always asking myself what are the key elements in a truly good quality system. While I'm a strong believer that the concepts in the quality profession's Body of Knowledge is fundamental to having an excellent quality system, there is a...

Staying Within budget.(BRAIN TEASERS)
July 1, 2005... 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...

Dimensional measurement enters new era: new technology integrates computer tomography with multisensor coordinate metrology for accurate and complete nondestructive part measurement.(Product/Service Evaluation)
July 1, 2005... When the X-ray was discovered in the late 1800s, no one would have guessed that it, coupled with later developments in computer tomography (CT), would revolutionize medical science. Now, more than 100 years later, a new generation of CT derived...

Quality service guide.(Directory)
July 1, 2005... CALIBRATION SERVICES A. A. Jansson Inc. 2070 Airport Rd. Waterford, MI 48327-1204 (248) 674-4811 Fax: (248) 674-1234 info@aajansson.com www.aajansson.com Absolute Clarity & Calibration LLC 109 Main St....

At the center of Quality: spotlighting the ideas, solutions, products and companies that impact our industry.(Advertisement)
July 1, 2005... ideas SGS is a recognized leader in Quality, Environmental and Social Accountability Management System Registration, having delivered over 70.000 accredited certificates around the world. SGS Systems & Services Certification is a...

Quality certification & registration guide.(Illustration)
July 1, 2005... Quality Certification & Registration Guide (For more information, visit Quality Quick Clicks at qualitymag.com.) Services Company/Standard Name Reply...

Quality software selection guide.
July 1, 2005... Quality Software Selection Guide Visit Quality Quick Clicks at qualitymag.com. Media CD-ROM/ Company/Software Name ...

More pay, more challenges: quality professionals are satisfied, but grapple with issues such as management support and offshore production.
July 1, 2005... Asked what they find most satisfying about their jobs, nearly half--46%--of Quality magazine readers stated a "feeling of accomplishment." It's a good thing they did because, according to at least a few findings of our Fifth Annual State of the...

Forward Technology dual station pivoting leak tester.(PRODUCT REVIEW)(Advertisement)
July 1, 2005... Each system is custom designed for pressure/vacuum testing using up to 8 individual test channels simultaneously. System advantages: * One station may be loaded/unloaded while other station is testing * Pivoting fixturing inspects...

Statit e-QC: enterprise-wide quality software.(PRODUCT REVIEW)
July 1, 2005... Statit e-QC is a dynamic Web-based application focused on providing the critical information and analysis needed to make process improvement decisions. Statit e-QC provides real-time access to multiple data sources from a Web browser while...

Fixed limit gages.(PRODUCT REVIEW)
July 1, 2005... The new 2005 catalog from Meyer Gage Company offers new and improved Class Z gage pins and sets. In addition to the Class Z gage pins the catalog offers many new products. New offerings for 2005 include Class XX gages, Hex gages, Progressive...

New pocketsize Ultrasonic Precision Thickness Gage with Live Waveform Mode.(PRODUCT REVIEW)
July 1, 2005... The Panametrics-NDT Series 35 Ultrasonic Precision Thickness Gages make accurate thickness measurements on parts where access to the opposite surface is difficult. The optional Live Waveform Mode allows viewing the ultrasound waveform (or...

New stereo viewer now sleeker and lower priced.(PRODUCT REVIEW)(Advertisement)
July 1, 2005... The new Mantis Compact and Elite are a unique range of patented eyepieceless optical inspection systems, used for intricate tasks requiring high-resolution stereo viewing, while significantly reducing operator stress and fatigue over long...

Statistical process control software.
July 1, 2005... WinSPC Plant Monitor automatically displays the status of plant-wide data collection operations on a single screen in real time and/or historically (by week, shift, etc). Display all production activity and alarms using the color-coded...

LaserGauge[R] for dimensional measurements.(Origin Technologies Corporation)
July 1, 2005... A programmable, non-contact system for precise dimensional measurements, the LaserGauge is battery-powered for true portability. Surface scans are plotted in real-time, and the results are displayed and saved to a file automatically. One system...

Even faster ... if speed is the task.(PRODUCT REVIEW)
July 1, 2005... Precitec Optronik offers two differ ent CHRocodiles: The Sensor CHRocodile E based on halogen technology and the CHRocodile X with Xenon technology. The Xenon technology provides a significantly higher luminous power enabling the maximum...

Driving NDT forward: GE chief emphasizes understanding the entire process.(VIEW FROM THE TOP)(Interview)
July 1, 2005... Nestled in western Germany is the home of GE Inspection Technologies (GEIT). GEIT has expanded its reach in the nondestructive test (NDT) market during the past few years. Recent acquisitions include Agfa NDT (Lewistown, PA), which also brought...

Seamlessly integrated multisensor systems from Mahr.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... MarVision multisensor technology sets the standard for multisensor CMM's. At the heart of Mahr's multisensor CMM's is patented three sensor technology that facilitates seamless and highly accurate integration of laser, touch and vision...

Driving out: experimental variability: without a reduction in the experimentally induced variability in mechanical property tests, material and design advances will not be able to meet their intended goals.(AEROSPACE)
July 1, 2005... Increasingly, industry is recognizing the importance of maintaining correctly aligned load frames and insisting on tighter alignment requirements. To supply material testing data to the aerospace or defense industries, laboratories must now...

Modeling system behavior: choose the correct tool to model system behavior--RBDs, fault trees or Markov diagrams.(Reliability block diagrams)
July 1, 2005... Reliability block diagrams (RBD), fault trees and Markov diagrams are all used to model system behavior. When selecting a modeling tool, which is the best to use? Most reliability problems involve some type of randomness. A system that has...

Ultrasonic thickness gage.(AEROSPACE PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2005... The PosiTector ultrasonic thickness gage is ideal for measuring the remaining thickness of aircraft windows during the window-restoration process. During normal operation, micro cracks can form on the outside of passenger cabin windows due to...

Eddy-current tester.(AEROSPACE PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2005... The smartEDDY 4.0 eddy-current metals and metal parts inspection system comes in embedded, industrial and laboratory versions. The system is made up of an instrument module, test software, sensor and embedded computer. The product can find...

Data acquisition equipment.(AEROSPACE PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2005... The D5000 data acquisition series of equipment has modular signal interfacing and has flexible configuration solutions for adapting to changing requirements in airborne and mobile applications. The single-box systems are used for PCM telemetry,...

Portable eddy-current instrument.(AEROSPACE PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2005... The Model ED-520 eddy current test instrument has microprocessor-based circuitry, and inspects materials for flaws and other physical properties of most non-ferrous metals and alloys, including aluminum, copper and brass, ideal for most...

Leak tester.(AEROSPACE PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2005... The Falcon Leak Test System simultaneously determines leak location and total leak rate, providing real-time process control. The system bridges the gap between traditional pressure decay technology and helium vacuum spectrometry. On-screen...

Articulating fiberscope.(AEROSPACE PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2005... The 2.4-millimeter diameter series of two-way articulating fiberscopes is available in four standard lengths: 400, 700, 1,000 and 1,300 millimeters. The high-resolution, 6K pixel leached image bundle provides clear images and the 120-degree,...

Videoscope kit.(AEROSPACE PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2005... The industrial electronic videoscope kit includes a full-function camera control unit, light source and standard video input and output jacks. The system, which includes a dedicated AC power supply or dedicated battery-operated system when...

Vacuum fixture.(AEROSPACE PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2005... The vacuum fixture for clamping two cylindrical aluminum sheets for the fuselage of A340 Airbus during friction stir welding (FSW), has six independent vacuum areas--allowing for a high degree of part-dimension flexibility. Support elements are...

Flaw detector.(AEROSPACE PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2005... The USB-UT350 is an ultrasonic device for flaw detection and thickness measurement via a computer USB port. The product has an on-board DSP chip, and can process data at high speeds for real-time peak detection, data compression, spray marker...

Hardness tester.(AEROSPACE PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2005... The Equopen is a portable hardness tester in an easy-to-carry pen-shape for fast measurements in the field. The product display reads out directly in the Rockwell C scale and is highly accurate. Powered by two button-cell batteries, the tester...

Thickness gages.(AEROSPACE PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2005... The handheld Sonic 134D and Sonic 134DL thickness gages are used for measuring the remaining thickness of tanks, corroded pipes and other metal structures. Interchangeable dual-element transducers ensure accurate thickness measurement of pitted...

NDT training.(AEROSPACE PRODUCTS)
July 1, 2005... The company specializes in NDT training, consulting and examination services. UT phased array, ET array training and aerospace/aircraft UT PA courses are offered. In addition, a full range of Level I, II and III NDT training courses are offered...