Quality articles from June 2002

Quality archives from June 2002

Stop bullying. (From the Editor).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... I remember hearing about a metrology equipment vendor last fall who had delivered an order to one of the Big Three automotive manufacturers. When the payment came in, the car maker had arbitrarily chopped 10% off the invoice amount, and...

Maximize training dollars: follow these tips to increase the payback on your workforce training investment. (Training Trends).
June 1, 2002... There is no doubt that employee training can be an expensive proposition. Indeed, U.S. companies have budgeted $56.8 billion dollars for formal training, this year, according to Training magazine. Of those costs, $19.3 billion will go to...

Coming events. (Industry News).
June 1, 2002... QUALITY EXPO DETROIT June 12-13, 2002 Novi, MI Reed Exhibitions (888) 267-3794 www.quality. reedexpo.com July * Experiment Design Made Easy, Seattle, July 9-11. Stat-Ease, (612) 378-4994. * Introduction to APQP and PPAP,...

Quality automotive standard released. (Industry News).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has released a new version of ISO/TS 16949, a quality management standard aimed at the international automotive sector. The new technical specification (TS) is expected to become the...

Business news. (Industry News).
June 1, 2002... QSET (Galway, Ireland), a provider of Web-enabled applications for managing business process improvement and compliance issues, has merged with Business & Quality Management Systems (Fremont, CA), a teaching, training and consulting company....

Newport to sell metrology business. (Industry News).(Newport Corp., Industrial Metrology Systems Div.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Newport Corp. (Irvine, CA) has announced that it intends to sell the majority of its Industrial Metrology Systems Div. The division will be sold in two transactions to separate buyers. In the first transaction, Newport signed an agreement...

Boeing delivers wings ahead of schedule. (Industry News).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Boeing (Chicago) delivered the wings for the first F-22 production aircraft to Lockheed Martin (Bethesda, MD) ahead of schedule. The pumped up delivery time is a result of Boeing's commitment to ongoing lean manufacturing efforts. In late 1999,...

J.D. Power & Associates partner to speak at QED. (Industry News).(Quality Expo Detroit)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Harold Krivan, senior partner with J.D. Power & Associates (Westlake Village, CA), will be the keynote speaker at Quality Expo Detroit on June 12. Krivan's address, "Quality: More Important Than Ever," will look at quality from the customer's...

Learn from others. (Industry News).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... While it is not known exactly how many companies have begun the upgrade to ISO 9001: 2000, ISO Management Systems, a journal published by the International Organization for Standardization, sponsored a special report, "Feedback on ISO 9000:...

A six sigma challenge, Part II: is the gage adequate? (Sophronia's Solution).
June 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...

Wrapper ties robot to CMM. (Quality Innovations).(coordinate measuring machines)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Integrating a coordinate measuring machine (CMM) into a robotic production line requires the various machines along the line to communicate with each other. A part has to be identified, the correct part program must be called up and run, and a...

Follow the thread: optical comparators can visually inspect some of the key parameters of threads. (Measurement, Test & Inspection).(industrial fasteners)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2002... The methods for inspecting threads are as varied as the threads themselves. But for many thread components, experts say that optical comparators provide the best picture of thread quality. Methods of thread inspection range from lasers to...

Use a map, not a hammer: by tracking the inputs and outputs of a process, a process map can show the route to a problem's source. (Software & Analysis).(manufacturing industry)
June 1, 2002... Manufacturers who are serious about quality, those companies that actually want to find out why and where a problem occurs, have found process mapping an efficient way to track down production problems. Process mapping is a technique that...

Affordable multisensor CMM.(MarVision Multiscope 222 3D CMM by Mahr Federal Inc.)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 1, 2002... The new MarVision[TM] Multiscope 222 3D CMM is ideal for complex measurement tasks. Its multiple sensing technologies are integrated into a compact, benchtop coordinate measuring machine with touch probe, vision and laser sensors. The...

Portable surface measurement.(Perthometer S2 by Mahr Federal Inc.)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 1, 2002... The new Perthometer S2 portable surface measurement system offers the highest mobile measurement accuracy under the most recent standards (DIN, EN, ISO 3274, JIS and ASME B46). Statistical functions for 200 measurements are included, along with...

Powerful, transportable form tester.(MarForm MMQ 6100 by Mahr Federal Inc.)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 1, 2002... This new low-cost form tester is an optimal combination of features found in Mahr's Formtester MMQ 10 and the Mahr Federal Formscan[R] 6100 form measurement systems. The MarForm[TM] MMQ 6100 is a light weight system offering the benefits of the...

Vibration monitoring with wireless networks: a new generation of low-cost, low-power piezoelectric accelerometers is providing a tool for industrial vibration monitoring. (Controlling the Manufacturing Process).(HiDRA by Rockwell Science Center)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Low-cost accelerometers are increasingly being integrated into a variety of industrial systems, making many cost-sensitive, "condition-monitoring" applications economically viable. In recent years, the term microelectromechanical systems...

Train the e-learning way: as companies continue to keep a watchful eye on the budget, e-learning is one option for creating a happy marriage between continuous training for employees and a fatter wallet for management. (Management).(electronic learning)
June 1, 2002... Electronic Learning, or e-learning, simply refers to training sessions or educational courses delivered electronically. It could be courses delivered through a CD-ROM, for example, or it could involve a live "virtual classroom," facilitated by...

Collaboration: Key to World Class Quality: by pushing costs pressures, manufacturing responsibilities and risk down to suppliers, U.S. automakers may be jeopardizing vehicle quality. Here's an approach for smoothing the road ahead. (Special Report: Automotive Supply Chain Quality).(anlaysis)
June 1, 2002... Faced with a fiercely competitive global market, U.S. auto manufacturers in recent years have moved relentlessly to extract more and more concessions from their supplier base. Through their sheer size, the automotive OEMs wield significant...

Achieving quality ROI across the supply chain: a Web-based supply chain collaboration system is paying dividends in reduced costs and improved quality for this Tier One automotive component manufacturer--as well as for its suppliers. (Special Report: Automotive Supply Chain Quality).(Garrett Engine Boosting Systems)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2002... Automotive customers are more demanding than ever--challenging manufacturers around the globe to produce superior quality products at a lower cost, while delivering innovations at a faster pace. That puts the pressure on automotive...

Automated gaging slashes cycle time. (Case Studies).(Harley-Davidson Inc.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2002... Harley-Davidson Inc. (Milwaukee), has problems of the kind that every manufacturer would love to have. As sales of its motorcycles continue to rise, the company faces constant manufacturing challenges in keeping up with the demand. The...

Thickness gage meets GM challenge. (Case Studies).(MiniTest 3100 by Elektrophysik USA in headliners General Motors Corp. contract)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2002... Johnson Controls Inc.'s North American Automotive Systems Group faced an unusual customer requirement. The company manufactures vehicle headliners for multiple vehicles and automotive customers at its Holland, MI, plant. In most cases,...

Part-to-CAD model comparison creates savings. (Case Studies).(Polaris Industries Inc. uses Faro Technologies Inc. FaroArm)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Measurement flexibility is important to Polaris Industries Inc. (Spirit Lake, IA), a manufacturer of personal watercraft, motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles. "Due to the wide range of vehicles produced at our plant, we needed a system that...

Portable hardness tester. (New Products).(advertisement)
June 1, 2002... The Through Indenter Viewing (TIV) method is the basis of a new portable hardness tester that tests metals and some nonmetallic materials. The TIV method, which is based on the Vicker's principle, is unaffected by the part's mass and thickness,...

Force measurement test stand. (New Products).(advertisement)
June 1, 2002... The Model ES30 is a 200-pound force measurement test stand that has a maximum travel of 13 inches and a travel rate of 0.05 inch per handwheel revolution. It has a 3-inch throat clearance and its dimensions are 6 by 10 by 22 inches. The modular...

Vertical Sealant Tester. (New Products).(advertisement)
June 1, 2002... The Series 540 Computerized Vertical Sealant Tester is a bench-top system designed to test sealants, adhesives or coatings by applying alternating tension and compression cycles to a specimen. It simultaneously tests as many as 12 specimens in...

Mini environmental chamber. (New Products).(advertisement)
June 1, 2002... The 3119 Series mini environmental chamber tests properties of materials exposed to nonambient environments. The mini chamber works with the company's single column and DynaMight testing machines and comes in two different heights. The 3119-402...

Line leak tester. (Environmental Test).(advertisement)
June 1, 2002... LineChek automated line leakage tester is available in two configurations. Model 510L is a stand-alone version and Model 520L allows interconnection to other safety testers. Both testers have five built-in measuring devices. The testers have...

Temperature cell. (Environmental Test).(advertisement)
June 1, 2002... Model 5943 stainless steel gallium cell does fixed point thermometer calibrations. It achieves 29.7646 C with an uncertainty of 0.00008 C and reproducibility of 0.000025 C. Realization and maintenance of melting plateaus is automated with the...

Thermometer. (Environmental Test).(advertisement)
June 1, 2002... Model M190E infrared thermometer measures online process temperature. The thermometer measures temperatures from 200 to 4,000 C with 0.1 C temperature resolution. It has digital and analog outputs, as well as Windows-based software. The...

Pressure gage. (Environmental Test).(advertisement)
June 1, 2002... Series 656 pressure gages come in 63 and 100 millimeter sizes. The gages have full-scale accuracy of [+ or -] 1% for the 100 millimeter version and a 1.6% full-scale accuracy for the 63 millimeter version. The gages have ranges up to 30 inches...

Induction hardening. (Machine Tools).(advertisement)
June 1, 2002... Ultrascan is an induction hardening system that has two or four spindles. It allows several parts to be processed simultaneously. The machine is versatile and accepts parts measuring 20 inches long and weighing 20 pounds. Welduction Corp....

Internal grinding machine. (Machine Tools).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Model IRC-400 is a universal internal grinding machine. It grinds bores, faces and angles, and it generates radii with a cylindrical wheel. The machine has five-axes, Z- and X-axis for bore grinding, U- and W-axis for radius size setting, and a...

Automated saw. (Machine Tools).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... MetlSaw precision saw cuts large sheets and plates up to 12 inches thick. It has a straightness of cut to [+ or -] 0.002 inch, a vertical squareness of [+ or -] 0.0005 inch per inch and a horizontal squareness of [+ or -] 0.002 inch per foot....

Workstations. (Machine Tools).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... PE Series Workstations have load capacities up to 500 pounds. Applications include mobile staging, material transfer, assembly operations and installation procedures. Standard and custom frame configurations and attachments are available. ...

Miniature videoscopes. (Infosource).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Miniature videoscopes provide high performance at a great price. Inspect equipment through openings as small as 5 millimeters and view the image on an integral 5-inch, high-resolution LCD monitor. Remote articulation and small bending radius...

Carl Zeiss. (Infosource).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Carl Zeiss offers a full line of upright, inverted, stereo and confocal microscopes, image analysis systems and digital cameras for all materials applications including research, metallurgy, surface topography, metrology, quality assurance and...

Panametrics' new. (Infosource).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Panametrics' new High-Precision Thickness Gage Module (TGM) is a unique ultrasonic data collection system designed for demanding applications that require sub-micron resolution in thickness measurements or picosecond resolution in...

Phases 2s. (Infosource).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Phases 2s, the compact, fully featured portable eddy current instrument, is the latest product from Hocking NDT Ltd. The newest member of the renowned and respected Phasec family, Phasec 2S incorporates power and versatility in a package so...

Elcometer Inc. (Infosource).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Elcometer Inc. announces the arrival of the Elcometer 2002 Catalogue. This premier edition has been developed with careful attention to design and detail. Offering more than just a brief description, the Elcometer Catalogue provides a high...

Quality standards. (Infosource).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Quality standards keep rising. Cost-conscious machinists win more business by inspecting interiors of parts with Hawkeye Precision Borescopes. Hawkeye's new-generation technology yields bright, clear, sharp images at half the price of...

OPTIM Incorporated. (Infosource).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... OPTIM Incorporated's articulating flexible fiberscopes range in diameters and lengths to meet a wide variety of remote inspection needs. OPTIM fiberscopes feature high-resolution optics, fuel tight shafts, durable braid and easy-to-control...

Calibrate gages at regular intervals: Quality's Online Reader Forum is a place where manufacturing quality professionals can post questions and get answers about any quality related topic. (Quality Online).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Quality Online's Reader Forum, found at www.i-boards.com/bnp/qm/default. asp, provides an electronic meeting place e for quality professionals to share ideas and get help with problems. Here is an excerpt from one recent exchange. From...