Quality articles from March 2004

Quality archives from March 2004

Talk to the right person.(Editorial)
March 1, 2004... Recently trying to upgrade a friend's computer, I got a first-hand lesson on the disconnect between those who engineer a product and those who support and market it. The Dell computer in question is a few years old, which in computer-speak...

Coming events.(Industry News)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
March 1, 2004... APRIL * Certified Calibration Technician Preparation, Bloomington, MN, April 5-7. J&G Technology, (952) 935-1108. * FaciliWorks V6, Scottsdale, AZ, April 15. CyberMetrics Corp., (800) 777-7020. * Transitioning Internal Auditors to...

Customer success, not satisfaction, is key.(Industry News)
March 1, 2004... WINTER PARK, FL -- Philip Crosby Associates (PCA), known worldwide for delivering to millions of top-level executives the revolutionary and uncompromising "Do It Right The First Time" message of quality management guru Philip B. Crosby, has...

InTest Corp.(Business News)(ISO 9001:2000 certification)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... InTest Corp's (Cherry Hill, NJ) TestDesign Division has achieved ISO 9001:2000 certification. The company develops and manufactures equipment for testing in the semiconductor industry.

PPG Aerospace-Transparencies.(Business News)(AS9100 registration)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... PPG Aerospace-Transparencies (Huntsville, AL) has achieved AS9100 registration. The company manufactures aircraft windshields, windows and canopies.

FocalSpot Inc.(Business News)(new headquaters)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... FocalSpot Inc., a provider of inspection and rework and repair solutions and services to the OEM and electronics manufacturing services industries, has opened its new corporate headquarters in San Diego.

Makino.(Business News)(new facility)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Makino (Mason. OH) has opened a regional sales and service office in Elgin, IL In addition to local sales and service, application and engineering support will be offered. The phone number is (847) 468-1295.

Ocean Optics Inc.(Business News)(moves to new location)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Ocean Optics Inc. has moved to a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Winter Park, FL. The new facility meets the company's immediate production needs, as well as provides room for expansion.

Powerway Inc.(Business News)(receives Best of the Web award)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Powerway Inc. (Indianapolis) has been designated a "Best of the Web" company by Forbes magazine, for the second consecutive year.

Raldis Quality and Raldis Manufacturing Services Co.(Business News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Raldis Quality and Raldis Manufacturing Services Co. (both of Toledo, OH) have achieved ISO 9001:2000 registration.

O'Hare Metal Products.(Business News)(achieves certification)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... O'Hare Metal Products, a division of Concise industries (Elk Grove Village, IL), has achieved ISO 9001:2000 certification.

Heidenhain Corp. (Schaumburg, IL) is the exclusive distributor for Leine & Linde.(Business News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Heldenhain Corp. (Schaumburg, IL) is the exclusive distributor for Leine & Linde (Sweden) encoders in the United States and Mexico.

Cignya.(Business News)(receives certification)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Cignya (Saginaw, MI) has achieved ISO 9001:2000 certification.

Spectronics Corp.(Business News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Spectronics Corp. (Westbury, NY), manufacturer of ultraviolet equipment for nondestructive testing and quality control, has achieved ISO 9001:2000 certification.

Industrial manufacturers cautiously eye future.(Industry News)
March 1, 2004... NEW YORK -- Continuing with results seen in the third quarter, U.S. manufacturers remain upbeat and optimistic about the U.S. economy over the next 12 months, according to the PricewaterhouseCoopers Manufacturing Barometer, a quarterly survey...

Garwood celebrates 50 years.(Industry News)(Garwood Laboratories Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... PICO RIVERIA, CA -- Garwood Laboratories Inc. has reached its golden anniversary as a product-certification testing laboratory. "While testing standards and technology have accelerated in complexity and sophistication over these last 50...

Auto suppliers pressured to move production abroad.(Industry News)
March 1, 2004... DETROIT -- Pressure to move automotive manufacturing jobs abroad will continue, despite federal and local government efforts to maintain or increase industry employment levels in the United States, according to a report scheduled to be released...

American Measuring Tool Manufacturers Association.(Association News)(obituary)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
March 1, 2004... Anthony Ulrich, vice president of Ulrich Metrology Inc., and Marvin A. Arced, president of Leader Corp., both members of the American Measuring Tool Manufacturers Association, passed away in January.

Chicago Section of the American Society for Quality.(Association News)(awards)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... The Chicago Section of the American Society for Quality (ASQ) presented its 2003-2004 recognition and service awards at its fall meeting. Awards were presented to the following individuals and organizations: * Kathleen Gearty received the...

APICS.(Association News)(appointments)(APICS - The Educational Society for Resource Management)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... APICS, the educational society for resource management, announced its 2004 board of directors: Arnold E. Kennedy, president; Thomas J. Krupka, president-elect; Nicholas M. Testa, executive vice president;, Joseph F. Shedlawski,...

QED features free educational seminars.(Industry News)(Quality Expo Detroit)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... NORWALK, CT -- Quality Expo Detroit (QED), the Midwest trade event exclusively focused on quality solutions for manufacturers, will provide visitors with a full range of quality-related technologies and tools for improving productivity and...

ITW Switches.(People News)(appointed Brian Truesdale as a general manager )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Brian Truesdale has been appointed general manager of ITW Switches, a Division of Illinois Tool Works Inc. (Harwood Heights, IL). Truesdale's most recent assignment was general manager of the ITW Linx Business. In his new assignment, he will...

Valenite.(People News)(appointed Thomas M. Benjamin as a director of marketing)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Thomas M. Benjamin has been appointed director of marketing for Valenite (Madison Heights, MI). As director of marketing, Benjamin will be responsible for developing and implementing the new product introduction, process managing and directing...

NSL Analytical Services Inc.(People News)(appointed Gary Schaner as a metallurgist)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Gary Schaner has been appointed metallurgist of NSL Analytical Services Inc.'s (Cleveland) materials testing and failure analysis group. Schaner is charged with developing the group to serve companies that do not have a staff metallurgist and...

Akrion.(People News)(William Amstutz promoted to vice president of marketing )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... William Amstutz has been promoted to vice president of marketing at Akrion (Allentown, PA). Amstutz will be responsible for all product marketing and corporate communications.

IDW sets line-up.(Industry News)(International Dimensional Workshop)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... NASHVILLE, TN -- The sixth annual International Dimensional Workshop will be held May 10 to 14, 2004, at the Nashville Marriott Hotel near the Nashville International Airport. The workshop will be proceeded by the second National Requirements...

Free machine vision seminars.(Industry News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... NATICK, MA -- Cognex Corp., a supplier of machine vision systems and vision sensors, is hosting a new series of free machine vision seminars. The Understanding and Applying Machine Vision Sensors half-day events show how vision sensors can...

Calibration service available.(Industry News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... PALO ALTO, CA -- Agilent Technologies Inc. introduced a low-priced calibration service for electronic test equipment used in general-purpose applications. The industry calibration service is designed for customers who need calibration services...

Tired of whining.(Quality Mailbag)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... Dear Editor, I have heard enough from Scott Dalgleish. I hope some of my peers feel the same way. It is too easy for Scott to "damn the darkness" instead of "lighting a candle" How about some leadership for a change? Will he run for ASQ...

For the free market.(Quality Mailbag)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... Dear Editor, I just finished reading the November 2003 editorial in Quality magazine ("Can't Keep It All," p. 6). I agree that opposing trade agreements and adding tariffs are not going to fix the current problem. I believe the free market...

Too much imported.(Quality Mailbag)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... Dear Editor, Maybe you would accept the need to change manufacturing incentives ("Can't Keep It All" Quality, November 2003, p. 6) better if a group of your advertisers demanded a price freeze on rates for at least 15 years and a guarantee...

Economic treason.(Quality Mailbag)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... Dear Editor, I understand when politicians, especially Republicans, talk about recovery but I do not understand it when so-called, "economists," talk about recovery (A 'Curious' Recovery, Quality, December 2003, p. 6). I agree that...

Costs and quality of life, the Wal-Mart way: Wal-Mart's great prices has an effect on consumers.(Probing The Limits)
March 1, 2004... The recent flurry of uncomplimentary news about Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has got me thinking about my quality beliefs. I believe that companies that focus on quality gain a tremendous strategic advantage. I also believe that individuals who...

Keep it simple: step-by-step formats work best when writing calibration procedures.(Other Dimensions)
March 1, 2004... Editor's note: Columnist Hill Cox has put together a multipart series that focuses on developing custom calibration procedures particular to an individual manufacturer's circumstances. Accurately written calibration procedures are critical in...

Understanding Six Sigma: the quality management process helps achieve, sustain and maximize business success.(Quality 101)
March 1, 2004... As the economic recession continues to bite, business leaders are responding by getting back to business basics. They take fewer risks, focus on profitability, control and reduce costs, and stress customer satisfaction and retention....

Corner thickness challenges.(Quality Brain Teasers)
March 1, 2004... Anyone 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 workers...

A software prescription for FDA compliance: for medical device manufacturers, a new SPC program maybe just what the doctor ordered.(Quality Innovations)(Food and Drug Administration)(statistical process control)(InfinityQS International releases new statistical software)
March 1, 2004... New electronic signature requirements for medical device manufacturers have led to the release of a number of new software packages, including the release of a statistical process control (SPC) package that meets the standard while offering...

At the center of quality: spotlighting the ideas, solutions, products and companies that impact our industry.(Advertisement)
March 1, 2004... ideas COMPANY COMMENTARY Vision Engineering is proud of its world-wide reputation for innovation and excellence in its design and manufacture of measurement and inspection systems Its patented Dynascope[R] technology is the...

Calibration made easier: suppliers are using the Internet to reduce the paperwork and the costs of calibration.(Quality Measurement)(Starrett Calibration Services Inc.)
March 1, 2004... The papers can cram a filing cabinet, bulge a storage box, or fill up a hard drive, and still they keep coming. The records are those slips of papers or kilobyte-eating calibration files that grow by leaps and bounds as each gage goes through...

Comparators: more than meets the eye: optical comparators still remain the workhorse in noncontact measurement.(Quality Test & Inspection)
March 1, 2004... Although many may view optical comparators as basic measuring technology, projectors have evolved from simple comparative devices some 60 years ago to the more complex, precision optical measuring machines of today. While some in the...

Linking CMMs to SPC software: several questions need to be asked and answered before linking coordinate measuring machines to statistical process control software.(Quality Software & Analysis)(coordinate measuring machines)(statistical process control)
March 1, 2004... Coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) can help slash inspection costs, greatly improve inspection capabilities and improve final product quality. But for all their benefits, CMMs do not improve the manufacturing process. There is a big...

Managing CMM software uncertainties: standards help manage software's contribution to CMM measurement uncertainty.(Quality Management)(coordinate measuring machines)
March 1, 2004... Measurements obtained with coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) are subject to several uncertainty components, much like any other measurement and test equipment. However, unlike most other such equipment, CMMs fit geometrical forms to the...

Chrysler improves hood assembly.(Case Studies)
March 1, 2004... There is nothing easy about handling a car hood on an assembly line, especially for the human workers in the loop. So when Chrysler wanted to improve this aspect of their manufacturing process, the automaker faced a number of challenges. ...

VW scans clay models with lasers.(Case Studies)(Volkswagen AG)
March 1, 2004... Switching from manual digitizer to laser scanning is helping the Volkswagen & Audi Design Center (Simi Valley, CA) make more realistic physical models of new vehicle design concepts, speeding the decision-making process within the company. ...

Crimp pull testing.(New Products)
March 1, 2004... Designed for testing the pull-off tensile force of crimped joints, the Wire Crimp Pull Testing System has a motorized test stand, digital force gage and a set of gripping fixtures. Capacities of up to 200 pounds are available. The system has...

Alignment system.(New Products)
March 1, 2004... The Microgage 2000 measuring and alignment system can be directly connected to a laptop or PC for acquiring measurement readings and analysis. The system is configured for precise alignments of straightness, flatness, perpendicularity and...

Spot software.(New Products)
March 1, 2004... Spot 4.0 has new features including macro script routines that automate repetitive tasks, saving users time. A floating tool bar keeps commonly used macros and software functions at the user's fingertips. Auto logging of image capture settings...

Laser tool setting.(New Products)
March 1, 2004... The Active Cutting Tool Control System software is for use with Marposs' Mida Laser Tool Setting systems. Tool offsets can be determined by loading any tool into the spindle while in MDI mode, entering one subroutine or programmable G-code and...

Camera configuration utility.(New Products)
March 1, 2004... CamExpert, a Windows-based camera configuration utility, is bundled in the Sapera LT 5.0 image acquisition and development library. The utility provides an interactive environment for creating new or modifying existing configuration files for...

Digital caliper.(New Products)
March 1, 2004... The IP-66 rated digital caliper is for use in harsh conditions where coolants and moisture are prevalent in the manufacturing process. The unit is sealed against coolants and water up to 3 feet deep, dust and chips, allowing operators to take...

Oscilloscope probe.(New Products)
March 1, 2004... The Model CT3133RA is an oscilloscope probe with readout actuator pin. The probe has a 350-megahertz bandwidth. When the probe's actuating pin makes contact with the scope's actuation pad, the scope automatically detects the xl0 attenuation...

Flow monitor and batch controls.(New Products)
March 1, 2004... The HPD-FEM Flow Monitor is available in configurations to match a variety of applications. All models provide flow rate, totals or ratios. Outputs can be programmed to perform limit, warning or alarm functions. An RS232 serial port provides...

Tachometer.(New Products)
March 1, 2004... The ICP LaserTach Tachometer senses the speed of rotating equipment while powered with standard ICP sensor signaling condition. Only a single coaxial or twisted-pair cable connection is required. This facilitates deployment of multiple...

Vision system.(New Products)
March 1, 2004... The Eagle III Vision System inspects 100% of the surface in real time. The location of all defects can be mapped and archived. The system inspects for missing coating, gels, holes, carbon specs, streaks, wrinkles and other surface...

Turbine measurement software.(New Products)
March 1, 2004... Blade software evaluates turbine blade measurements and can be used with the curve measuring options of the company's coordinate measuring machine software programs Calypso and Umess. Blade, which was developed after a study of inspection...

Non-contact measurement.(New Products)
March 1, 2004... The VIEW Pinnacle is a large-format non-contact dimensional measurement system for use in production environments ranging from clean rooms to factory floors. It features a precision granite base and column, passive vibration isolation system,...

Ultrasonic monitoring.(New Products)
March 1, 2004... The line of miniature analog output ultrasonic sensors for non-contact distance and level monitoring, available in a tubular or rectangular housing, allows for selection of limits on sensing range and slope of analog output, which eliminate the...

Coating thickness testing.(New Products)
March 1, 2004... The PosiTector 6000 gages measure paint and powder thickness on both ferrous and nonferrous metals. Design features include two-button operation, and no required calibration for most applications allows for basic or advanced measurements in a...

Blacklight inspection.(New Products)
March 1, 2004... The Inspector+ battery-powered black light lamp features instant-on capability with no warm-up and uses standard 14.4-volt rechargeable drill motor batteries that can last up to one hour at a 50% duty cycle and can be recharged in an hour or...

Video microscopy.(New Products)
March 1, 2004... The speckFINDER electronic video microscope is ergonomically designed with high-resolution flat screen viewing of magnifications up to 40X and higher with a working distance of 9 inches across. Model options include a weighted base or 6-way...

Flow/pressure calibration.(New Products)
March 1, 2004... The Qualichek 300 sets up and qualifies gages, differential pressure and flow testers, and verifies specification of fixed leak masters. Available in four versions and supplied with a taper-needle valve for setting flow rates and connecting...

Flaw detection.(New Products)
March 1, 2004... The Lithium Ion (LI) battery pack keeps an 8-hour charge for the company's USN 58L, USN 58R and USN 60 portable ultrasonic flaw detectors and is now a standard feature of all USN Series instruments. It can be recharged without removing the...