Quality articles from September 2002

Quality archives from September 2002

Silent ISO majority? (From The Editor).(response to Scott Dalgleish comments)(Brief Article)(Editorial)
September 1, 2002... Former President Richard M. Nixon often mentioned the "Silent Majority" a reference to the many Americans whom he believed supported his administration s policies but did not speak out. Nixon's critics, on the other hand, were often a quite...

Turning to a new method: a new retightening torque measuring method helps eliminate human error. (Training Trends).
September 1, 2002... The retightening torque measuring method is generally used to check the tightening condition of fasteners already in a product. But today's measuring method, though widely accepted, leaves room for error. The desired torque value is...

Who's the enemy? (Quality Mailbag).
September 1, 2002... Dear Editor, I read your recent editorial with much interest, since I have been battling in the ISO trenches for about 10 years now. I have noticed one thing about the "enemy" in all this, and to paraphrase the cartoon strip "Pogo," it is...

Swallowing the camel. (Quality Mailbag).
September 1, 2002... Dear Editor, I am in complete agreement. At my last company, they were always spending hours trying to complete ISO 9000. Meanwhile, some simple methods I suggested to improve quality (such as actually tracking production problems) were...

Certification dropped. (Quality Mailbag).
September 1, 2002... Dear Editor, I have just finished reading your editorial "Eliminate ISO 9000?" with high interest. We were one of the first companies certified in New Hampshire in January 1993. We used it as a model to formalize a system and it was...

The King and ISO. (Quality Mailbag).
September 1, 2002... Dear Editor, Once upon a time in the land of Productivity there lived a wise King. The King told his subjects, "If you make your products well, you will sell plenty and prosper." However, deep within the castle there was unrest. The King's...

Coming events.
September 1, 2002... OCTOBER * ISO 9000: 2000 Transition Course, Dearborn, MI, Oct. 2-3. European Quality Institute, (866) 500-3383. * Vibration and Shock Training, Billerica, MA, Oct. 7-9. Equipment Reliability Institute, (805) 564-1260. * ISO 9000:...

Extended warranties signal vehicle quality. (Industry News).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Buying a new car is no longer simply being loyal to a brand, going down to the nearest dealership and driving the car off the lot. Today's savvy car buyers must consider a widening array of incentives, ranging from special financing deals to...

Edmund Industrial Optics (Barrington, NJ) has signed a contract with Northrop Grumman (Los Angeles) to provide biocular eyepieces for use in tanks. (Business News).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Edmund Industrial Optics (Barrington, NJ) has signed a contract with Northrop Grumman (Los Angeles) to provide biocular eyepieces for use in tanks. The eyepiece assembly contains five high-resolution lenses and a mirror with precision surface...

Steudel & Schultz LLC (Madison, WI) has acquired the product division of H.J. Steudel & Associates Inc. (Madison, WI). (Business News).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Steudel & Schultz LLC (Madison, WI) has acquired the product division of H.J. Steudel & Associates Inc. (Madison, WI), provider of the ISO 9001: 2000 Pocket Guide and ISO 9000, QS-9000 and ISO 14000 quality assurance materials.

Mistras Holdings Group. (Business News).(acquires Vibre-Metrics Inc)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Mistras Holdings Group (Princeton Junction, NJ) has acquired Vibre-Metrics Inc., a supplier of vibration monitoring systems and vibration condition monitoring sensors.

Faro Technologies Inc. (Business News).(company contract details)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Faro Technologies Inc. (Lake Mary, FL) has been awarded a general services administration contract by the U.S. government that applies to the company's entire product line of CAM2 systems and services.

Entela-Boston. (Business News).(company name change details)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Integrity Design and Test Services (Littleton, MA) is changing its name to Entela-Boston.

Rockwell Automation (Milwaukee), a provider of industrial automation. (Business News).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Rockwell Automation (Milwaukee), a provider of industrial automation, has taken delivery of 100 licenses of InfinityQS International's (Manassas, VA) statistical process control software.

Mitsubishi Electric. (Business News).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Mitsubishi Electric (Northville Township, MI) has been named a General Motors Supplier of the Year for 2001.

Pilgrim Software Inc. (Business News).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Pilgrim Software Inc. (Tampa, FL), a provider of enterprise quality management solutions, is a member of Microsoft's Certified Partner Program. Membership in the program signifies that Pilgrim has demonstrated a certain level of competence in...

Eagle Stainless Tube & Fabrication Inc. (Business News).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Eagle Stainless Tube & Fabrication Inc. (Franklin, MA) has achieved ISO 9001: 2000 certification.

Congress steps up to plate. (Industry News).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... America's small manufacturers are getting closer to keeping the public-private program that helps them remain globally competitive. Before its recess in August, the Senate Appropriations Committee recommended $106.6 million for the...

Nikon Instruments Inc. (People News).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Hiro Kusaka has been appointed president and chief executive officer of Nikon Instruments Inc. (Melville, NY). In his new role, Kusaka will be responsible for sales, customer service and new product development, as well as further expansion of...

The Registrar Accreditation Board. (People News).(member election details)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... The Registrar Accreditation Board (Milwaukee) has elected four members to its board of directors. The new members are Alan Leibowitz, David N. Middleton, David W. Ronald and Steven P. Willis.

Ametek Inc. (People News).(company personnel changes)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... George Jucha has been elected vice president and general manager of Ametek Inc.'s Specialty Metal Products Div. (Paoli, PA).

Hibbitt, Karlsson and Sorensen Inc. (People News).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Ken Short has been appointed vice president of marketing at Hibbitt, Karlsson and Sorensen Inc. (Pawtucket, RI).

Smithers Quality Assessments Inc. (People News).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... John R. Sedlak has been promoted to vice president and chief operating officer of Smithers Quality Assessments Inc. (Akron, OH).

ART Advanced Research Technologies Inc. (People News).(company personnel changes)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Mike Adams has been appointed Western U.S. sales manager for ART Advanced Research Technologies Inc. (Saint-Laurent, Quebec, Canada).

CMM sales fall 33% in 2001. (Industry News).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
September 1, 2002... North American sales of coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) fell 33% in 2001 compared to 2000, according to the Metrology Automation Association (MAA, Ann Arbor, MI). The CMM market had sales of $169.3 million with 1,597 units shipped in 2001....

ASTM International's Committee E11. (Association News).(appointment of Thomas D. Murphy)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Thomas D. Murphy has been named chairman of ASTM International's Committee E11 on quality and statistics. Committee E11 promotes the use of statistical and quality control methods in development, application and improvement of standards.

A popcorn protest. (Brain Teasers).(solving production problems)
September 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...

The sound of quality: as automotive interiors become quieter, car makers and suppliers are focusing on methods and materials to produce more acoustically pleasing vehicles. (Measurement, Test & Inspection).
September 1, 2002... Car buyers have long been slamming car doors as one way to subjectively judge the quality of a vehicle. But as overall vehicle quality has improved, consumers have become more discerning, and the important acoustic characteristics of a vehicle...

ISO 9000 for a small planet: with ISO 9000 achieving worldwide acceptance, here's a look at some regional differences, with tips on selecting a registrar as ISO 9001: 2000 kicks in. (Quality Management).(Statistical Data Included)
September 1, 2002... ISO 9000, the international standard for quality management, is truly becoming a worldwide standard. By December 2001, there were more than 510,616 businesses certified in 161 countries. While 10 industrialized nations accounted for nearly 62%...

At the center of quality: spotlighting the ideas, solutions, products and companies that impact our industry. (Advertisement).(Instron Corp.)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... ideas As a leading provider of advanced materials testing equipment we are attuned to our customers needs. Companies have been requesting new products designed to provide the same level of quality and service the world has come to expect...

Seeing the factory from anywhere: new networking technology for machine vision data can tie in decision makers from a variety of departments or locations, and that data can be viewed wherever and whenever it is needed. (Controlling The Manufacturing Process).
September 1, 2002... In the past, factory machine-vision systems were traditionally linked to a central processor. While this approach did have its advantages, such as limited computer hardware costs, it also had various drawbacks. Because the processing was...

A new approach to shape metrology: a new, noncontact surface measurement technology based on holographic imaging techniques offers advantages over traditional methods for mapping the shape of complex objects. (Quality Software & Analysis).(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Successful introduction of products requires form, figure and functionality to be defined in the design process and verified in the manufacturing process. Traditional metrology methods rely on devices such as dial indicators, coordinate...

Web + consultant = fast certification. (Case Studies).(Solar Technology uses Prism eSolutions L.L.C. technology and consulting services to acquire ISO certifications)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... An explosive growth rate averaging 100% per year is every manufacturer's dream. But for Solar Technology (Allentown, PA), a manufacturer of solar-powered traffic control equipment, expansion of this magnitude called for guidance. The...

Thermal imaging NDT for turbine blades. (Base Studies).(Alstom Power uses thermal imaging for nondestructive testing)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... The manufacturers of industrial gas turbine engines have long relied upon various nondestructive testing (NDT) techniques, including X-ray and ultrasound, to ensure the quality of their turbine blades. But Alstom Power's Industrial Gas Turbines...

Calipers resist moisture, contaminants. (Case Studies).(Nukabe Inc. uses Fred V. Fowler Company Inc. calipers)(Brief Article)
September 1, 2002... Electronic calipers may seem like simple measuring devices. But when contaminants in the work environment cause calipers to fail, their importance can quickly become clear. That point was driven home recently at the U.S. operations of...

Measuring center. (New Products).
September 1, 2002... The Diametric Measuring Center (DMC) measures precision turned or ground parts. The machine has a solid granite base and air bearing technology. It features length, incremental, absolute, radius, diameter, angle and T-slot measurements from 2-D...

Oscilloscope. (New Products).
September 1, 2002... The TDS 2000 series of oscilloscopes are available in two- and four-channels and up to 200 megahertz bandwidth. A standard color LCD makes it easier to interpret waveforms, especially when multiple traces are displayed, the company says....

Digital readout. (New Products).
September 1, 2002... The NVP200 QC Series of metrology digital readouts is used for optical comparators. The DRO features a fiber optic edge detector and memory that can hold up to 100 programs or 320 steps. It can measure points, lines and circles and the data...

Torque fastening tools. (New Products).
September 1, 2002... SPX GSE tech-motive tool has expanded its line of torque fastening tools to include right angle flanged head, right angle sliding spindle, offset, tube nut, crowfoot and pistol grip nutrunners. All nutrunners have a lightweight aluminum handle,...

Leak systems. (New Products).
September 1, 2002... Process Controller automated flow and leak test systems are fully programmable. This system handles multiple parts with different test parameters. It has statistical process control capabilities and standalone machine control capabilities. The...

Inspection system. (New Products).
September 1, 2002... The Camscan off-line audit inspection system detects grinding damage and some heat treat qualities and monitors the residual stress from manufacturing processes. The system requires manual loading and unloading. All lobes are scanned...

Eddy current. (New Products).
September 1, 2002... SmartEddy test software uses eddy current technology for high speed testing of metal parts. The software allows operators to perform real-time analysis that includes impedance, 4-D vector, time base, spectral, correlation, lift off correction,...

Web-based motor testing. (New Products).
September 1, 2002... This web-based test and experimentation platform can operate in real-time over the Internet, for electric motor and power systems. It operates as a virtual engineering laboratory that allows for fully interactive control of system hardware. The...

Microhardness tester. (New Products).
September 1, 2002... VMHT Auto Mot is a microhardness tester that interfaces with Q550MW materials workstation software. The tool features QHardness software, an automated turret, automated stage, comprehensive test forces, convenient load selection, rapid focus...

CMM. (New Products).
September 1, 2002... Checkmaster is a benchtop CMM. It works with Geomet Junior Windows-based software. The software does true 3-D geometric measuring. The CMM has a one piece bridge design. Hits in excess of 100 per minute are achievable. Helmel Engineering...

Test system. (New Products).
September 1, 2002... Spectralyze is a single-channel tool for position or time-sensitive measurements. The tool can map the energy levels acquired by the data collection unit over time. A miniaturized spectrometer is contained in the data collection unit. The tool...

Nondestructive test system. (New Products).
September 1, 2002... The Acoustic Resonance Inspection System has 100% flaw detection at up to 800 fpm. It can do simultaneous surface and subsurface defect characterization as small as 0.001 inch. The system identifies and characterizes defects and anomalies, seam...

Vertical machining center. (New Products).
September 1, 2002... FV56A vertical machining center has a wide range of machining applications such as drilling, tapping and milling. The center has an automatic pallet changer that uses a high-speed rotary mechanism to complete one cycle of pallet changing in six...

Web-enabled software. (New Products).
September 1, 2002... Tactic, Version 4, is a PC-based advanced finite capacity planning and scheduling system. The software integrates with business systems or operates as a stand-alone unit. Planning, scheduling and status information can be accessed from the...

Traceable thermometer. (New Products).
September 1, 2002... Traceable Snap-in Module Thermometer measures temperatures from -58 to 572 F and -50 to 300 C. The thermometer can be panel-mounted or used as a stand-alone unit, It has a resolution of 0.1 degree from -20 to 200 degrees, and 1 degree...

High-speed spindle. (New Products).
September 1, 2002... Mini-Mac miniature high-speed spindle tool is a 30,000-rpm air-driven spindle. The tool has an 1/8-inch collet size and a 5/8-inch shank size. It is compatible with oil- or water-based coolants. The tool has clockwise spindle rotation. ...

Portable data logger. (New Products).
September 1, 2002... The MC104 portable hydraulic data logger has eight sensor inputs and four pressure inputs. The logger also has two temperature and flow or speed inputs. An operator can display and print eight calculated channels, four peak pressure, two...

Laser accessories. (New Products).
September 1, 2002... Cut Quality Enhancer (CQE) and Optical Feedback Isolator (OFI) are bolt-on accessories for the company's diamond C[O.sub.2] lasers. The CQE maintains the constant kerf width needed for producing consistent edges and dimensional accuracy in both...

Root cause analysis. (New Products).
September 1, 2002... Proact Version 2.0 is root cause analysis software. It can be used in a network version or as stand-alone software. The software has search, enhanced team pool, publishing and file linking options. Reliability Center Inc. (804) 488-0645 ...

Vertical machining center. (New Products).
September 1, 2002... Model FZ 08 KW vertical machining center has a balanced spindle capable of speeds up to 27,000 rpm. The machine can accelerate and decelerate in as little as 1.8 seconds. The 5-hp drive unit can accelerate and decelerate up to 8,000 rpm in 0.5...

Thread detection. (New Products).
September 1, 2002... GHP-2X thread detection has a dual-coil eddy current probe. It detects the presence or absence of threads in holes or on studs. The system has 2 meters and 2 window settings for each channel, replaceable cards, and health and status error...

Indicator. (New Products).
September 1, 2002... IQ plus 355 indicator does straight weighing, material handling, truck scale and tank weighing applications. The indicator has a large six-digit LED, as well as a five-button keypad. It can program two ticket formats with up to 300 characters...

Pressure recorder. (New Products).
September 1, 2002... Model CR87-P pressure recorder has three different pressure ranges at four different recording speeds. Pressure accuracy is [+ or -] 3 psi. The recorder has a chart speed accuracy of [+ or -] 1%. It has single or continuous chart rotation. ...

Vertical CNC. (New Products).
September 1, 2002... V 850 is a vertical CNC lathe. It has a diameter of 850 millimeters and an 850-millimeter length turning capacity. The machine has direct programmable speeds from 5 to 1,800 rpm. The tool turret has a 12-tool capacity. It has an X-axis travel...

Roundness measurement. (New Products).
September 1, 2002... RA-H5000 is a roundness measuring tool that has a vertical column straightness of 0.05 micron, parallelism with rotating axis of 0.2 micron and measuring arm straightness of 0.5 micron. The tool digitally compensates measurements. It also does...

High-speed cutting. (New Products).
September 1, 2002... TNC 426/TNC 430 milling machine control for high-speed cutting can control spindle speeds up to 20,000 rpm. The look-ahead feature maintains steady traversing speeds with contouring accuracy at feed rates greater than 10 meters per minute. ...

Still passionate for quality? There's a lot wrong with the quality profession today, but together, we can fix it. (Probing The Limits).(Brief Article)(Column)
September 1, 2002... Is your passion for quality as strong as ever? I'm guessing it is not. I'm still very passionate about quality, but I have to admit, it's been hard to keep the faith with many of the changes that have occurred in the quality profession...