All Features
The acronym MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) has long been part of the aerospace vernacular. But only recently have service providers adopted automated tools to streamline the upfront process of capturing and digitally reconstructing physical parts that require repairs or redesign.
The…
Capture 3D
(Capture 3D: Costa Mesa, CA) -- Capture 3D announces that its Users Group Conference & 3D Metrology Workshop is being held Oct. 5–7 at the Hyatt Newport Beach in Newport Beach, California. This conference is geared for engineers, management, and executives to gain insight on how companies are…
Automated Precision Inc.
(API: Rockville, MD) -- Automated Precision Inc.’s (API) volumetric error compensation (VEC) is an innovative process that establishes a new methodology in volumetric error compensation for large machine tools. This innovative, multi-award-winning technology was just included in the 48th Annual R…
Nikon Metrology Inc.
(Nikon Metrology: Brighton, MI) -- Nikon Metrology and Verisurf Software have joined forces to make it possible for manufacturers to drive all Nikon Metrology portable metrology devices from Verisurf’s common software platform. Supported Nikon Metrology devices include the Laser Radar, K-Series…
Hubbs Machine and Manufacturing Inc.
(Hubbs Machine and Manufacturing: St. Louis) -- Hubbs Machine and Manufacturing Inc. has introduced the new cost-effective Sphere Mount POLAR Series of laser tracker target holders.
The SM POLAR Series offers several features. The most prominent are:
• Its small footprint for mounting in…
Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence
(Hexagon Metrology: North Kingstown, RI) -- Hexagon Metrology has announced the official opening of HexagonStore.com, an e-commerce portal for the United States that offers online purchase of training classes, parts, and accessories for metrology systems. The store includes convenient purchasing…
FARO
(FARO: Lake Mary, FL) -- FARO Technologies Inc., a global provider of portable 3-D measurement and imaging solutions, has announced the release of the world’s most accurate, break-resistant spherically-mounted retroreflector (SMR) as a part of its newly expanded line of laser tracker targets.…
InnovMetric Software
(InnovMetric Software Inc.: Québec City, Canada) -- InnovMetric Software recently released v. 11.0.16 of PolyWorks software that incorporates three new instrument plug-ins:
• A laser tracker plug-in for the new Leica AT401
• A laser scanner plug-in for the new Steinbichler Probe Scanner
• An…
Rapidform Inc.
(INUS Technology Inc.: Seoul) -- INUS Technology Inc. recently announced that its worldwide revenue for the first half of 2010 beat its internal expectations and represents a more than 50-percent jump from the same period in 2009. The company is on track to generate the highest annual revenue in…
At the Harris Corp. (Government Communications Systems Division—GCSD), solid carbon-fiber and aluminum-shaped reflector dishes are manufactured to support military ground, sea, and air communications. These reflectors range in size from 1 to 13 m. To meet performance requirements, the surface…
PQ Systems
(PQ Systems: Dayton, OH) -- A new release of GAGEpack from PQ Systems features more efficient access to gauge calibration records as well as improved e-mail alarms to designated receivers.
GAGEpack is powerful gauge calibration software that saves time and enhances accuracy in gauge management…
Miriam Boudreaux
If you have ever wondered what the difference was between a gap analysis, an internal audit, or a pre-assessment, you might not be alone. When trying to figure out whether your company meets the requirements of a standard, such as one the International Organization for Standardization (ISO),…
Raissa Carey
Since 2007, Cape Coral, Florida, has adopted a mission to eliminate waste in all processes and operate in a more effective and efficient manner. Since then, the city has achieved more than $2 million in cost savings and performed 18 kaizen events to reduce costs and increase productivity without…
Tripp Babbitt
W. Edwards Deming did a great disservice. He left a prescription for what the United States should do to improve government, manufacturing, and service. The prescription is composed of his 14 Points and Seven Deadly Diseases (which later became his System of Profound Knowledge), and he learned…
University of San Francisco
(University Alliance: Tampa, FL) -- Fueled by the rising demand to streamline key processes, business process management (BPM) has become a central requirement in planning, implementing change, and evaluating performance in organizations. In fact, the number of large companies (those with more…
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.
(Thermo Fisher Scientific: Madison, WI) -- Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. has introduced its newest FT-IR spectrometer, the Thermo Scientific Nicolet iS5, powered by OMNIC software. The spectrometer is designed for users seeking uncompromised, affordable, and compact FT-IR spectroscopy to assist…
RAM Optical Instrumentation Inc.
(RAM: Rochester, NY) -- The Sprint CNC 400, from RAM Optical Instrumentation Inc. (RAM), is a fully automatic dimensional measurement system with tightly integrated rack and pinion Z slide and compound XY stage with precision mechanical bearing, DC servo motor drives, zoom optics, all-LED…
InfinityQS
(InfinityQS: Chantilly, VA) -- You’ve performed a measurement system analysis (MSA) to ensure that your measurement system is acceptable, and you’ve implemented the system with scheduled gauge calibrations, but what’s next? Gauge control is critical to any measurement system, so why do so few…
Accelper Consulting
(Accelper Consulting: Schaumburg, IL) -- Praveen Gupta, adjunct industry professor for business innovation and co-chair for the Business Innovation Conference 2010, announces that registration is open for attendees. The conference, now in its third year, is being held at the Illinois Institute of…
MoreSteam.com
(MoreSteam.com: Columbus, OH) -- MoreSteam.com, the global provider of online lean Six Sigma (LSS) training and blended learning support technologies, reports a quadrupling of enrollments for its lean Six Sigma Green Belt and Black Belt certification programs. Since June, MoreSteam has witnessed…
J. LeRoy Ward
Organizations that struggle with outsourced projects which have gone bad or failed completely usually cite vendor management issues as the reason. It’s as if the vendor is always to blame, and the buyer is completely blameless. Rarely is this the case. Upon closer inspection, and in nine out of 10…
Donald J. Wheeler
In my August column, “How to Turn Capability Indexes Into Dollars,” I defined the effective cost of production and use and showed how it can be obtained directly from the capability and performance indexes. In this column, I will show how these indexes can be used to estimate the benefits to be…
Bill Kalmar
This is a story that, if columns in Quality Digest Daily had a rating, would be rated PG 13—not suitable for children and sensitive adults. As the story progresses, you will see why. You have been warned.
As you may have surmised from previous columns, I have been retired since 2003. Therefore…
Leica Geosystems
(Leica Geosystems: Heerbrugg, Switzerland) -- Leica Geosystems has announced Leica SpiderQC v. 4.0 as part of the new reference station software update that also includes Leica GNSS Spider and Leica SpiderWeb. SpiderQC (previously known as GNSS QC) adds a range of advanced features for…
LaserLinc Inc.
(LaserLinc: Fairborn, OH) -- LaserLinc Inc., a manufacturer of noncontact laser and ultrasonic measurement systems, has developed Lobex, an innovative solution for lobing-detection in centerless grinding.
Lobing is deviation from roundness on a centerless ground part—an issue for anyone who…