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Karen is skinny. For almost 15 years, one of my personal goals was to join her in running three times a week. That never happened because I was skinny, too. I was able to eat as much as I wanted without gaining weight. And then, I turned 50. My clothes were not loose on me anymore, and guessing my…
In my previous article, I discussed the merits and cautions of the “acceptance number” equal zero (c=0) sampling plans contained within AS9138. A simple formula was provided to determine appropriate sample size, and it was illustrated that twice the inspection does not provide twice the consumer…
(Marposs: Auburn Hills, MI) -- Marposs announces the availability of its WRSP60 high-accuracy scanning probes for checking part profiles directly on machining centers and milling machines in real time. Parts can be checked for defects without being transferred to a measurement lab, eliminating the…
(Phillips Precision: Boylston, MA) -- Phillips Precision’s Products Division announces its new 3-Legged Spider Clamp as part of the Inspection Arsenal LEAN, Quick-Swap inspection fixture system. Not only does Phillips Precision offer the only quick-swap standard fixture systems, but it provides…
(ANSI: Washington, D.C.) -- The American National Standards Institute (ANSI), a recognized accreditation body under the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), encourages relevant stakeholders to utilize the FDA’s Voluntary Qualified Importer Program (VQIP)…
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST*) is a nonregulatory federal agency of the Department of Commerce and is the national metrology institute of the United States. NIST’s role in the development of voluntary consensus standards (VCS) is rooted in many policy decisions and…
During the past five to 10 years, the United States has seen more industry and academic institutions embrace apprenticeship programs. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, from 2013 to 2017, the number of those participating in apprenticeship programs grew from 375,000 to almost 534,000, an…
The Coordinate Metrology Society (CMS) continues its support and coverage of advancements in the precision dimensional metrology industry, as it has done for more than three decades. One of our key strengths has been the professional women in our membership ranks. They have been and continue to be…
The Coordinate Metrology Society (CMS) has launched a new digital library of original technical papers delivered by metrology experts over the past 12 years at its annual conference—the Coordinate Metrology Society Conference (CMSC). The library is an online archival of more than 100 technical…
(FARO: Lake Mary, FL) -- FARO, the world’s most trusted source for 3D measurement and imaging solutions for public safety forensics and factory metrology, announces the availability of FARO ScanPlan, a solution for fast and easy mapping of floor plans. This next generation 2D handheld mapper is…
(Nikon Corp.: Tokyo) -- Nikon announces the release of the CNC video measuring system, NEXIV VMZ-H3030, suitable for measuring precision samples, such as semiconductor packages, electronic parts, and machined parts.
Product development background
Using Nikon’s proprietary optical and image…
(NIST: Gaithersburg, MD) -- The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) introduces the VSANS Very Small Angle Neutron Scattering (VSANS) instrument that will help scientists at the NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) explore objects at the size scale important for nanotechnology…
(3D Infotech: Irvine, CA) -- 3D Infotech has released Spotlight AR++, a plug-in for Polyworks metrology software allowing projection of inspection results directly onto the part being inspected. Guided metrology empowers users to visualize defects easily and methodically reducing manufacturing…
(API Metrology: Rockville, MD) -- API announced the launch of its latest Radian line of laser trackers. The updated series of Radian trackers offer the lightest, most compact, and highest accuracy trackers in the industry. The line includes three models: Radian Core, Radian Plus, and Radian Pro.…
(Hexagon: North Kingstown, RI) -- Eight years after the launch of the first ROMER Absolute Arm, Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division has unveiled its new Absolute Arm range. A ground-up redesign has seen one of the world’s most recognizable portable measuring arms modernized to meet the…
The PrecisionPath Consortium (PPC) for Large-Scale Manufacturing has completed and released their Technology Road Map for Large-Scale Manufacturing. The consortium is a collaboration of commercial-industry partners, the Coordinate Metrology Society, and the UNC Charlotte working to determine and…
(Creaform: Lévis, Québec) -- Creaform, a worldwide leader in portable 3D measurement solutions and engineering services, announced today that it is expanding its California presence with a new office in Irvine. With this relocation, Creaform further continues its global market expansion and…
Omnex began working in the automotive industry by assisting Ford powertrain suppliers in 1986. The U.S. automotive industry’s Big Three used GM’s Targets for Excellence, Ford’s Q 101, and Chrysler’s SQA standards to qualify its supply bases. The automotive industry was making deep reductions in its…
LNS Research published its research, “Driving Operational Performance With Digital Innovation: Connecting Risk, Quality, and Safety for Superior Results” to address fundamental challenges quality and safety leaders face today.
If quality and safety are separate functions in your organization (…
Aerospace standard AS9138—“Quality management systems statistical product acceptance requirements” was issued this year (2018), a few years after its accompanying guidance materials in section 3.7 of the International Aerospace Quality Group’s (IAQG) Supply Chain Management Handbook. The new…
I am a quality manager by profession. Thus, I think about quality a lot. How would one define “quality?” A simple view of quality is “conformance to requirements.” This simplistic view of quality lacks the complexity that it should have. It assumes that everything is static, the customer will…
To all of you out there who are fans of our live video programming, note that in lieu of our regularly scheduled episode of Quality Digest Live this Friday, we’re instead bringing you a two-hour special broadcast, our second annual Virtual Test and Measurement Expo. The date is important, because…
In this all-manufacturing episode, we look at the STEM pipeline into manufacturing, supplier development, how to make sense of manufacturing data and, no, manufacturing is not dead.
“Strengthening the STEM Workforce Pipeline Through Outreach”
NIST does more than just research and come up with…
Parts One and Two of this series illustrated four problems with using a model-building approach when data snooping. This column will present an alternative approach for data snooping that is of proven utility. This approach is completely empirical and works with all types of data.
The model-…
The fourth industrial revolution is upon us. Collecting real-time production data is becoming more common as enterprise-wide software develops into a tool that enables transformative gains in productivity. Although not common, there are “lights-out” factories, such as the fully automated FANUC…
