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As we approach the 10th anniversary of the event that changed our nation’s psyche forever, the “9-11 attack,” all of us have memories and recollections of where we were on that fateful day. For me, I was in my office at a local university. Shortly after 8:45 a.m. one of my associates came by my…
The simplicity of the process behavior chart can be deceptive. This is because the simplicity of the charts is based on a completely different concept of data analysis than that which is used for the analysis of experimental data. When someone does not understand the conceptual basis for process…
(Hexagon Metrology: North Kingstown, RI) -- Hexagon Metrology has announced a free live webinar on Enhanced PC-DMIS reporting scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2011, from 11:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. EDT. Anyone looking for tips and ideas on how to more effectively use the built-in graphical reporting…
(J.D. Power: Westlake Village, CA) -- Heavy-duty truck engine quality has improved from 2010, after technology changes related to emissions standards revisions caused a spike in engine-related problems during recent years, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2011 U.S. Heavy-Duty Truck…
(SAE: Warrendale, PA) -- The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) International’s Digital Library now includes e-books to bolster its collection of more than 175,000 technical papers, standards, and related publications from SAE International and other organizations.
SAE International’s…
(Konica Minolta: Ramsey, NJ) -- Konica Minolta Sensing Americas Inc. (KMSA), a global leader in the industrial measurement of color, light, and shape, has launched its Technology Test Drive Program to U.S.-based commercial and research and development (R&D) solar-industry companies.…
(CSA: Toronto) -- CSA Standards, a leading standards-based solutions organization, has launched the CSA Registered Carbon Neutral Program. The program provides organizations and building owners with a credible, transparent process by which to declare their carbon neutrality and receive…
(Nikon: Tokyo) -- Nikon Corp. has released two innovative series of microscopes: the ECLIPSE Ni series for biological research with advanced system expandability, superior optical performance, and ease of use; and the ECLIPSE Ci series biological laboratory microscope designed to deliver comfort…
What if electricity and heat could be generated simultaneously? Think about energy generation on a small scale, like your household. Imagine if the same source that powered your lights and turned on your television would also heat your water and home. This two-for-one type of energy generation…
In April 1989, the first Shingo Prize for Manufacturing Excellence had just been awarded at Utah State University. Shigeo Shingo was on hand at this auspicious event to receive an honorary doctoral degree from the university and also to bestow his name on the prize. I had the honor of meeting…
The quote “Baseball been berry, berry good to me” comes from one of my favorite Saturday Night Live skits from the late 1970s. Garrett Morris played Chico Escuela, a retired Hispanic baseball player who knew very little English. His pat answer for most questions—“Baseball been berry, berry good…
(CRAIC: San Dimas, CA) -- CRAIC Elixir is the multifunctional yet cost-effective solution for trace evidence analysis from CRAIC Technologies, manufacturer of superior microspectrophotometers for science and industrial applications. This full-featured, flexibly configured instrument offers the…
(Makino: Auburn Hills, MI) -- Makino’s 2011 Advanced Manufacturing and High-Precision Technology Expo is scheduled for Oct. 12–13 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the company’s technology center in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn about new manufacturing processes,…
(CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL) -- Written by actual Toyota team members, One Team on All Levels: Stories from Toyota Team Members, Second Edition, (CRC Press, 2011) is not another technical explanation of the Toyota Production System. Rather, it illustrates the culture it creates. The stories,…
(JIIA: Tokyo) -- At an international standards meeting held in May 2011 in conjunction with the European Machine Vision Association (EMVA) Business Conference, business leaders and technical experts within the European machine-vision industry considered adopting a lighting standard that was…
(ISPE: Tampa, FL) -- The International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering (ISPE), a global nonprofit association of 22,000 pharmaceutical professionals who use expert knowledge to create high-quality, cost-effective good manufacturing practices (GMP) solutions, will offer six training…
(The Conference Board: New York) -- The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index, which had improved slightly in July 2011, plummeted in August. The index now stands at 44.5 (1,985 = 100), down from 59.2 in July. The Present Situation Index decreased to 33.3 from 35.7. The Expectations Index…
It’s not often that someone can claim that going from a positive to a negative is a step forward, but that’s the case for a team of scientists from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and private industry.
In a recent paper titled, “Expanding the Capabilities of Microfluidic…
To avoid confusion, the term “headhunter” in this article does not refer to those who take the severed head of others as some sort of trophy (that practice, as far as I know, is defunct); nor does it refer to finding, at a price, qualified candidates for employment. Rather, we’re talking about…
This month we’re challenging readers to create quality poems in the three-line haiku format. The first line should be five syllables, the second line seven syllables, and the third line five syllables for a total of 17:
Standards are key here:
Format is five-seven-five
Or QC…
(SICK: Minneapolis) -- SICK, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of sensors, safety systems, machine vision, and automatic identification products for factory and logistics automation, has launched its DDS36 and DDS50 incremental encoders. They are low-cost, light-duty optical incremental…
The human mind is currently the most intelligent device you will ever own. However, have you ever noticed how it has a filtering system? For example, do you remember the uneventful drive to the office this morning? I have no idea why the brain “forgets” these things, but in an instant you will…
(Alliance Scale: Canton, MA) -- Alliance Scale Inc. is introducing a high-quality line of precision stainless-steel weight sets for calibrating balances and scales used in education, food, forensic, pharmaceutical, and other laboratory and quality-control applications requiring better-than-…
Industry-leading manufacturers will be presenting best practices for using statistical process control (SPC) software at InfinityQS’ fifth annual user conference at the JW Marriott San Francisco Union Square, Oct. 16–19, 2011. The conference, Infusion 2011, will offer nine comprehensive, hands-…
(ISO: Geneva) -- Any of us can find some packages or packaged products tricky to open. Such difficulties can be worse for the elderly, or people with disabilities. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is contributing to a solution in the form of a standard for designing…
