All Features
Johns Hopkins University
Large wind farms are being built around the world as a cleaner way to generate electricity, but operators are still searching for the most efficient way to arrange the massive turbines that turn moving air into power.
To help steer wind-farm owners in the right direction, Charles Meneveau, a Johns…
Tracker Handbook by Javier Vera
The technology from which the laser tracker is drawn has a diversified beginning, from the laser instrumentation to the methods of capturing the beam. Unmistakably, it is the integration of all components, along with its portability, that makes the laser tracker an appealing measurement tool.
Many…
Christopher Sirola
Many years ago, I was flipping through stations on the radio and came across a talk show. I don’t remember the topic of discussion, but something the host said stuck with me.
“Scientists,” the host blustered (and I paraphrase), “are 95-percent confident of these results! Wow!”
The sound you’re now…
Sharbari Banerjee
A material’s internal structure or microstructure is defined as one that is viewed with either a metallurgical microscope at magnifications in the range of 25X up to 1000X or a scanning electron microscope (SEM) at higher magnifications. Features observed in microstructures include phases and…
Bob Cramblitt
The term “a measure of confidence” has always been considered a nebulous thing. But it becomes very real when applied to body armor testing at the U.S. Army’s Aberdeen Test Center (ATC) in Maryland. Using a FaroArm Quantum scanner and Geomagic Qualify 3-D inspection software, the Army has…
Sam Pfeifle
One of the topics that drew the most interest at the recently completed SPAR Europe conference, held at the RAI Conference Center in Amsterdam, was that of mobile scanning and mapping. What kind of accuracy can you expect? How fast can you drive? What’s the business case for collecting so much…
Nikon Metrology Inc.
Because damage inflicted on aircraft can affect structural integrity and radar signature, specific aircraft types are inspected to triage damage and define repair actions. To radically improve current manual damage-identification practices, metrology specialists from Maryland-based SURVICE…
Digital Surveys Ltd.
Building information modelling (BIM) is one of the most fundamental changes to affect the global construction industry. The growing worldwide adoption and implementation of this technology allows for powerful data-based modeling, visualisation, analysis and simulation capabilities that are…
Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence
The race is on for who will manufacture 1,000 mirrors for the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT). Cranfield University in the United Kingdom has begun work on producing seven of the mirror segments for “the world’s biggest eye on the sky” with the aid of high-accuracy measurement systems…
Jacques Hoffmann
In parts one and two of this ongoing primer on leak testing, we discussed pressure-decay testing and differential pressure-decay testing, respectively. Although those leak-testing methods remain the most widely used, it is often because they are assumed to be the least expensive leak-testing…
Gregory K. McMillan
Temperature is one of the four most common types of process loops. While the other common loops—flow, level, and pressure—occur more often, temperature loops are generally more difficult and important. It is the single most frequently stated type of loop of interest to users, and the concern for…
Iowa State University
A green laser flashes across a high-pressure spray that fuels a jet engine. Those flashes, some just 50 millionths of a second apart, freeze the droplets of fuel for a camera to record and a computer to analyze.
This is particle image velocimetry, just one of the advanced flow-diagnostic tools…
Tracker Handbook by Javier Vera
From time to time there are advances in technology that merit recognition. From the invention of the measurement ruler, to the first electric light bulb, to the creation of the first transistor, which led to the invention of the computer—such devices have advanced our abilities to manufacture…
Minitab LLC
(Minitab: State College, PA) -- Swiss-based Metalor Technologies, a global leader in precious metals and advanced materials, is a supplier to electronics companies and manufacturers of medical and electrical equipment.
Metalor’s skill in creating reliable technology has earned the company a…
Nikon Metrology Inc.
(Nikon Metrology: Brighton, MI) -- Process Sciences Inc. (PSI), a process engineering resource center, runs X-ray inspections to trace connectivity issues in electronic circuitry that otherwise remain hidden to the eye. Using intuitive, real-time X-ray imaging, PSI collaborates with original…
A new year always brings new hope, new plans, and new perspectives. While looking ahead is the most direct route to progress, looking back is essential to understanding the present. After all, the past creates the consequences that will shape the future.
With this in mind, the editors of…
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icromachining and micromolding are fabrication technologies used for developing devices and components at the micro-to-macro scale. To provide quality control at this scale, manufacturers must be able to inspect various surface measurements, including roughness, area, and dimension. Surface…
Michael R. Frecks
Managing point data sets is already a concern for clients. Now the surveying industry promotes its efficiency at the cost of best practices with a million-point-per-second milestone. Check out the article, “Optech Breaks 1m/sec Barrier,” in the Oct. 5, 2010, issue of SparView. I liken this…
Robert Kaphengst
Effective communication and consistent measurement across all engineering disciplines and processes are essential to the design and manufacture of the highest quality products. Geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T) is key to achieving these goals.
GD&T defined
GD&T is a…
Jeffrey G. Stark is president of Sensor Products Inc.
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odern microprocessor-controlled electronics and high-power LED lighting operate at elevated temperatures due to Joule heating. As a result, heat sinks, to dissipate temperature, have become important in electronic system designs.…
Environmental Quality Corner with Ken Appel
Ken Appel is the manager of regulated industries for Veriteq.
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he U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and its European Union counterparts recently agreed to cooperate on pharmaceutical plant inspections to enable stepped-up enforcement of safety guidelines. These agreements will help…
InnovMetric
Aerodynamic Trailer Systems Ltd. (ATS) of Auburn, Ohio, has developed a new product that fits on commercial trailer doors to provide a more aerodynamic shape to the rear of the trailer. The object is a “Green Technology” to reduce emissions by improving fuel efficiency of over-the-road trucks. The…
Xing-Fei He is senior product manager at DALSA Corp.
Flawless brake operation is so essential to the safety of a vehicle that all brake systems have passed some type of safety testing before a driver ever gets behind the wheel. But how much better would you, as a driver, feel knowing that the…
Noncontact measurement is the fastest growing segment in the metrology world, with new methods and technologies being introduced every year. As with all new solutions, end users want to know how to evaluate the performance of these new products, and for that they turn to standards organizations.…
AICON 3D Systems
Uwira Oy , based in the West-Finnish harbor town of Vaasa, is part of the Leinolat Group, a corporation of six companies. Since 1993, the company has successfully manufactured welding products for the energy, shipbuilding, and machine-building sectors. One of Uwira’s special fields is the…