When Gabe Draguicevich was asked to help fabricate a titanium hip implant based on CT (computed tomography, also known as CAT) scan data, he had to coordinate numerous technologies to complete the project. Because the CT data consisted of 2-D cross-sections, Draguicevich had to stack and align the individual scans to create a 3-D model, which he used to create a polygonal mesh in the ... [Read More]

The quality industry offers a number of terrific events during the course of the year, but none is more informative, entertaining, and intimate than the Coordinate Metrology Systems Conference. This year’s CMSC occurs in Charlotte, North Carolina, July 21 through July 25. As always, the event is packed with activity, including a bustling exhibition hall, unique off-site events (a tour ... [Read More]

In its optimum form, Six Sigma is anything but simple or practical. Given its considerable upfront cost and ongoing complexity, it’s best viewed as a results-driven expedition of Homeric scope, one where the final destination is 3.4 defects per million opportunities. It’s not a journey for the faint-hearted. You must be seriously committed to pursuing it for the long term, or ... [Read More]

3-D Imaging Terminology One of the documents to come out of committee E57 was E2544-08 -- "Standard terminology for three- dimensional (3-D) imaging systems." What follows is an excerpt from the document of some of the 3-D imaging terminology. To keep the excerpt short, we have included the definition of just a few of the terms listed. 3.2 Definitions ... [Read More]

“We are going to win, and the industrial West is going to lose: There’s nothing much you can do about it because the reasons for your failure are within yourselves.” --Konosuke Matsushita   They work tirelessly to change our world irreversibly. If they succeed at what they’re doing and aren’t challenged, our way of life as we know it will end. While we whine about ... [Read More]

  What is quality? An academic definition of quality as it relates to business might be that quality is a product or service that consistently has zero defects, conforms to particular specifications, and is satisfactorily received by the customer. Another aspect of quality is that it is a thought process sought out by organizations to create an overall drive toward efficiency, the ... [Read More]

Welcome to Quality Digest’s 2008 ISO Standards Software Directory. The software that these companies create or distribute will help you to achieve or maintain registration to various quality standards of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The software products are designed to support the diverse needs of companies large and small, not only in compliance to standards, ... [Read More]