The Coordinate Metrology Society’s (CMS) efforts to deliver an industry-recognized certification to the profession of portable 3D metrology is now a reality.

Looking for an event to attend where you get up-to-date information on the latest hardware and software? Try attending a user conference of a prospective vendor. You might be pleasantly surprised at how much you learn. Although typically set up for existing users of a company’s products, these events are often open to potential customers, sometimes for a small fee.

Imagine smart tools or robotic delivery systems that instantaneously know where they are on an ever-changing shop floor, a system that could automatically orient a CAD model of an object on the shop floor to the local coordinate system without the use of targets or human intervention. Such tools could deliver parts or subassemblies to where they were needed, even if the major assembly or jig had moved. A smart torque wrench might automatically adjust torque based on knowing where you were and what fastener you were getting ready to tighten.

Not too long ago, my wife and I attended a fundraiser hosted by one local restaurateur on behalf of another. The locally owned and long-time eatery, Humpty Dumpty, in Grass Valley, California, had burned to the ground, obviously putting all its employees out of a job. So, the staff of Kane’s Restaurant and Maria’s Mexican Restaurant, both owned by John Kane, approached Kane and suggested a fundraiser where they would donate all their tips for one night to the out-of-work employees.