All Features
ZEISS Industrial Quality Solutions
(Carl Zeiss: Maple Grove, MN) -- Carl Zeiss Industrial Metrology has announced King Machine as a new distributor of Zeiss metrology equipment for Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. King Machine, with a Precision Measurement Center in Boise (Meridian), Idaho, will represent the full line of Zeiss…
(University of Illinois: Champaign, IL) -- The long, anxious wait for biopsy results could soon be a thing of the past, thanks to a tissue-imaging technique developed at the University of Illinois. The new microscopy technique, called “nonlinear interferometric vibrational imaging” (NIVI), was…
David Smithstein
I recently read an article on the Quality Digest website titled, “Deming, Systems Thinking, and the Future,” by Tripp Babbitt, who specializes in systems thinking. His article starts with, “W. Edwards Deming did a great disservice. He left a prescription for what the United States should do to…
Barbara A. Cleary
Signs in factories or on the back of long-range trucking rigs sometimes proclaim “X days since our last accident” or “No on-the-job injuries since 1964.” Extending the stretch between such accidents may be motivated by this announcement alone, but there are better ways to diminish or prevent…
NIST
A new chemical analysis technique developed by a research group at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) uses the shifting ultrasonic pitch of a small quartz crystal to test the purity of only a few micrograms of material. Because it works with samples close to a thousand times…
3D Systems
(3D Systems: Rock Hill, SC) -- 3D Systems announces that it will showcase its entire suite of 3-D content-to-print solutions at the 2010 EuromoldWorldFair to be held in Frankfurt, Germany, Dec. 1–4, in Hall 11, booths D46 and E26.
The company plans to introduce several new 3-D printers at…
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
(CPSC: Washington DC) -- As the holidays approach and toy catalogs begin to arrive in the mail, toy shoppers can become overwhelmed with all the choices. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) wants parents and consumers to know that safeguards put in place in recent years are making a…
NIST
(NIST: Gaithersburg, MD) -- Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have released an updated version of a computer system testing tool that can cut costs by more efficiently finding flaws.
Catching software “bugs” before a program is released enhances computer…
Dirk Dusharme @ Quality Digest
Recently, Industry Week (IW) announced the 10 inductees to its 2010 Manufacturing Hall of Fame, a “lineup of industrial superstars whose collective careers have had an immeasurable impact and influence on U.S. manufacturing.”
Included in the list of IW’s manufacturing “dream team,” alongside…
Bill Kalmar
Lately, the airwaves have been bristling with news of increased airport security screenings. What used to be a relatively easy process to board a plane has become an ordeal that every day brings forth a cacophony of complaints from passengers and even pilots. The new check-in rules, wherein…
Capture 3D
(Capture 3D: Novi, MI) -- See what’s NEW and BLUE at Capture 3D. Mark your calendar for Dec. 8. Capture 3D invites you to have lunch with its Michigan team in Novi and spend a couple of hours learning about the latest metrology technology and participate in live demos.
There are two sessions…
Zontec
(Zontec Inc.: Cincinnati) -- Zontec Inc. has announced 10 new features for its Synergy 1000T v. 7.0 statistical process control (SPC) software that is due for general release Dec. 1.
Synergy 1000 is designed for quality improvement on stand-alone PCs and local work-group computers. The…
NIST
(NIST: Washington, D.C.) -- U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke has named seven organizations as recipients of the 2010 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation’s highest presidential honor for performance excellence through innovation, improvement, and visionary leadership. This marks…
Honeywell
(Honeywell: Minneapolis) -- Honeywell, a global supplier of test-and-measurement sensor solutions, has introduced a new website featuring easy-to-use product configuration and online ordering tools, simplified navigation, and a wealth of product information.
Several feature-rich web tools have…
Business901
(Business901: Fort Wayne, IN) -- Released as an e-book, Lean Marketing House, by Joe Dager (Business901, 2010) is now available for downloading.
“When you first hear the terms ‘lean’ and ‘value stream,’ most of us think about manufacturing processes and waste,” says Dager. “Putting the word ‘…
Alternative Vision Corp.
(Alternative Vision Corp.: Tucson, AZ) -- Tattile srl, the Mairano, Italy-based developer of machine-vision solutions, announces the first release of its Antares Engine Toolkit for LabVIEW. Demonstrated at the recent Vision 2010 show in Stuttgart, Germany, the new tool kit will give LabView…
Fluke Corp.
(Fluke Corp.: Everett, WA) -- Bundled wires, cramped cabinets—it’s a tight world out there. Fortunately, Fluke Corp. is introducing a new family of state-of-the-art clamp meters, including the 376 with iFlex, a revolutionary 18-inch flexible current probe. To see how the Fluke 376 can get you out…
Maribeth Kuzmeski
Consider the following scenario: It’s 8 a.m. and you’re in an upscale hotel in Times Square—part of a well-known chain you regularly frequent—getting ready for a crucial business meeting. As you turn on your hairdryer, the power goes out. A bit nervous but not yet panicked (it’s just a blown fuse…
100 Customer Service Tips by Larry Williams
There are leaders and there are followers. There is nothing wrong with following the lead of someone, especially when that person is knowledgeable and imparts wisdom. Leaders often say they hope their instruction inspires people to help others someday. The following tips will bring you closer to…
Peter Dizikes
Nearly 6 percent of greenhouse gases generated by humans are due to the flow of products to consumers. David Simchi-Levi, a professor in Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Engineering Systems Division and Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, suggests that corporations…
Denise Robitaille
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Technical Committee (TC) 176 is made up of members who develop international standards on quality management and assurance, including the ISO 9000 series. Members of the U.S. Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to ISO/TC 176 develop U.S.…
Vishay Precision Group
(Vishay Precision Group Inc.: Malvern, PA) -- Vishay Precision Group Inc. has announced that its VPG Process Weighing division has expanded the fieldbus protocols of its BLH-Nobel Weighing Systems G4 family of multichannel weight/force indicators to include the Ethernet/IP open communications…
Geomagic
(Geomagic: Research Triangle Park, NC) -- Geomagic has announced that its reverse engineering and 3-D inspection software has received a full validation from the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The test verifies accuracy of features in the company’s software for a wide…
Cognex Corp.
(Cognex Corp.: Natick, MA) -- Tough competition means food and beverage manufacturers and packagers cannot afford production errors. This is why they must increasingly rely on machine vision systems and image-based ID readers to help achieve quality, improve productivity, and comply with product…
Nanovea
(Nanovea: Irvine, CA) -- The Nanovea Jr25, a 3-D noncontact portable profilometer, is the first truly portable, high-performance profilometer of its kind. With an optional battery pack and carrying case, the Jr25 provides measurement capability rarely available during field study. The Jr25 uses…