All Features
Richard Curtis Ph.D.
The speed, convenience and cost benefits of microliter volume, air displacement pipettes drive the frequent use of these precision instruments. However, pipettes, like all mechanical instruments, are subject to failure, and this—along with the technique of operators—can have a significant effect…
Fred Mason
A metrologist wants to know that any variations in measurements are the result of variations of the parts being measured, not variations in the measuring devices or their users. Subjective interpretation of inspection or measurement devices is a complex variable that can influence the quality of…
Fred Mason
Last month, I talked about vision vs. video and brought up the possibility of confusion between inspection and measurement. Some think that inspection is qualitative and measurement is quantitative. I can’t say I’ll put the matter to rest, but I’ll present a few different…
Fred Mason
Using the eye is visual. The use of magnified imaging by eye or with a camera is a common part of manufacturing. Some of that use is for inspection. Some is for measurement. Some is online. Some is offline. There are vision-inspection systems. There are video-inspection systems. There…
Michael H. Brill Ph.D.
As part of a volunteer team that cleared a walking trail in my neighborhood, I helped to shovel a straight path through a small berm. Seeking to solve another problem at the same time, a member of the party started to use the dirt he removed to fill in a nearby puddle on the trail.…
Fred Mason
It’s New Year’s resolution time. Many of the things we resolve to do in the New Year are measurable—lose weight, run farther or faster, quit smoking, do more of some things and less of other things. All can be measured. But how do you measure success (or failure)? What do you measure…
Fred Mason
Continuing last month’s topic of temperature effects on measurements, what about temperature compensation? Some measuring systems claim increased accuracy with the usually optional temperature compensation. What’s that? What’s it supposed to do? And does it do what it claims to do?
Remember that…
Fred Mason
This is the first “Measurement Matters,” a column that will show how much measurement matters in achieving and maintaining quality, especially in manufacturing. I will cover topics such as types of measurements and measurement devices, how measurements are made, what can be done with the…
Fred Mason
The local environment can be an important factor in the quality of measurements. No matter what is being measured, the higher the resolution of the measurement (the finer the detail), the more significant the effect of environmental influences can be. The measurement you’re after is one…
Stephen C. Webb
Slow monitors that don’t pick up the exact end-point when a part is seated properly can hamper high-volume press-fitting operations. This process-control problem is especially widespread in automotive-powertrain assembly. A transmission, transfer case or differential can contain four to…
Fred Mason
Usually, when people discuss measurements they speak in absolute terms—degrees of temperature, millimeters of length, ounces of weight, candela of illumination intensity, degrees of angle, etc. For example, when I say the temperature is 56.4° F, the implicit understanding is that there’s direct…
Michael H. Brill
Referring to human relations, my father advised me always to "save the surface," which is something like "don’t burn your bridges," only more subtle. The connection between the homilies becomes literal in the paint industry: You must save the surface of an iron bridge to avoid burning…
George Rodrigues Ph.D.
The pipette is a reliable precision instrument that has been used and trusted for many years. However, as with many forms of instrumentation, a pipette performs only as well as the operator’s technique allows. Differences in technique—some more than others—can alter delivery volumes and affect data…
Fred Mason
No, this isn’t about promises you made on New Year’s Eve and broke the next day. It’s about measurement resolution—the number of decimal places to which a measured value is calculated and presented. The measurement can be of any parameter—voltage, distance, weight, temperature, whatever. The…
Fred Mason
Many people know about William Tell shooting the apple on his son’s head. What can this archery event teach us about accuracy and precision? What do these words mean? When are they equal, and when are they not? “Accuracy,” “precision” and “resolution” are sometimes misunderstood or…
Fred Mason
Measurements add value to the parts you manufacture. That may not be a widely accepted position, because the act of measuring is an additional step in the manufacturing sequence, and every step has a cost associated with it. With pressure to reduce costs and improve productivity, some might think…
William R. Gilman
Metrology is the science of measurement. It’s a very broad topic because so much is measured. In manufacturing, the need to verify and validate dimensions of parts is crucial. These dimensional measurements are done at many stages in the manufacturing process with a range of devices, from simple…
Frank Powell
Machine tool and manufacturing system builders have been producing increasingly intelligent equipment for more than 50 years, and today’s computer numeric controlled (CNC) machines and systems are marvels of technology. However, they still need intensive human supervision and…
The need to measure things inspired some of the earliest tools invented by man. Basic measurements were needed for constructing dwellings of an appropriate size and shape, fashioning clothing, or bartering food or raw materials. Understandably, early man turned first to parts of his…
Thomas M. Findlan
When purchasing material test equipment for tensile, fatigue or other test modes, managers of test labs may want to compare new and used test equipment due to budget constraints or other factors. The problem is that there’s currently no easy way to determine if a particular used test…
Laser scanning makes it easy to keep older military equipment running by enabling companies to create spare parts that perfectly duplicate the originals at a reasonable cost. Manufacturers of weapons systems are taking advantage of new technologies, particularly the ModelMaker laser scanning…
Peter Dickin
The use of probes on machine tools to assist in setting up jobs is well established. Recent developments in machining and inspection software mean that this equipment can now be used in a wider range of applications that are aimed at increasing overall equipment effectiveness, which consequently…
Steve Kersen
Switching from a coordinate measuring machine (CMM) to a laser scanner has helped the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Langley Research Center, increase the accuracy of models used to evaluate proposed spacecraft designs in wind tunnels. Accuracy is critical for the 6- to 12-in. scale…
Ken Lyons
Laser scanning keeps older military equipment running by enabling the creation of spare parts that perfectly duplicate the originals at a reasonable cost. MILPARTS and other companies are taking advantage of new technologies, particularly the ModelMaker laser scanning system, which make it possible…
Fluke Corp.
What is calibration anyway? Many people do a field comparison check of two meters, and call them “calibrated” if they give the same reading. This isn’t calibration. It’s simply a field check. It can show you if there’s a problem, but it can’t show you which meter is right. If both meters are out…