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While the computations for a process behavior chart are completely general and very robust, the secret to using a process behavior chart effectively lies in the art of rational sampling and rational subgrouping. Rational subgrouping has to do with organizing your data so that the chart will answer…
Overall, lean is the toolbox we should all be using to help eliminate waste—the stuff you don’t want to do, and the stuff your customer’s don’t want to pay for. The best way to eliminate waste is to communicate what it is and what it isn’t.
One of the key elements in the ISO 9001 standard has…
(FDA: Silver Spring, MD) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has taken important steps to help manufacturers develop biologic products called biosimilars. Biosimilars are highly similar to, and have no clinically meaningful differences from, an already approved biological product.…
One of our major problems with healthcare reform is that we are doing it from the top down.
At the top, a bloated bureaucracy works in an environmental context of regulations and finance that seems to be focused on what is best for government and payers. The perils of out-of-control costs have…
The final draft international standard (FDIS) of ISO 9001:2015 will be released in July, and the revised standard is slated for publication in September. Per Annex SL of the “Consolidated ISO Supplement,” some elements of the standard will be restructured to allow for easier integration of…
Generally speaking, I have a problem with authority. I don’t like being told what to do or how to do it. I’m not proud of that.
I recall debating with my high school trigonometry teacher regarding the value of the homework “process”—specifically in those situations where the student in question…
If you are in a leadership role, chances are you believe it’s better to give than to receive. This means you also probably believe you should always be competent, never make mistakes, and always be strong. You may also feel that you should only receive when you have something to give in return.…
(Vision Engineering: New Milford, CT) -- Mantis Elite-Cam HD brings image and video-capture capabilities to the outstanding optical performance of the Mantis family of “eyepiece-less” stereo microscopes. Vision Engineering, a global manufacturer of unique ergonomic stereo microscopes and…
In an era when every square foot and extra minute along a supply chain mean dollars saved or squandered, it’s not surprising that auto dealerships have been facing uncomfortable scrutiny. Protected by franchise laws, these icons of American commerce struggle to justify their value to customers as…
(NIST: Gaithersburg, MD) -- The National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) has announced that it will hold two separate competitions in 2016 for MEP centers in 21 states and Puerto Rico. The upcoming competitions are part of a…
Ah, the scientific method. How elegant, how useful—and how easily ignored. The process of studying a problem, formulating a hypothesis, running a controlled experiment, analyzing the resulting data, and then making an objective decision is so quickly cast aside in the interest of quick-and-dirty…
(Zontec: Cincinnati) -- Zontec, the international developer of statistical process control (SPC) software solutions, has released an update to its Synergy 2000 Multi-Function Toolbox for the worldwide market. The Multi-Function Toolbox is an easy-to-use utility program that automates data transfer…
As you browse through lean management pages on the Internet, you may have seen reports on companies having little success with lean, or comments about how misunderstanding lean can lead to bad consequences. From time to time I can sense the level of frustration from those comments, and I…
My career in quality engineering started off at the endoscopy division of Stryker Corp. in San Jose, California. The endoscopy equipment included scopes, cameras, and accessories, and I was in charge of the camera line. Mind you, I didn’t really have much of a clue what this role entailed. I’d…
(FARO: Lake Mary, FL) -- FARO Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:FARO), the world’s most trusted source for 3D measurement, imaging, and realization technology, announces the acquisition of kubit GmbH, a global leader in the development of software for surveying and as-built documentation. The acquisition…
E xtreme Fab Inc. is a structural metal fabrication company that has the tools and skills to build the massive machinery that the oil and gas, power, energy, and trucking industries require. One of their key customers is GE Aero Energy, a company that gives businesses and communities around the…
(NIST: Gaithersburg, MD) -- In April, the Dimensional Metrology Group from the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Physical Measurement Laboratory (PML) hosted a three-day hands-on training event for 13 industry and government attendees. The class was given in response to an industry-…
Large-volume metrology measurements are conducted at every major phase of alignment and integration of the Integrated Science Instrument Module (ISIM), which forms the main payload of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). Both ambient and cryogenic…
Earlier this spring, thousands of people from all over the nation gathered in Springfield, IL, to honor the life of our beloved President Abraham Lincoln. After his death in 1865, his body was carried hundreds of miles by a funeral train. It passed through more than a hundred cities, with formal…
Yesterday, May 20, 2015, we celebrated World Metrology Day. This is an annual commemoration of the signature by representatives of seventeen nations attending the Metre Convention, which was held on May 20, 1875. This convention set the stage for global acceptance and collaboration for “Metrology…
(Origin Technologies: Madison, AL) -- Origin Technologies Corp., a global provider of off-the-shelf contour measurement systems, has announced the availability of its latest LaserGauge DSP sensor, model HS770. This portable, hand-held Multi-Vector laser profiling system provides complete 3D…
(API Services: Newport News, VA) -- Konecranes Machine Tool Service recently invested approximately $300,000 in machine tool metrology equipment from Automated Precision Inc. (API). The new Radian laser tracker and four new 6D laser systems enable Konecranes Machine Tool Service to capture…
(Third Dimension: Bristol, UK) -- Third Dimension, the leading supplier of hand-held precision measurement solutions, recently celebrated its success in being named as winners of a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the international trade category—the UK’s highest accolade for business success.…
(Capture 3D: Miami, FL) -- A GE Aviation open innovation challenge designed to uncover new methods of conducting high-speed, automated inspections of turbine airfoils garnered 51 entries from 48 different participants in 18 countries. The winning entry was submitted by Capture 3D, of Costa Mesa,…
(Verisurf: San Diego, CA) -- Verisurf Software has been selected by Workshops for Warriors to provide 20 fully licensed seats of Verisurf 3D measurement software, in support of the group’s mission to train, certify, and place veterans into advanced manufacturing careers. Each fully bundled seat of…
