All News
(Automated Imaging Association: Ann Arbor, MI) -- New certification programs for robotics and machine vision system integrators will be explained at the Automate 2011 show scheduled for March 21–24, at McCormick Place in Chicago.
The robotics integrator program will be formally announced during…
(NVision Inc: Coppell, TX) -- NVision’s handheld laser scanner is being used by Lockheed Martin engineers at its Missiles and Fire Control division to ensure that the fit of accessories to aircraft exteriors and interiors is positioned perfectly the first time.
The NVision handheld scanner is a…
(BSI: London) -- In recent years there has been a substantial increase in the number of organizations offering services to inventors and other originators and developers of ideas. These include commercial companies, universities that specialize in invention and product design, and inventors’…
(Extensible CAD Technologies: Raleigh, NC) -- In response to Rand Worldwide’s recent announcement that it will no longer sell or support its functional tolerance and annotation (FT&A) and first-article inspection (FAI) tools, Extensible CAD Technologies is offering support for CATIA v. 5…
(Lennox Hill Ltd.: London) -- Lennox Hill Ltd. has included system specification language (SSL) encryption to its isoTracker document control and quality management software. isoTracker is an online hosted platform, also known as cloud software or software as a service, that provides document…
(3-D Professional Association: Chandler, AZ) -- The world is going 3-D… and now there’s an association to support the education, promotion, and development of those working within the 3-D world: the 3-D Professional Association (3dPA).
The mission of this nonprofit association is to share…
(Aegis Software: Horsham, PA) -- Aegis Industrial Software Corp. is partnering with MetricStream Inc., a market leader in enterprisewide governance, risk, compliance (GRC), and quality management solutions, to deliver a comprehensive solution for total quality management (TQM) across a…
The Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) may possess the secret to baking perfect buns every time. Its researchers have developed a production-line system that automatically inspects the quality of sandwich buns exiting the oven and adjusts oven temperatures if it detects unacceptable buns…
(Artel: Westbrook, ME) -- Artel, a global leader in liquid-handling quality assurance, recently launched version 3.3 of its Pipette Tracker software. Tightly integrated with the Artel PCS (pipette calibration system), Pipette Tracker provides a total management system for quality…
(U.S. FDA: Silver Spring, MD) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that a consent decree of permanent injunction has been filed against McNeil-PPC and two of its officers for failing to comply with current Good Manufacturing Practices’ (cGMP) requirements as required by…
During the last couple of decades we have seen huge advances in laser trackers, portable arms, structured light scanners, laser scanners, photogrammetry devices, and other 3-D measurement technologies that have made accurate 3-D shop floor measurement more feasible than ever before. Each of…
If you’re in the business of manufacturing drugs, medical devices, nutraceuticals, or manufacturing or importing any product in the United States that falls under current Good Manufacturing Processes (cGMP) regulations, your facility will be inspected by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (…
(AMT: McLean, VA) -- January U.S. manufacturing technology consumption totaled $371.41 million, according to the American Machine Tool Distributors’ Association (AMTDA) and the Association for Manufacturing Technology (AMT). This total, as reported by companies participating in the U.S.…
(Newton Research Labs: Newton, WA) -- Time-efficient surveys and precise measurements of larger underwater facilities, from bridge and pier substructures to smaller, submerged piping and valve assemblies, are now possible with a new underwater laser scanner, the M300UW, developed…
(Mettler-Toledo Inc: Columbus, OH) -- With new WMC weigh modules, in-process control and embedded weighing is now possible in any critical instrument or system operation. These weigh modules feature the highest degree of miniaturization that support single or multisensor integration…
(The Numerical Algorithms Group Ltd: Oxford, UK) -- Quality engineers, many of whom are already contending with slower performance of legacy applications originally developed for 32-bit processors that are now operating in 64-bit systems or supercomputer-level resources, can obtain a white…
(ASQ, Milwaukee) -- The American Society for Quality’s (ASQ) president E. David Spong testified before Congress in support of the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program. President Obama proposes to continue the Baldrige Program in FY 2012, but the program is targeted for a significant decrease…
(Automated Imaging Association: Ann Arbor, MI) -- Among the factors driving rapid growth in the application of machine vision technology is the creation of new industry standards, according to industry leaders.
“Global standards make it easier for users to incorporate machine vision into their…
(ASQ: Milwaukee) -- When someone petitioned the American Society for Quality (ASQ) to grant him certification even though he hadn’t passed the required exam, Scott Laman knew an effort was needed to increase understanding of what ASQ certification means.
Laman, chair of ASQ’s certification…
(NIST: Gaithersburg, MD) -- Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated an electromechanical circuit in which microwaves communicate with a vibrating mechanical component 1,000 times more vigorously than ever achieved before in similar experiments.…
Quality improvement people sure love those tools. A particular favorite, of course, is the control chart, of which, I think, seven are usually taught. Two questions I’m always asked are, “Which chart do I use for which situation?” and “When and how often should I recalculate my limits?”
Wrong…
Last May I wrote in “Airline Companies Are Driving Customers Away” that the U.S. Military Academy allows cadets only four responses to questions as to whether a specific duty or responsibility was carried out: “Yes, sir,” “No, sir,” “I don’t understand, sir,” and “No excuse, sir.” Col. Larry…
Designing for customer needs always leads to higher quality products and services, as well as innovative outcomes, because an effective design process uncovers hidden customer needs. Adapting the most effective models of continuous innovation can create the habit of innovation. Continuous…
Our fascination with rewards systems that attempt to get people to comply with the demands of work and short-term good behavior starts early in school. These systems operate without imparting an understanding of good solid principles for the betterment of our community, our place of employment, and…
(Salvo: Singapore) -- Business projects rarely go through the entire project cycle without some surprises. Reasons for this include changing requirements, a larger-than-anticipated cost of project, and flawed technical architecture, among others. Often, project teams realize too late the…
