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Mahr Inc.’s picture

Mahr Inc. Announces Expansion of 40EWR Micromar Micrometer Series
By: Mahr Inc. 04/22/2020

(Mahr Inc.: Providence, RI) -- Mahr Inc., a global manufacturer of precision measurement equipment used for dimensional metrology, announces a series of new Micromar Micrometers offering capabilities to perform specialized measuring tasks.

Micromar 40EWR micrometers are a market-leading innovation, featuring a modern look and integrated wireless technology for data transmission. Following the recent introduction of its 40EWR-L Rapid Drive micrometers with high-speed measuring spindle positioning, Mahr continues to expand its product family with new micrometers for specific measuring tasks.

Every day, manufacturers are faced with the task of measuring unique part features where standard micrometers are not capable of making the desired measurement. To help with these unique measurements, Mahr is introducing five new micrometers for specialized measuring tasks, including:

Jason Chester’s picture

Coping With Covid-19: Digital Transformation Enables a Flexible and Agile Workforce
By: Jason Chester 04/20/2020

The Covid-19 pandemic has hit every industry with a barrage of challenges. The impacts on the manufacturing sector are already extending far beyond factory walls. And for now, the depth of those impacts and the expectation for recovery are unknown.

Fortunately, manufacturers are a highly adaptable breed, and many have found ways to pivot quickly to continue to provide the vital products we all need. Some organizations are even retooling and repurposing their production lines to produce entirely new products. Perfumers and distilleries are producing hand sanitizer. T-shirt makers are switching to face masks. Automakers are now producing ventilators.

These companies stepped up early and responded quickly. And we are grateful.

But for many manufacturers, regardless of their grit and preparation, the situation has thrown into sharp relief the need for technology solutions that enable faster, broader access to information about their operations—and better support for both onsite and remote workers.

A sudden shove toward digital transformation

Manufacturing organizations have embraced many aspects of Industry 4.0. However, the transition has happened at different levels for different organizations. Many companies have held on to legacy systems, especially in the realm of quality management.

Marposs’s picture

Marposs Announces Axicheck Software for Control and Optimization of Rotary Axes Performance
By: Marposs 04/20/2020

(Marposs: Auburn Hills, MI) -- Marposs introduces AxiCheck—a software package with a graphic interface that analyzes data collected with Marposs probes, processing it in a graphic format to easily determine the operating state of the machine.

AxiCheck helps increase production capacity by quickly and accurately inspecting the state of health of the machine, allowing users to identify and correct errors that may impact the workpiece, as well as planning maintenance operations in advance. This reduces the number of reject parts, particularly when dealing with single batches of expensive part production.

Parallelism of the axis of rotation and accuracy of its center are fundamental characteristics for the proper functioning of a machine tool with rotary axes. AxiCheck takes measurement to determine the reference values on a calibration sphere mounted on the machine table to determine the machine’s operating health. Designed for use on 3- and 5-axes machines, AxiCheck is capable of monitoring and optimizing the performance of the rotating axes (5 Ax) while detecting any deterioration in the machine’s linear axes (3 Ax) in real time. It also features warning and alarm messages to alert the user if the measurement is out of tolerance.

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HxGN SFx | Asset Management

HxGN SFx | Asset Management software provides manufacturers with remote dashboard access to real-time information about the health and performance status of their machines and measurement routines.

HxGN SFx | Asset Management

HxGN SFx | Asset Management software provides manufacturers with remote dashboard access to real-time information about the health and performance status of their machines and measurement routines.

HxGN SFx | Asset Management
 

Hexagon 4-20-20 F Vid Banner

Links to https://go.hexagonmi.com/l/49752/2020-03-24/h82y4b.

Tom Taormina’s picture

The Future of Quality Management Is Business Success, Part 4
By: Tom Taormina 04/15/2020

Each article in this series presents new tools for increasing return on investment (ROI), enhancing customer satisfaction, creating process excellence, and driving risk from an ISO 9001:2015-based quality management system (QMS). They will help implementers evolve quality management to overall business management. In this article we look at the subclauses of Clause 6 of the standard.

Clause 6. Planning

Using Clause 6 to build organizational excellence and assess risk
Planning is another of the more obtuse words in ISO-babble. In my experience working with more than 700 companies, planning runs the gamut from how quickly and inexpensively you get product out the door to formal organizational plans for each process that have success metrics that are meaningful.

As we discussed in the article on Clause 5, successful planning begins with the principals creating meaningful and immutable vision, mission and values for everyone. You can’t plan a road trip if you don’t know where you are going and how you are going to get there.

Robert Bellinger’s picture

Are Your Laser Confocal Microscope Measurements Trustworthy?
By: Robert Bellinger 04/15/2020

Scanning laser confocal microscopy (SLCM) has become a popular inspection tool in both research laboratories and manufacturing production lines. With a 405 nm laser light source, SLCM combines high-resolution horizontal (XY ~200 nm) and vertical (Z ~10 nm) information to create a 3D image within seconds.

SLCM’s measurement scale overlaps with optical light microscopy (OLM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). In addition, there are minimal sample preparation requirements, and the microscopes can accommodate samples with a wide range of shapes, including large sizes. No consumables are required with SLCM, and there’s minimum system maintenance. All these benefits make SLCM a useful inspection tool. The table below summarizes the difference between these four techniques.


Figure 1: Comparing scanning laser confocal, scanning electron, atomic force, and optical light microscopy

DYK-CMSC

Did you know that Quality Digest is a long time media partner for the Coordinate Metrology Systems Conference, the world's premier event for 3D measurement systems and software solutions.

Jason Chester’s picture

Weathering the Crisis: Tactical Solutions You Can Quickly Put In Place
By: Jason Chester 04/14/2020

Manufacturers routinely face uncertainty, risk, and volatility in everyday operations. It’s understood that organizations must be ready for anything, from supply chain interruptions, supplier quality issues and process variations, to volatility in market demand, competitor activities, and political influences.

But the Covid-19 pandemic presents a level of impact that even the most seasoned manufacturing leaders haven’t seen. Organizations are responding at an incredible pace to continue providing necessary and in-demand products, while adjusting to either increased or decreased volume (or in some cases, both).

Companies are deploying new protocols and procedures to keep their employees safe, including moving many roles to remote work and adapting shifts and resources to reduce the number of personnel onsite at any one time. Some are even retooling and repurposing their factories to produce the goods that are most needed. Many are even going above and beyond, donating essential safety gear or food to support our frontline workforce.