http://www.aaes.org. The American Association of Engineering Societies (AAES) Web site represents the interests of engineers. On the homepage there are links along the side and top of the page to various areas within the site. Click on Communications, to review News, Press Releases, Public Awareness Programs, Awards, Monthly Reports or Engineers Newsletters. Visitors can view all the links on this page except for the newsletter. Nonmembers must pay for a subscription. Click on Engineering Alliance to bring up a page with more links. Visitors can view Events or can read Past Features. At the bottom of the homepage are resource links to public policies, related organizations and research. This might be a good site to visit later.

http://www.ame.org. The Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME) Web site is membership-based, but nonmembers may view most of the category links on the homepage. Under Concepts, visitors will find definitions of 5s, ABC, Agile, Autonomation, Benchmarking, Chaku-chaku, Demand Flow, DFM and other terms. Each term has a definition and a list of Related Links. Under Resources, click on Bookstore to review a Recommended Reading List. Want to check out other associations? Click on Web links. The AME Video link describes various videos in the AME library. This association is a not-for-profit organization and run by volunteers from business and academia. A good site to bookmark.

http://www.nist.gov. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Web site offers information on applying and developing technology, measurements and standards. Under Programs, on the homepage is a list of NIST laboratories that provide measurements and standards for different industries. Also listed on the page are links to Other NIST Offices. Information For on the homepage, lists links for Industry, Researchers and News Media professionals, as well as the General Public. Click on one of the links, such as Industry, to go to another page with more links to specific industries. The A-Z Subject Index has a list of links for a variety of topics, laboratories, industries and terms. This site is good to bookmark as a reference.

http://www.isa.org. The Instrumentation, Systems and Automation Society (ISA) Web site gives information relating to measurement and control technology. Login as a guest for a 30-day trial or join and become a member with unlimited access. Anyone new to this industry can look up terms by clicking Dictionary on the sidebar of the homepage. For faster browsing, click Site Map on the sidebar. Here a visitor can choose from a number of different links. ISA Events lists conferences where ISA is present and provides links for specific conference information. Click on Global Connections from the Site Map to bring up links to other measurement and control societies. Want to become certified or licensed? Click on Certification and Credentialing. Looking for a job that uses instrumentation, control systems and automation equipment? Click on ISAjobs.com. The site has plenty of helpful information.

Need Some Help?
This month's Quality Online visitor, Terry, needs some help. Here's the query:

"Can you recommend a video-based ISO 9000 internal auditor training product? I know there are probably many available, but if you have first-hand experience with a particular product, I'd like to hear your comments. Thanks.

Can someone help Terry or any of our Quality Online visitors? Go to the Reader Forum, http://www.qualitymag.com/disc1_toc.htm, and post your quality and manufacturing problems, or try to help a fellow visitor.

Feedback
From "Reader Forum" visitor [email protected].
Q:We are planning to implement 5S as the cornerstone of our quality and productivity improvement program in our manufacturing plant in the coming year. I am looking for any recommendations for training and implementation materials to help guide us through the 5S implementation process. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

An answer came from Quality Online visitor [email protected].
A:Amazon.com has good books on the application of 5S. Enter "5S" as a search word. Check the reviews of the various books. "5 Pillars of the Visual Workplace" by Hiroyuki Hirano is good.

From "Reader Forum" visitor Alan C. Casanova.
Q:I am the quality assurance manager for a machine shop that has grown from a parts and small machine builder to a company that designs and builds custom machinery. We have just installed radiant heaters. Will this affect the personal and shop measurement tools that are not in the controlled environment of the inspection and gaging room? If this is going to be a problem, how can it best be minimized? If anyone has experience or knowledge on this subject, I would greatly appreciate any help.

An answer came for Quality Online visitor Joe Perito.
A:You can look up the thermo coefficient of expansion in a "Machinist's Handbook" for the type of metal you are using. If your measurements are in the thousandths or ten thousandths of an inch, then the coefficient usually is of no concern because most of the time the metal's expansion is in five or six decimal places. If you're working in the hundred thousandths or millionths, then you need this information. Play it safe, the factors are handy in the handbook. The same logic is applicable to gage calibrations. Most people get concerned about the affect of the temperature when it has no effect when using standards to calibrate gages that read up to 4 1/2 decimals. Check through and be ready to defend your case to the auditors. Have you readers noticed the QS-9000 Standard no longer refers to a controlled atmosphere for calibrating gages?

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