2020 July

The Road to Automotive Light-Weighting

Overcoming new materials analysis challenges across the supply chain.

June 25, 2020

Earlier this year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced it’s working on new rules to decrease NOx and other pollutants present in vehicle emissions.

Continuous Improvement: Ever Forward

How to continually improve and avoid common mistakes along the way.

Michelle Bangert

June 30, 2020

Kelly Allan has seen many examples of continual improvement gone awry. He offers this cautionary tale from a client.

An R&R Study

In most situations, you're likely to be surprised by the amount of R&R error detected.

Paul Keller

June 30, 2020

For most processes, we have a choice of measurement options that vary with cost. Ideally, we seek the most accurate measurement at the lowest cost with the expectation that the result will be satisfactory. When measurements are critical to operations, we should validate these assumptions.

The Current State of Thickness Measurement

Optical measurement tools are picking jp steam, experts say.

Genevieve Diesing

June 29, 2020

Thickness measurement is the gauging of coatings or films on surfaces—such as paint on metal parts. Manufacturers are increasingly using thinner and higher-performance coatings these days, with tighter applied thickness tolerances and an increasing need for more accurate and precise tools.

Can GD&T Extraction Really Be Automated?

Yes.

Christopher Mendicino

June 28, 2020

Most quality technicians have been exposed to and probably use geometric dimensioning and tolerance (GD&T) information in their day-to-day work duties.

An Instron 68TM Testing System with Pneumatic Side Action grips

The Role of Mechanical Testing in Additive Manufacturing Quality Assurance

Get answers to some of the most commonly asked questions about testing additive products.

Kayla Thackeray

June 27, 2020

Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, is a rapidly growing trend in the manufacturing world. The benefits of additive manufacturing are very attractive, ranging from the ease of implementing design changes to eliminating the need for fasteners and assembly.

Handheld XRF, OES, and Portable LIBS Analyzers— Which One Is Best for Your Needs?

Understanding the limitations and differences in each of these techniques is critical when performing material analysis.

James Terrell

June 24, 2020

With the increasing regulations in safety, reliability, traceability, and regulatory compliance, material verification has become an essential component in a safety and reliability program.

Process Improvement

Most problems result from management systems.

Jim L. Smith

June 30, 2020

Almost all organizations set performance targets for departments and/or individuals to conduct their operations and to deliver products and services to their customers. Although managers attempt to ensure their processes can handle all the issues that may arise in their business, in today’s complex world, these processes often fall short.

The Unfolding Course of Events

Looking to the past provides some perspective.

Michelle Bangert

June 30, 2020

Erik Larson’s latest book begins with this quote. If you’ve ever read a book about a serial killer and the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893, the last crossing of the Lusitania, an American family in Hitler’s Berlin, the inventor of wireless and Britain’s second most famous murderer, or the 1900 Galveston Hurricane, you may be familiar with Erik Larson.

Training

What's the answer for today's training needs?

Hill Cox

June 30, 2020

I was chatting with a colleague recently, a well-known supplier of precision measuring instruments. I noted, sarcastically, that his company was promoting a half-day training seminar on calibration and best of all—it was free!

Developing Skills while Giving Back

ASQ's core strength is its local presence.

Jim Spichiger

June 30, 2020

President John F. Kennedy famously said, “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” This was his challenge to every American citizen to contribute in some way to the public good.

Inspection in Quality 4.0

Digitization and automation will ensure better quality.

Ben Tomic

June 25, 2020

Today’s world has never been more dynamic, and it’s constantly changing at an accelerated rate by adopting more advanced technologies. Industry 4.0 refers to these accelerated changes to the way we live, work, and communicate.

Vision & Sensors

The Fine Line between Industrial and Collaborative Robots: It’s Smaller than You Think

Knowing how much human-robot collaboration your application needs is the first step towards a successful adoption.

Corey Ryan

June 27, 2020

Originally made popular by the introduction of Rethink Robotics’ Baxter, so-called collaborative robots have created a lot of excitement around the industry over the last few years.

Simplifying AI Deployment for Quality Inspection

Adopting a hybrid approach that marries classic and machine learning techniques for quality inspection can simplify deployment.

Ed Goffin

June 30, 2020

Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the most hyped technologies of recent years, and while it promises new cost and process benefits for inspection applications, deployment remains a challenge.

Machine Vision Frame-by-Frame

Once written off as old tech, the frame grabber has become a necessary, dynamic component of industrial inspection.

Donal Waide

June 30, 2020

Frame grabbers are essential components in machine vision systems that provide ultra high-speed, high-data image capture from one camera or multiple cameras simultaneously.

Vision & Sensors

Achieving higher levels of quality consciousness with Traceability 4.0

Success in building the factory of the future depends on manufacturers reimagining and broadening their investment in an operational stragety that's been around for decades.

Kenta Yamakawa Andy Zosel

June 25, 2020

Before the vast majority of manufacturers can successfully adopt the technologies and capabilities that industry experts have collectively labeled “Industry 4.0,” some serious work needs to be done.

Computed Tomography: Back to Basics

Computed tomography is a powerful nondestructive evaluation (NDE) technique for both 2D and 3D cross-sectional images of an object from X-ray images.

Rahul Alreja

July 1, 2020

Every business or service today has some form of quality control or quality assurance. With such high market competition, quality has become the market differentiator for almost all products and services.

A New Angle on Aerospace FSW Inspections

The most effective inspection method for friction stir weld flaws is phased array ultrasound.

Daniel Richard

July 1, 2020

Friction stir weld (FSW) inspections in aerospace manufacturing are challenging for ultrasound technicians not necessarily because they require specialized computations or complex techniques but because scanning with conventional probe setups can be so time consuming.

Nadcap Nondestructive Testing Special Process Audits: A Perspective

Numerous members of the aerospace industry are involved and provide input.

Linda Beene Mark Aubele

July 1, 2020

In aerospace as in many other industries, nondestructive testing (NDT) is the final quality assessment, the final check of a part before it enters into service. Without a quality process and excellent technicians working diligently with a lot of integrity, the parts may just not be of the highest quality and fit for the job.

Chris Cherry, YXLON application engineer manager

X-Ray and CT Automation Advances Make Aerospace Inspection Easier

How the advances are benefitting aerospace engineers with increased flexibility, improved image quality, better reporting and data storage capabilities.

Christopher Cherry

July 1, 2020

Standards and regulations rule the aerospace industry. Inspections and reviews are crucial to passenger and flight safety, but compliance with these standards can become time consuming and expensive.