Quality Magazine

Dr. Ben Tomic is our 2025 Quality Professional of the Year. With nineteen competencies on his CV and 50 skills on LinkedIn, he is a valuable asset as a certified quality engineer (CQE) or AS9100 lead auditor. He also highlights the importance of emotional intelligence in his work.

Building HI, or Human Intelligence, through People-Centric Leadership empowers us to engage more effectively in innovation, collaboration, and problem-solving. When this approach becomes instinctive, it enhances our ability to tackle challenges and share feedback meaningfully.

In the fast-paced manufacturing industry, agility is vital for adapting to design changes. A centralized method for tracking modifications ensures team alignment, reduces miscommunication, and enhances productivity, fostering collaboration to keep up with innovation.

Hardness testing, which began in the 1700s with Mohs' scratch test for minerals, evolved significantly by the early 1900s to focus on measuring the penetration of indenters under force. This shift led to the widespread adoption of three key methods—Brinell, Rockwell, and Vickers—standardized by ASTM International between 1924 and 1952.

The evolution of 3D measurement systems has transformed manufacturing quality control, introducing portable CMM arms that combine precision, ease of use, and affordability.

Years ago, I wrote a column discussing two baseball movies, Moneyball and Trouble With the Curve, which represented opposing views on the use of analytics in talent scouting within the sport.

Quality has become a strategic advantage in today's manufacturing landscape, especially in packaging. Minor quality variations can affect the entire supply chain. High-quality packaging protects products, reduces waste, and enhances efficiency, playing a crucial role in optimizing logistics and sustainability.

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into conformity assessments has gained attention as technology advances. This article outlines the advantages and drawbacks of AI in conformity assessments, reviews case studies, and underscores the necessity of human interaction in the process.

We reveal some of the less common measuring instruments.

Explore how ISO 9001 serves as the global standard for quality management systems, shaping practices across various industries. Discover the tailored 9100 standard that addresses the unique needs of the aerospace, aviation, and defense sectors.

When errors occur in manually entered data for project reports, it’s crucial to communicate with your supervisor and request more time to correct them. Acknowledging that mistakes happen, the priority should be on identifying and validating any unusual entries to ensure the report is reliable.

Scouting instilled in me lifelong values of service and leadership. While I initially volunteered for personal gain in my professional career, my commitment to giving back to the quality community has grown over time.

A robust supply chain should be successfully reconciled across five sources of information: Approved Vendors, Master Agreements, Transactions, Deliveries, and Payments.

Regulations like the EU's RoHS Directive limit hazardous substances in electrical and electronic products to protect health and the environment. Similar laws exist in countries such as China and Japan, and several U.S. states restrict non-compliant products.

Advanced ultrasonic testing techniques, such as Phased Array (PAUT) and the emerging Full Matrix Capture/Total Focusing Method (FMC/TFM), are transforming weld-quality examinations and are recognized in ASME and AWS codes. A crucial aspect of these methods is a comprehensive Scan Plan for maintaining testing quality and consistency.

The assembly line, introduced by Henry Ford in 1913, connects product quality to component integrity. Many manufacturers now use computed tomography (CT) for pre-assembly inspections.

Nondestructive testing (NDT) and condition monitoring (CM) are crucial for ensuring product quality in manufacturing. Terahertz (THz) technology adds a non-contact method that uses safe far-infrared wavelengths to analyze materials, detect faults, and visualize structures, making it ideal for various insulating materials.

Explore how AI is revolutionizing nondestructive testing (NDT), enhancing inspection accuracy and efficiency in critical industries like aerospace and energy.

Aerospace components, varying in shape, size, and material, require specialized inspection methods to ensure quality and safety due to the diverse manufacturing processes involved. Automated Ultrasonic Testing (UT) systems enhance efficiency and defect detection, but effective scanner control, inspection planning, and results analysis are essential to maximize their benefits.