Paul W. Critchley saw the power of lean as a plant manager at a growing medical device company. As the orders increased, every day the two-person shipping department struggled to make deadlines, getting in at 6:30 a.m. and rushing all day in order to make the UPS truck deadline at 5 p.m.
In the realm of coordinate measuring machines (CMMs), system accuracy is no longer the bottom line. Today’s manufacturers require faster measurement speeds in addition to highly accurate machines.
Sir Isaac Newton’s three laws of motion, published in his thesis Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica (Latin for Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy) in 1687, are what modern-day physicists and metrologists refer to when they describe force as any interaction that, if unopposed, will change the motion of an object.
Walking the floor of the International Manufacturing Technology Show in Chicago—between the 100,000-plus attendees and the thousands of booths—it was impossible not to notice the ongoing trend towards speed and automation in every aspect of manufacturing. It’s no different in metrology, as more manufacturers look to automate their inspection processes.
Interest in 3D printing is remaking the manufacturing landscape. Consulting firm IDC says global spending on 3D printers, both desktop and industrial, hit about $11 billion in 2015 and is forecast to reach $27 billion by 2019.
For more than 50 years, coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) have been improving measurement productivity and quality. The power of CMMs has made many complex inspection tasks seem almost trivial. With this much measurement capability, is it possible operators are taking their CMMs for granted?
If you’re having problems with thread measurements but the answers you’re getting from your usual sources aren’t solving them, it’s natural that you would try and get some unbiased advice from a specialist.
A robust document control management process lies at the heart of a quality management system (QMS); almost every aspect of auditing and compliance verification is determined through the scrutiny of documented evidence. As the saying goes: “If it’s not documented, it didn’t happen.”
It shouldn’t come as a surprise, but even after all these years the ISO9001 quality management system (QMS) requirements still come under attack and mostly from those in the quality profession. I recently read another super critical appraisal of ISO9001 from someone who commented they were on the “front lines.” I’m not sure what front lines they’ve been on, but it’s obviously not the same ones I’ve been on.
Mitutoyo announced the release of Report Scheduler Standard Edition, a product available in the MeasurLink® suite of applications. Using operator-specified reporting tasks, Report Scheduler provides automated report distribution from a Windows environment.
LMI Technologies (LMI) announced the official launch of the Gocator 2400 Series, the latest addition to the Gocator series of smart, all-in-one 3D line profilers.
Starrett Kinemetric Engineering, Inc., a subsidiary of the L.S. Starrett Co., announced the all new HDV500 digital comparator that combines the features of a vision metrology system and an optical comparator.
Titan Tool Supply, Inc., Buffalo, New York, announces the introduction of an integrated, full HD digital microscope system which operates without a PC and, utilizing its powerful image processing and control engine, delivers superb, video-image quality at 60 frames per second.
R&R Fixtures now offers a full range of Optical Comparator fixturing for all your inspection needs, allowing you full capacity to position, stabilize and inspect your part with complete access and viewing circumference around the part.
Practical implementation of a successful vision guided robotics (VGR) application requires an understanding of general architecture and design, lighting and imaging, 2D and 3D technologies, robots and calibration.
Machine vision has thrived on the manufacturing floor, and is bringing new levels of insight to medical, security, and transportation applications, thanks in part by adopting technologies perfected for other markets.
The cell phone industry has been the single largest driver of new CMOS image sensor technology for the past ten years—smaller pixels, higher sensitivity, and lower noise—all in a bid to decrease sensor cost and capture ever higher quality still and video imagery for human consumption.
When problems occur on a production line, the cause can often be difficult or impossible to identify. Mechanical errors can happen so quickly that it’s impossible for staff to intervene before there are interruptions, shutdowns, or wastage.