The Automate Show brought thousands of robots to Chicago this week. The robots were serving ice cream and beer, playing music, and in one case, boxing. They were wowing attendees with their speed and service, musical skills (the KUKA ones wore bows for their performance), and fight demos. Machine vision and image analysis was also on display.
For medical parts manufacturers, quality inspection is critical. Liability for defects, inconsistent quality, fluctuating supplier costs, increased globalization and device regulations all pose challenges for the industry.
Measurement is vital to any manufacturing business, providing essential information to control processes and verify products. But older co-ordinate measuring machines (CMMs) can become bottlenecks if they fail to keep pace with changing measurement needs.
Today’s manufacturing industry relies on the use of GD&T definitions, and the ability to verify parts directly to them for first article and production inspection and reporting. Only then do orders ship and the manufacturer gets paid. Price and scheduling are negotiable, quality is not!
Each new journey begins with a single step. That common proverb applies to most aspects of life, including the decision to start a new business or organization. A company can look back fondly to that first bold and courageous decision to merely begin.
Medical product manufacturers—including producers of medical devices and plastic medical components—are in the some of the most competitive segments of manufacturing. And many of them are growing 10% a year or faster than their peers, according to a recent survey of 151 North American manufacturers conducted by research firm Decision Analyst on behalf of IQMS.
