The
DG-3 Digital Microscope from Scalar Corp. (Tokyo) features a 3.5-inch LCD panel
for easy viewing as well as measurement (micron) bars, which can be calibrated
for each lens and embedded in the image. Preview mode allows the viewer to
discard images before they are burned to the onboard memory card. In addition,
a 2X button offers immediate digital magnification. Optional lenses cover a
magnification range from 25X to 1,000X.
The
holidays celebrating parenthood may seem totally disconnected from the
disciplines involved with the quality assurance profession, but parenthood may
have more to do with quality than anything else.
Those of you who have been following this series of columns know the caveats
that apply so I won’t repeat them this time around. If you don’t know them,
buy, borrow, beg or steal the previous issues for an update.
German-based
DaimlerChrysler is selling 80.1% of its stake in its Chrysler arm to Cerberus
Capital Management LP, a New York private equity firm, for $7.4 billion.
Cerberus also is taking on Chrysler’s $18 billion obligation for health care
and pensions for employees and retirees. Daimler-Benz paid $36 billion for
Chrysler in 1998.
Many
coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) in operation today are obsolete with
respect to the needs of today’s quality standards and production requirements,
according to Keith Mills, president of Xspect Solutions Inc. (Wixom, MI). “In
most cases, the original CMM hardware has the built-in precision to accurately
provide the ongoing sophisticated measuring demands,” says Mills. “The problem
is that the software and even most of the upgrades provided with the original machines
need replacing. No longer do operators want to know if a part is merely good or
bad, they need information for process control. They need to take measured
data, integrate it with CAD data to compare the theoretical data with the
actual data. Sometimes, however, we find that the CMM is not working properly
at all, and that requires the replacement of components over and above the
software.”
Volkswagen’s
glass-enclosed transparent factory in Dresden, Germany, was built specifically
to manufacture their premium-segment vehicle, the Phaeton. Volkswagen
implemented a production concept combining the automated processes of classic
industrial automobile production with manual work processes.
Whether for quality control in the manufacturing environment or for ensuringthe integrity of in-service structures or components, in all sectors of industry,accurate, reliable and repeatable inspection is a vital tool. There are manyinspection modalities and no single technique offers a comprehensive solutionto all inspection needs. However, ultrasonics is probably the most flexible of all modalities.
The new ASTM standard for scratch adhesion testing, ASTM C1624, covers the
determination of the adhesion strength and failure modes of hard, thin ceramic
coatings on metal or ceramic substrates. Scratch testers can be used for
industrial quality control as well as scientific research. They should allow
both lightly skilled operators and more experienced personnel to use the
instrument to characterize the mechanical properties of Physical Vapor
Deposition (PVD) or Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) coatings.
Ductility is defined as the
ability of a material to deform plastically before fracturing. Its measurement
is of interest to those conducting metal forming processes, to designers of
machines and structures, and to those responsible for assessing the quality of
a material as it is being produced.
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