Hardness, as applied to most materials, particularly metals, has been defined in many ways by physicists, metallurgists and engineers. These definitions range from a “conglomeration of properties of a material more or less related to each other” to the commonly accepted idea of “resistance to permanent indentation.” These varied definitions point out the complexity of truly defining hardness so that it satisfies all the criteria associated with the characteristics of hardness.
Paul Lewicki, Ph.D., Thomas Hill, PH.D., and Cazhaow Qazaz, Ph.D.
Too much information, too few insights-that is a typical problem facing manufacturers who manage highly automated and well-instrumented processes. Over the past decade, a number of data acquisition, storage and related technologies have become less expensive. As a result, their implementation to support and monitor complex discrete, batch or continuous process manufacturing is now common in virtually all industries.
Video, vision and multi-sensor measuring systems are common inspection systems in manufacturing. They rely in a large part on image based technologies to perform coordinate measurements to quantify if a part passes or fails to meet blueprint specifications. The software controlling these machines is programmed by an operator to go to specific locations, and use one of a variety of different sensors to correctly characterize the feature. Their job is to gather point by point information that helps to inspect the geometric information about that feature. Can these measuring systems also be used to inspect part detects for qualitative inspections?
For fragile electronic systems of any type, industrial environments are very challenging. Noise and interference are normal and constant on the shop floor and can interfere with or even disable otherwise reliable electronics.
Regular calibrations are a necessity in today’s manufacturing environments. Without it, operators have no guarantee that any of their measurements are correct. Improper measurements can drive a company out of business, which may be one of the reasons calibration software was the number one planned software purchase on Quality’s 7th Annual Capital Spending Survey. Companies would be wise to use calibration software and eventually use a system that integrates with other software systems. Not only can it help the business, it can help employees perform this crucial task.
When improving the quality of goods and services, almost any statistics software will capture the “low-hanging fruit”. Attaining continuous improvement is more difficult. It is then that software designed for textbook problems needs to be replaced with other tools.
Failsafe leak testing, where one never misclassifies a bad part as a good part, is doable. Better yet, good parts are never misclassified as bad parts and yield is maximized. However, this standard of perfection is achievable only if one understands and manages all the factors that can undermine leak-testing integrity. By understanding the limitations of failsafe leak testing in the most widely applicable method, mass flow leak testing, practical steps can be taken to manage these factors so that quality standards are uncompromised.
As anyone who has attempted on-machine inspection with a wired gauge knows, it’s a difficult and often dangerous procedure. In practical terms, on-machine inspection requires a wireless gauge, and until recently these have only been available in either high-end gauging systems or rudimentary micrometers and calipers that require manual recording of measurement data. Fortunately, that is now changing and wireless systems are now available for even simple manual electronic plug, snap and width gauges.
In today’s metrology world there are several different configurations of styli from which you can choose. Carbon fiber, ceramic, and tungsten carbide stems, Ruby balls, Carbide balls, Silicon Nitride, and even Zirconia balls are all options you are faced with! Selecting the correct styli for your individual application can be a bit overwhelming at times. However there are a few “Golden Rules” of styli selection that can assist you!
A familiar sight in manufacturing facilities across the globe is the coordinate measuring machine (CMM) being used for three-dimensional measurement and verification. In the past 20 years, the CMM has really come into its own. Once exotic, expensive and limited in capability, modern CMMs have become affordable, accessible and highly flexible quality assurance tools. Taking into account the various types of CMMs, conservative estimates suggest there are more than 40,000 operating units in the United States, Canada and Mexico alone.
RSS
