Running five shifts, supporting four different product lines and processing more than 20,000 parts per month requires not only detailed planning, but also reliable inspection technology. For Dietmar Ingensiep,
GW Plastics' plant in Tucson, AZ, uses Six Sigma on the production floor. Source: GW Plastics GW Plastics Inc. (Bethel, VT), an injection molder and provider of precision tooling, components
Hardness testing is being strongly affected by manufacturing’s demands for increased hardness accuracy, reduced labor and rapid feedback. Two approaches have emerged for achieving these goals: the automation of each aspect of existing test methods and the application of depth of indentation measurement techniques.
An X-Cube Compact radioscopic inspection system from GE Inspection Technologies (Huerth, Germany) has helped to optimize inspection workflow and reduce new product development times at BUVO Castings in the Netherlands while supporting the company’s underlying business philosophy of continually investing in state-of-the-art plant and machinery.
Detecting flaws is a challenge even in the best of times. Interpreting complex patterns on NDT instrument displays can be difficult, and a part’s size, geometry and material makeup can add to the problem. Often, it takes a certified inspector to weed out the good from the bad.
By far the biggest and most consistent users of NDT inspection have been the military and the aerospace industry, closely followed by manufacturers and users of pipelines and pressure vessels. In the past, general industry has not been as aware of the need for such inspection, especially the advantages of using independent NDT lab services.
I think I'm starting to get a better understanding of how to control the negative effects that short-term pressures have on quality and the long-term health of businesses.
There are a number of rituals followed in the quality field that drive gage makers crazy. The first one involves gages that are rejecting parts. The ritual: reject the gages. Another one involves gages that appear to wear out too quickly. The ritual: reject the gages.
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