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In metal additive manufacturing, “traceability” has become a badge of seriousness. We can trace powder batches. We can trace build jobs. We can trace post-processing steps. We can trace inspection results. Great. 

Automation promises efficiency, cost savings, and fewer errors. What it cannot do is fix a broken process.

Gage multiplexers consolidate measurements from multiple instruments into a single output (USB serial, keyboard wedge, or RS-232), simplifying data capture in quality labs and production. 

Today’s aviation, defense, and space organizations navigate three converging trends: faster technology adoption, increasingly distributed supply chains, and rising expectations for risk-based oversight.

Lucy Roche is an ASQ certified Six Sigma black belt with a master's degree in chemical engineering and a PhD in systems engineering.

Wire built for aerospace applications operates across elevated altitudes where temperatures plummet to -50°C. Similarly, in defense applications, wiring must face the unpredictability of ground operations, enduring constant vibration and shock.

In aerospace distribution, quality standards are often expressed as requirements.

A company can be busy, growing, hiring, quoting, producing, shipping, reporting, and still be fundamentally complacent.

Like many professionals, my introduction to ASQ began with a very practical goal: certification. At the time, I was focused on strengthening my technical foundation and building credibility in the field of quality. 

Manufacturers today face a paradox: quality expectations continue to rise, yet the labor available to perform consistent, repeatable inspection continues to shrink.