Anyone who understands the third-party certification process knows that one of the most important questions to ask is, “How do I know a certification body is qualified to audit my organization?”

Increasing globalization and economic conditions have driven organizations to place a greater focus on productivity and quality. Today some manufacturing are benefiting from technology innovation, such as automated testing systems, which increase productivity by having the ability to produce goods faster while maintaining high levels of quality.

As of 2008, tens of thousands of video measuring machines are in broad use by manufacturers around the world. It has been just more than 30 years since the first video measuring systems were developed in the United States for dimensional measurement applications in manufacturing quality control.

An innovation in surface analysis software means that it is now possible to work with 4-D (X, Y, Z, T) data and analyze the way that a 3-D surface changes with respect to time or another physical dimension.

ISO 9001 is very simply a total quality/business management system based on the very simple continual improvement methodologies of plan, do, check and act. Most companies producing quality products or providing a quality service and continually improving on these processes to satisfy their customers are already in compliance with the requirements of ISO 9001.

The optical encoder has two main parts: the optical graduation and the electronic eye, called the scanning unit or reader head. Optical encoders, in a sense, are transducers, converting a measured length or movement into a series of manageable electrical counts, each count representing a precise distance.

There are two generally accepted reasons why manufacturers measure roundness of components. The first is to sort nonconforming parts based on a customer-supplied blueprint before shipment to the customer; the second is to control the process tool with immediate feedback.

Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) and Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) activities can be likened to the Herculean task of cleaning the Aegean stables translated into the world of quality systems.

A tensile test determines how a subject will react while being pulled apart, or, more formally, when a force is applied to it in tension. Industrially, it provides manufacturers with a quick and cost-effective method of assessing quality in production, and designers a tool to physically characterize the functionality of products.

In January of this year, the American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT) conducted a member survey to ascertain, in a general sense, the satisfaction of its membership with existing programs, products and services. And, further, to identify those programs, products and services that members think the society should be providing