Although automotive parts suppliers use a variety of testing equipment to conduct a wide range of tests and inspections—and within specific tolerances, which warrant highly precise tools and processes—original equipment manufacturers have refined these inspection practices over the course of decades.

Sensors that report a factory’s performance by measuring machine functioning, downtime, and production goals are in high demand.

Just like general manufacturing jobs across the nation, nondestructive testing (NDT) positions across the globe are not being filled at the rate they need to be.

It isn’t exactly news—manufacturing production lines are heading back to the States en masse, but there aren’t enough trained techs ready to staff them. Baby Boomers—our proverbial Old Guard—are retiring, leaving unfilled jobs for the unskilled—and some say uninterested—masses.

The AS9100 standard remains one of the most well-known and successful models of an industry-operated-and-driven standard in existence today.

As quality control continues to be taken more seriously, an increasing amount of companies are making room for inspection equipment in their budgets.

When it comes to ensuring that defects in welds are detected in an assembly line, nondestructive testing (NDT) is an essential tool. Without a means of assessing potential errors in welds, welding would be risky business.

Quality control measurement continues to evolve, especially as coordinate measuring machines (CMMs), 3-D measurement tools and other inspection innovations gain popularity.

There are good reasons why traditional contact measurement machines (CMMs) have been staples in manufacturing’s quality control environments for decades.

One who is well-versed in managing quality in a manufacturing environment knows the importance of reducing deviation and identifying the reasons behind it.