Thickness measurement is the gauging of coatings or films on surfaces—such as paint on metal parts. Manufacturers are increasingly using thinner and higher-performance coatings these days, with tighter applied thickness tolerances and an increasing need for more accurate and precise tools.

Nondestructive testing (NDT) encompasses a variety of test and inspection procedures that are used to find defects or inconsistencies in test samples without compromising the integrity of the parts.

As developments in machine learning and the Internet of Things (IoT) impact how manufacturers run their businesses, automation can support these changes and boost productivity.

Manufacturing is becoming automated on a broad scale. The technology enables manufacturers to affordably boost their throughput, improve quality and become nimbler as they respond to customer demands. Ultimately, this helps them become more efficient.

Medical devices can present unique challenges for manufacturers. Consequences for malfunctioning equipment can be dire. Because of this, medical device manufacturers must work hard to ensure that their products never fail.

Component manufacturers across the manufacturing spectrum—such as in automotive, aerospace, electronics, medical, energy and other fields—must ensure that their parts meet engineers’ specifications.

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.