The pandemic has only fueled the worker shortage, prompting manufacturers to embrace automation in large numbers. Senior leadership can ensure robotics are implemented correctly.
As manufacturing requirements continue to increase, and reshoring and lack of personnel continue to challenge the manufacturing industry, robotics can help.
Universal testers are essential to quality in many industries because they help engineers understand the performance of materials, components, and products under various loading conditions.
Automated robotics are the best way to mimic a human in a factory environment, experts say. A robot's automated camera could replace a person's eyes, a PC would represent the brain and robotic arms are movement.
Beyond the growth in applications brought about by improvements in CMOS sensor technology, another significant trend is the increase in applications that extend beyond the visible spectrum.
A smart camera in the machine vision market is defined by its system architecture, experts say. Specifically, a smart camera packages an imaging sensor, sensor interface, computer, and I/O interface into a single package.
While magnetic particle inspection techniques have stood the test of time, the equipment involved has seen updates to keep up with demand, experts say.
Magnetic particle inspection ensures that parts are free of fatigue stress, structural defects, or stress cracks. The technology, which can be applied to existing, in-use parts, or newly manufactured parts and components that require integrity testing, has been around for more than a century.
While COVID dampened demand early on, the skills gap and labor shortage that has plagued the industry for more than a decade is still in full swing. As new NDT methods advance, quality professionals require new training, and technicians transitioning from film techniques to non-film techniques need hands-on experience.
Some benefits of quality standards are obvious, while others don't get enough fanfare. The pandemic may have impacted how these standards are implemented.
According to experts, the benefits of today’s quality standards are not well known. Take ISO 9001, ISO 14000, and ISO 17021. These standards reinforce quality in any management system, says Steven Wilson, ASQE chair elect.
Lean manufacturing was originally focused on the manufacturing floor, but its methodologies have reached all levels of operations, from procurement to marketing. It has been adopted across a range of industries, from healthcare to hospitality.
What is the best way to encourage a continuous improvement culture? While organizations have historically used rewards to entice employees to support these efforts, upper management’s ongoing and visible support is the best way to make continuous improvement “a way of life,”