Traditionally, the beginning of a new year is a time of renewed energy, when people and businesses strive to improve upon the previous year and take stock of their processes. What’s working and what’s not working? Above all, what needs to change?

When the temperature drops, so does the ability of many cars and trucks to safely and smoothly operate. To prevent this, automakers often turn to winter testing facilities and quality testing companies to verify their products’ durability and drivability on icy roads, through snow, and in temperatures well below 0 degrees Celsius.

Walter A. Shewart, often referred to as the “father” of statistical process control, introduced the world to SPC and his creation of the control chart in the late 1920s. Of course, SPC has appreciably evolved since then, with real-time data analytics and Cloud-based software becoming an integral part of the package.

Keeping track of documents is essential for maintaining an audit-ready quality management system (QMS). Document control software has existed in some form since the late 1980s, but has evolved over the past decade to mesh with higher-tech, business-boosting trends like automation and real-time data exchange on smart factory floors.

Manufacturers have long used statistical process control (SPC) to measure and control quality during the manufacturing process. However, the more recent development of real-time, quality intelligence, and Cloud-native SPC software has made quantifying a return on one’s SPC investment—as well as identifying ways to save money along the way—much faster and easier.

A noticeable influx of people and activity fueled the second day of IMTS 2018 at McCormick Place. 

Gaining visibility within and across plants helps packaging quality managers maintain quality control.

For nearly 85 years, quality professionals have used SPC to monitor, control, and improve their manufacturing processes. Using statistical tools to detect variability before a sub-standard part can be produced—and thus, reduce scrap, downtime, and rework costs—began in the mid-1920s with handwritten control charts. 

The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the growing network of physical objects that are embedded with sensors to enable connection with each other and exchange of data.

In a previous article, we observed how multi-sensor CMMs can perform 2D and 3D measurements interchangeably in a single run. Today, high-precision CMMs also can carry out form measurement functions, says David Wick, product manager at ZEISS Industrial Metrology.