Edward McMenamin

On every trade show floor featuring additive manufacturing, there’s a growing selection of additive processes for making production parts that stand alongside machines more commonly associated with prototyping. An essential aspect of additive’s transition from prototyping to production is data collection.

All health care-related fields are growing, and the same is true for applications that test medical instruments and materials.

The machine vision industry is primed for continued growth in the coming decade. Built on the rapid advancement of smarter, smaller, faster and cheaper sensors and processors, the industry was estimated at about $7.9 billion in 2017. By 2023, it could grow to about $12.29 billion, according to according to a study by Research and Markets, growing at an annual rate of almost 8%.

Knowing a material’s breaking point is crucial during its development; and being able to observe the instantaneous moment of failure allows for a greater understanding of the process. That, in turn, can help develop stronger and safer materials.

X-Ray Fluorescence analysis plays an important role in protecting consumers by detecting possible toxic heavy metals in electronics, automobiles and medical devices before they make it to market.

To choose the right 3D surface measurement tool, an engineer must carefully consider the size of the object, the speed of the scan and analysis, and a customer’s tolerance requirements.

In automotive and other safety-critical industries, impact testing is an important measure of a material’s failure properties. Properly testing both raw materials and molded components for their strength and durability can help engineers prevent failures, design lasting goods, and save lives.

It’s an exciting time to work in ultrasonics. Phased array and other innovations in ultrasound have expanded its applications and uses, and with the advent of carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRPs) in aerospace, the need to nondestructively test critical parts for thickness and flaws continues to grow.

As additive manufacturing gains traction as a means for making production parts, standards need to keep pace, ensuring quality and constancy across industries. Already, ASTM and other standards bodies are leading the effort.

A depth gage could be as simple as marks on a piece of tape, a line on a ruler, or tape on a drill. Fortunately, of course, modern gages take the guesswork out of measurement, providing a range of simple or high-tech options depending on the job.