Quality Magazine

Quality August 2020 cover

2020 August

Check out the August 2020 edition of Quality: The future of manufacturing, NDT, automation, calibration, edge break analysis, how to attract the next generation of engineers and much more!

Cover Story

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automation

Automation: The Future of Manufacturing Is Here

Automation is especially useful in areas where manufacturers struggle to find enough skilled machinists to grow their business.
Daniel Carranco
August 1, 2020
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Driven by the need to make parts faster, better, and for less, manufacturers of all sizes are embracing various forms of automation in the quest to lower costs, increase production, and reduce response times. 


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Features

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two engineers in hard hats

How to Attract the Next Generation of Engineers

Here are some things organizations can do right now to keep pace with changing technology -- and help polish the field's image.
Genevieve Diesing
August 3, 2020
2 Comments

As baby boomer engineers retire from manufacturing, younger generations aren’t rushing in to fill their shoes. Rapidly changing technology has created greater demand for new skills among shrinking pools of talent, just as reshoring efforts promise to make domestic manufacturing even more robust.
This is why the field’s well-documented skills gap will only widen.


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Multi-sensor technology

Multi-Sensor Metrology Advances

Advancements in multi-sensor platforms combine the best features of vision and touch-probe inspection for maximum accuracy and speed.
Greg Maisch
August 4, 2020
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Demand for accurate parts delivered on tight schedules is increasing. To keep pace, technology is continually advancing, enabling manufacturers to do more in the same amount of time.


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high speed servo-hydraulic test machine

Destroying Materials is Critical to Saving Lives

Recent developments and improvements in testing equipment, sensors, and knowledge have led to a significant increase in high speed and high rate material testing efforts.
Fadi Abu-Farha
August 3, 2020
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Cars have become such an integral part of our lives. A car has long passed the point of being a necessary means of transportation, now becoming a symbol of independence and free-mobility, and sometimes even an expression of our personality.


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Columns

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Face of Quality

Core DNA

Three attributes to achieve cultural excellence.
Jimsmith 200
Jim L. Smith
August 4, 2020
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Some time ago, I spoke to a group about organizational culture. Considering what is happening today it might be appropriate to present a few thoughts to a broader audience. Each person can determine how it might apply to their circumstances.


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Guest Column
From the Editor

Manufacturing Today

Manufacturers are adapting to a changing world.
Qm0520 clmn editnoteguest author michellebangert 0520
Michelle Bangert
August 3, 2020
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It’s hard to know what’s next. This remains true in business and in life, and it feels especially true right now. The news seems to change on a daily and hourly basis. Predictions about the pandemic can seem out of date within a few days.


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Other Dimensions

State of the Art

How much has changed in the calibration field?
Hillcox 200
Hill Cox
August 4, 2020
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About twenty years ago I was asked to make a presentation on calibration to a meeting of a local chapter of the National Conference of Standards Laboratories. 


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Guest Column

Why do we tolerate such poor gages?

Quality managers demand good data.
Qm1019 clmn guest columnb p1 author ian lazarus
Ian R Lazarus
August 3, 2020
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I’m a Type-A personality with a sense of urgency to explain everything. Give me a little data, and I will use every statistical tool I can wrap around these rationalizations to help explain an observation. But here is something that I cannot explain: why do we tolerate such poor gages?


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Speaking of Quality
Speaking of Quality | Kathy Lyall

Culture of Quality

Do employees "live" quality in all of their actions?
Kathy Lyall
August 3, 2020
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A company with a highly developed culture of quality spends, on average, $350M less annually fixing mistakes than a company with a poorly developed one (Harvard Business Review, 2014). 


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NDT

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Metal powder for additive manufacturing being inspected
NDT Case Study

X-ray CT for Quality Assurance of Metal AM Parts

The technique of choice for seeing inside metal structures is industrial X-ray computed tomography.
Andrew Ramsey
August 6, 2020
5 Comments

Almost every industry has seen explosive growth in additive manufacturing (AM or 3D printing) of metal components, either for prototyping or low to medium volume manufacture of often high value and safety critical parts.


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helium canisters
NDT Leak Testing

Supply, Demand and Cost: Don’t Let That Helium Just Drift Away at the End of a Leak Test

How can you make the most of this increasingly precious commodity for your critical quality assurance needs?
Jeff McBee Gordon Splete
August 5, 2020
4 Comments

Helium is in short supply and its cost is rising. Global sources may even run dry by the end of the century. And yet, it remains the dominant choice for trace-gas-based leak-testing on the production line. How can you make the most of this increasingly precious commodity for your critical quality assurance needs?


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XRD in Use. Courtesy of PulsTec Inc.
NDT XRD

X-Ray Diffraction

XRD has been applied in industry for many years.
Gregory James Weaver
August 5, 2020
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X-ray diffraction (XRD) is a nondestructive testing method that has been around for over 100 years. It is used in many industries and it has several specific applications that are very critical. So, what is it and how does it work?


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images on computer screens
NDT Trends

Remote Evaluation of Radiographic Images

Let’s examine the application of remote radiographic evaluation and the subsequent commercial benefits for business.
Curt Powell
August 5, 2020
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Radiographic inspection is a critical practice across multiple industries, and the development of non-film radiography provides enormous, yet currently untapped, potential to share these images widely and maximize resources.


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