Check out the December 2019 edition of Quality: Quality 4.0 for medical device manufacturing, automated metrology, gage trends, plastics, materials analysis and much more!
Quality 4.0 derived from Industry 4.0, also known as the fourth industrial revolution. Prior to the fourth revolution, the first revolution started with machine manufacturing, steam power, and the move to cities by agriculturalists.
Developed nations, though equipped with industrial and educational infrastructures, face a current and increasing shortage of qualified, skilled and motivated workers.
Eddy current array (ECA) technology has long been used for nondestructive testing in aerospace, power generation, oil and gas, and other industrial applications. It’s a fast, accurate, chemical-free method for detecting surface and sub-surface indications including cracks, pits, corrosion, and damage due to temperature or fatigue.
Products and packaging undergo continual revision and improvement, with most companies constantly striving to use less material, simplify their manufacturing processes, and make their products more user friendly.
When you look at how far gages have come in just the last 20 years, you might wonder what, if any, types of technological enhancements might be on the horizon.
The advantages of a 2-methods-in-1 materials analysis solution combining optical microscopy and laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) for simultaneous visual and chemical inspection are described.
Most manufacturers looking to automate metrology are in search of a better way to handle inspection tasks and, in turn, be more efficient and profitable.
Much has changed over the years regarding the manufacturing process. Perhaps one of the biggest changes for modern manufacturers is that, today, it’s all about data.
For several years we have been reading about the ominous skills gap. In some trades, we are teetering on the edge of the gap; in others, we have already picked up several bumps and bruises on the trip down to the bottom of the canyon.
The first thing we can do to understand revolution versus evolution is to turn to the pure definition of these two words. The word evolution˜refers to the gradual development or changes in something over a period.
Some of the data I’ve noted from the AMTMA studies make it very clear that measurement disputes will continue. When the range of readings is close to or exceeds the tolerances of the gages being calibrated, it is a certainty. Further problems will occur due to unrealistic expectations by all the parties involved in a dispute.
This column may not be popular, and it may put some readers on the defensive. The focus isn’t entirely on America as it’s a global issue, but it certainly seems rampant today.
Trying out different behaviours is one of the classic learning methods. Success or failure decides which behaviour is adopted. This principle can be transferred to the world of robots.
Machine vision processes have become standard practice in quality assurance. Inspecting reflective surfaces, however, presents a challenge. A technology known as deflectometry can be used to reliably detect all types of defect even in these circumstances.
In the past, the amount of processing power necessary to perform color-based machine vision applications was often an insurmountable hurdle. Even when manufacturers did offer color vision, they would typically convert images to grayscale prior to analysis—a strategy that significantly reduces precision and fails to detect edges defined by similar colors.
Lighting and lighting control is a critical component of any machine vision system since it has a massive influence on the signal to noise ratio and contrast in the images acquired.
Predictive maintenance, OPC unified architecture, and quantum dot technology are just some of the new buzzwords in this space, according to industry experts.
Thermal imaging can be used for quality control in many industries. It is a nondestructive inspection method, which is especially used to detect flaws that are not visible on the surface.
For decades, many manufacturers have counted on robots to tirelessly produce parts of predictable quality. One of the key attributes of robots is their repeatability, which means that their tool tip will return to the same pre-programmed location with a known and relatively small error.