White Papers
Metrotomography Brings New Precision to CT
Modern manufacturing demands more precision than ever. Computed tomography (CT) is a potentially valuable tool for ensuring that precision. CT has traditionally been used for non-destructive testing (NDT) to find internal flaws, but meeting today’s needs requires better hardware, software and controller technology than has traditionally been used for industrial CT.
Date: July 28, 2017
Three Steps to an All-Digital Quality Management System
Manufacturers, large and small, often struggle with managing quality due to outdated or manual systems. These systems lack the efficiency & visibility needed to ensure compliance and avoid financial risk. Cloud-based technology offers an accelerated path towards a quality system that’s affordable and comprehensive. This eBook discusses the three steps to Quality in the Cloud.
Date: July 28, 2017
Compression After Impact Testing of Composite Material
Compression after impact (CAI) testing involves subjecting a specimen to a prescribed impact load, checking the state of damage to the specimen by a nondestructive method, and then performing compression testing of that specimen. This article describes CAI testing performed according to the ASTM D7137 standard test method.
Date: July 28, 2017
Do Executives See the Impact of Quality Improvement Projects?
A recent study indicates that more than half of executives get updates about quality only once a quarter, or less. Even organizations with robust quality improvement programs struggle to assess their full impact. How can quality professionals ensure that their results are understood at the highest levels of the organization?
Date: July 28, 2017
Laser Projection for Streamlining Production and Assembly
Laser Projection for virtual templating applications simultaneously streamlines production and improves quality. The aerospace and defense industries can benefit, as well as automotive and heavy equipment, machine shops, and the composites industry. Scrap and rework costs are minimized, and costs associated with storing, updating and maintaining physical templates are reduced or eliminated.
Date: July 28, 2017
Organizational Resilience and your Business Strategy
Organizational change expert, Dr. David Denyer, presents a summary of decades of academic evidence, business insights and new thinking to help organizations become more resilient. This paper offers proven good practices from organizations across the globe that contribute to creating resilient organizations.
Date: July 28, 2017
PQ Systems
Control charts are valuable tools to help you and your team implement fundamental process changes to improve manufacturing processes. But before you can effectively utilize the information from the chart, you must first be confident that the chart being reviewed is healthy. Don’t analyze a control chart without first considering seven key attributes.
Date: May 1, 2017
Radiant Visions
Unlike traditional machine vision, imaging colorimeters are engineered to replicate human visual perception of light, enabling highly-accurate evaluations of brightness and color, contrasts, and defects in displays.
Date: May 1, 2017
Sparta
More and more, manufacturers are expanding their supply chain to reach new markets and reduce operational costs. However, this can leave manufacturers exposed to a higher risk of product quality issues and operational inefficiencies.
Date: May 1, 2017
Infinity QS
The Operational Insight white paper you’re about to read will completely transform how your company uses quality data. Ditch the pen and papercuts.
Date: May 1, 2017
Zeiss
A high-performance measuring machine is the prerequisite for fast and efficient measuring. Yet many operators are not achieving maximum efficiency with their coordinate measuring machine. Learn about the seven tips to help coordinate measuring machine users increase their profitability.
Date: May 1, 2017
Minitab
Most improvement projects have a goal—like reducing defects. Teams often want to jump in and start gathering data so they can solve the problems. Checking measurement systems first may seem like a waste of time, but a Gage R&R study is a critical step in any analysis involving continuous data.
Date: May 1, 2017
CMM or portable metrology: how to choose the most effective measuring tool
CMMs are the most accurate metrology equipment available for quality inspection. However, due to their widespread use in a manufacturing environment, they can nevertheless become bottlenecks and not be available for inspections. Moreover, they can potentially generate critical delays in shipping produced parts to customers. There are now several alterative metrology instruments that can help QC managers unload their CMMs and perform accurate measurements right on the shop floor, regardless of harsh working environments and instabilities.
Date: May 1, 2017
6 Best Practices on How to Manage Quality
A well-run Quality Management Systems (QMS) brings the entire company together to solve problems, standardize processes and meet the demands of customers and regulatory agencies. Moreover, the quality process can become the cornerstone of your company, making you a creative design leader.
Date: March 23
Avoid the High Cost of Quality Failure
In today's social media world, news of a negative product review on the web can be spread around the globe before your damage-control team gets their boots on; because of this, manufacturers are focused now more than ever on preventing quality issues from shipping to market.
Date: March 23
PLM Best Practices for Medical Device Manufacturers to Ensure Quality
It is well known in the medical device industry that the success of a company is driven by its ability to bring innovative, cost-effective products to market quickly. And, in today’s global medical device market, proactive strategies are needed to ensure compliance with the regulatory requirements in global markets. As the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other regulatory bodies have embraced the concept of total product life cycle (TPLC) management, it has become the gold standard for guiding a medical device from concept to completion.
Date: March 23
Providing a Superior Foundation for Your Corporate Quality System
FDA regulated companies must establish quality systems for compliance. Most quality management systems (QMS) were developed to help comply with regulations with a sole focus on automating the paper-based processes around quality.
Date: March 23
Understanding the 70/30 rule of CMM software selection
CMMs software are vital to ensuring that you get the most complete performance out of your machine. It is important to be diligent when exploring CMM software to find what will best fit your needs. The key to this choice is to understand the 70/30 rule of CMM software selection.
Date: February 2017
Tips and Tricks for Analyzing Non-Normal Data
Many statistical analyses and p-values assume that your data follow a normal distribution. However, normally distributed data isn’t always the norm. So, what’s a good data analyst to do?
Explore graphical and statistical tools for assessing normality, and learn about the techniques you can use to properly analyze non-normal data.
Date: February 2017
Improve Scheduling, Production, and Quality Using Cloud
Christine Hansen, a product marketing manager at Epicor with experience in the manufacturing business sector, presents some of the best practices used by discrete manufacturers around Scheduling, Production and Quality. She also highlights the benefits of using Cloud ERP solution.
Date: February 2017
From Cost Center to Profit Engine: Quality Data and Your Missed Opportunities
The Enterprise Visibility white paper you’re about to read will completely transform how your company uses quality data. Ditch the pen and papercuts. We’ve created a centralized database solution that aggregates and analyzes ALL of your data. Take the leap and transition from reactive problem-solver to quality innovator.
Date: February 2017
The Next Big Step in XRF
A white paper on the technology behind the Watson XRF metal analyzer featuring the world's first field exchangeable X-ray cartridge
Date: November 2016
Meet the TrackArm
When you work with organizations like BMW or NASA, quality cannot be left to chance. Working with large components introduces some particular measurement challenges. High accuracy is required on such large and detailed parts, as operators must negotiate between the sheer size of parts and the necessity of precise measurements.
Date: November 2016
Automation Today
Manufacturing is quickly evolving—as seen in smart factories, lean thinking, and increasing automation—and requires moving quality assurance alongside production. One way to improve quality involves optical 3D imaging systems and robots. The latest advancements in optical 3D measurement, robot integration and automation technology allow manufacturers to develop new solutions to enable the factory of the future today.
Date: November 2016
The Advantages of Telecentricity
The ability to quickly perform repeatable, high accuracy measurements is critical to maximize the performance of many machine vision systems. For such systems, a telecentric lens allows the highest possible accuracy to be obtained. Discover the unique performance characteristics of Telecentric Lenses and how telecentricity can impact system performance.
Date: November 2016
3D Surface Measurement in the Medical Field
3D optical surface profiling is a powerful tool for guaranteeing the quality and performance of precision medical devices. These measurements greatly affect safety, performance, and comfort for countless patients. And many new medical applications for high-end 3D optical microscopes are being explored and put to use every year.
Date: November 2016
5 Ways to Make Sure You Can Trust Your Data
Can you trust your data? This deceptively simple question needs to be answered when you use statistics to improve processes. You can’t just assume you have good data—you need to know you do. Here are five ways you can maximize your chances of getting data that you can have confidence in.
Date: November 2016
A Best Practices Guide to Quality Management
There is much to consider when choosing the right QMS for your organization. Each QMS is different from the next, which makes you question, which will provide the most value and prove to be truly effective? Learn some of the best practices of an effective QMS that should be built into the system to ensure a successful business.
Date: November 2016
The Risk Management Guidebook: Strategies and Tools for Success
Regardless of industry, whether you’re an enterprise or small to mid-sized business—the common denominator is risk. What can companies do to not just reduce risks, but prevent them from occurring in the first place? The answer lies in having an automated Risk Management System. This guidebook provides you with a selection of our risk-based literature, all in one place.
Date: November 2016
Better Calibration, Better Quality: 5 Ways to Improve Both
It’s time to calibrate your way to better quality. At a minimum, properly calibrated instruments help avoid product failures. But calibration programs can also improve your business. A strong calibration program can mitigate risk, meet and exceed customer requirements, optimize your gauging program, maintain a strong workforce, and improve productivity.
Date: August 2016
An Alternative to Check Fixtures
Given the limitations of check fixtures, it is not surprising that some companies have turned to the latest technology to help them eliminate check fixtures from their processes. The solution that many of them have found is combining modular tooling, which can be used to build holding fixtures, with portable CMMs.
Date: July 2016
An Introduction to Lean Manufacturing
In order to stay afloat in today’s competitive manufacturing environment, many companies have implemented lean manufacturing techniques to create more efficient workflows. Through the elimination of waste and the creation of value through the various processes, companies are able to eliminate costly scrap and rework while contributing to their bottom line.
Date: July 2016
4 Ways Purpose-Built ECM Helps You Achieve ISO 9001:2015 Certification
Date: July 2016
For many organizations the countdown to complying with the newest ISO 9001 standard has begun. Leveraging a purpose-built enterprise content management system can be an invaluable tool in this endeavor. This paper explores how ECM systems can help automate and simplify the information and process management necessary for ISO certification.
Equipped to double inspection productivity: Continental Chassis & Safety installs twin ALTERA multi-sensors CMMs
Date: July 2016
The Quality department of Continental’s Chassis & Safety department recently invested in dual multi-sensor CMMs to revamp the inspection capabilities of their measurement laboratory.
After outlining their criteria, several companies were consulted, prior to selecting two Nikon ALTERA CMMs, featuring the state-of-the-art LC15Dx laser scanners. Saving time and increasing productivity.
Increase efficiency through better part quality communication
Date: July 2016
A CMM can tell that a part is out of spec, but that’s just a symptom and rarely provides enough information to identify and correct a problem. The standard first question is “Is there a trend; will this be an ongoing problem?” An ideal reporting system can help answer this question. Use this 7-point checklist for guidance.
The Rise of the Quality Business Network
Date: July 2016
Manufacturing supply chains are becoming more global and more complex, which can impact quality. Learn about the Quality Business Network, an ecosystem of quality management stakeholders - manufacturers, contract manufacturers, suppliers - who leverage technology to connect quality management systems, processes and data in order to facilitate increased collaboration and visibility across the value chain.
Quick Guide to Six Sigma Statistics
Date: July 2016
Many practitioners feel intimidated by the statistics vital to Six Sigma, but you don’t need to be.
Room to Breathe
Date: May 2016
The CPAP generators used to provide newborns with a reliable air supply must be sealed as tightly as possible.
Merging Two Different Worlds
Date: May 2016
On the road to Industry 4.0, measuring and inspection technology is increasingly being used as a control tool in manufacturing.
The Scanning Sensor at the End of Your CMM is One of Your Primary Data Sources.
Date: May 2016
Making sense of active scanning vs. passive scanning and fixed active vs. articulating passive scanning is challenging. This white paper explains how the REVO® 5-Axis Scanning System may take the guesswork out of the equation by carrying additional sensors to accommodate a wider range of measuring applications and requirements.
Integrated Wireless Handheld Gaging for the Shop Floor
Date: May 2016
Recently, measurement technology in manufacturing environments has taken a leap forward. Just as cell phones and integrated wireless computer peripherals have become common, integrated wireless technology is moving onto the shop floor. Integrated wireless in digital calipers and indicators offers users substantial benefits over cabled or add-on wireless transmitter devices.
Four Best Practices to Improve Quality
Date: May 2016
Markets and manufacturing practices have evolved and companies now work with an increasing number of global manufacturing and supply partners, impacting the ability to manage quality effectivity. Learn four best practices for managing quality in the supply chain, and how leading manufacturers are reducing risk and improving efficiencies by extending quality management beyond the four walls.
7 Deadly Statistical Sins
Date: May 2016
Making statistical mistakes is all too easy. Statistical software helps eliminate mathematical errors—but correctly interpreting the results of an analysis can be even more challenging. Even statistical experts fall prey to common errors. Minitab’s technical trainers, all seasoned statisticians with extensive industry experience, compiled this list of common statistical mistakes.
Quality 2020 Report
Date: May 2016
AIAG’s Quality 2020 report, developed with Deloitte Consulting, shares the findings of a recent, groundbreaking industry quality survey and includes extensive interviews with the nation’s leading automakers on the current state of quality. The paper discusses the improvements that are most likely to drive common solutions to industry quality issues.
Quality Management in the Complex Manufacturing Environment
Date: January 2016
Complexity can impact quality. From global suppliers & contract manufacturers to service initiatives & production activities - learn how leading manufacturers are leveraging an enterprise quality management solution (EQMS) to coordinate business processes and IT infrastructure within complex operational processes, ensuring quality, improving productivity and supporting compliance across the supply chain.
5 Quality Solutions for your Inspection Challenges
Date: January 2016
The 5 solutions given in this white paper come from our many years of experience working with quality and manufacturing engineers in the aerospace, automotive and medical industries of manufacturing. We cover issues like soaring through your FAI audit, handling drawings revisions, expediting customer approval of FAI’s and maximizing your CMM data output plus more.
Cast Part Inspection
Date: January 2016
Casting is a process of pouring a liquid, typically metal or plastic, into a mold to produce a solid part. Solid parts often contain voids or inclusions, which may or may not impact the performance of the finished part. The challenge is differentiating bad porosity from acceptable porosity or desired porosity, and diverting bad parts before either spending additional production time on them or sending a sub-standard part to market.
Westinghouse Nuclear Fuel: Proof of Quality
Date: January 2016
Westinghouse Electric Company's nuclear power generation division implemented GSQA® five years ago to manage quality, material validation, certification tracking across their multi-tier, fuel rod bundle fabrication supply chain by providing real-time access to all tiers’ QA including metal treatment, part fabrication, assembly creation, and to deliver as-built BOM to customers.
Understanding Telecentricity and Perspective Error
Date: October, 2015
The ability to quickly perform repeatable, high accuracy measurements is critical to maximize performance of many machine vision systems. For such systems, Telecentric Lenses allow the highest possible accuracy to be obtained.
Quality Parameters of Cutting Tools
Date: October, 2015
Through the ever-increasing customer demands on tolerances and performance, testing and constant measuring in research and production become inevitable for the manufacturers.
Automated Inspection of Flat Panel Displays as Correlated to Human Vision
Date: October, 2015
Human perception is the ultimate standard for assessing display quality; however human judgment is variable, making it difficult to define and apply quantitatively in research or production environments.
Sophisticated Metrology on a Budget
Date: October, 2015
In today’s competitive markets there’s a lot to be said for getting the metrology functionality you need without spending more than you have to.
Four Ways to Better Production Efficiency
Date: September, 2015
Imagine having real-time monitoring and control of your operations. You could improve productivity, increase efficiently and profitably, and make better decisions based on the performance of your manufacturing plant/enterprise.
The Color of Quality: How Crayola uses Data to Deliver the perfect Crayon
Date: September, 2015
Analyzing and acting on data transformed the way Crayola does business and has enabled the company to concentrate resources where they'll have the biggest impact.
7 Metrology Methods Compared on 1 Identical Part
Date: July, 2015
With so many metrology and quality inspection methods to choose from which technology will do what job is often a mystery for manufacturers - small and large.
Future Proof: Why the Cloud is Your Key to Consistent, Enduring Quality Control
Date: July, 2015
Inside Future Proof, you’ll learn how to avoid the ticking time bomb hidden in many manufacturer’s quality systems.
Survival of the fittest - The Process Control Imperative
Date: July, 2015
In tough times, manufacturers focus on reducing their operating costs, but may not be able to afford to spend their way out by buying more productive machinery. With that pathway closed, what are the opportunities for radically reducing costs without replacing existing machines?
Driving Both Flexibility and Quality into the Discrete Manufacturing Environment
Date: July, 2015
Today's manufacturers produce and sell high-quality, highly complex products, all while striving to improve quality, speed time-to-market, and lower costs. To enhance flexibility, best-in-class organizations nurture highly collaborative enterprises which have, at their core, deep visibility into supplier performance, compliance, and risk.
Using Six Sigma to Reduce Scrap, Rework, and Costs at Tenneco
Date: June, 2015
Tenneco manufactures clean air and ride performance products for cars, trucks, and commercial and agricultural vehicles for customers in more than 100 countries. A team at the company’s Litchfield, Mich., facility used Minitab Statistical Software to assess and optimize their processes for manufacturing steel tubing for vehicle exhaust systems.
Improve Scheduling Production Quality Cloud ERP
Date: June, 2015
How powerful would it be if your customer service could communicate an analysis of production quality for an order? Not only building a quality product, but being able to quickly respond with evidence will develop confidence in your manufacturing capability and process. A Cloud-deployed enterprise resource planning (ERP) system is the ideal solution for companies looking to technology to help them punch above their weight.
The World of Imperfection
Date: April, 2015
Perhaps you were one of the drivers affected by the recall of almost 64 million vehicles last year. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were 803 vehicle recalls in 2014—and that’s just the automotive industry. While an estimated 70-80% of top U.S. manufacturers’ vehicles are made from sub-supplier materials, almost every food seems to have faced a recall, whether it’s cantaloupe or macaroni and cheese.
How to Use Imaging Colorimeters for Automated Visual Inspection of Flat Panel Displays
Date: April, 2015
The use of imaging colorimeter systems and analytical software to assess display brightness and color uniformity, contrast, and to identify defects in Flat Panel Displays (FPDs) is well established. A fundamental difference between imaging colorimetry and traditional machine vision is imaging colorimetry's accuracy in matching human visual perception for light and color uniformity.
Traceability for the Automotive Industry
Date: April, 2015
Barcode technologies provide fast, reliable data collection to ensure part or product traceability, error-proof assembly processes, and enhance customer service. These ever-evolving machine readable systems have improved efficiency and continue to adapt to the growing need of technology to improve and maintain data storage and tracking across industries.
Active Versus Passive Scanning for Multi-Point Measurement
Date: March, 2015
The distinction between touch-trigger (single point) measurement and contact scanning is well known. And there are two types of contact scanning technologies: passive and active. Both record surface data based on the movement of a stylus connected to a scanning head. The difference is what goes on inside the scanning head.
Free eBook: 7 Habits of Quality Obsessed Manufacturers
Date: March, 2015
The new eBook is an engaging and informative profile of how the modern manufacturing quality expert sees the world. A compelling read that at times is light hearted, 7 Habits of Quality Obsessed Manufacturers is written for top performing manufacturing pros that want ideas that give their company a competitive operational advantage.
DuPont Building Innovations: Recycling Everything but the Kitchen Sink
Date: March, 2015
DuPont Building Innovations reduced the amount of landfill waste they generated from 81 million pounds per year to zero. The global Six Sigma team that achieved this goal used Minitab Statistical Software to analyze and make sense of the tremendous amount of data gathered throughout the project.
Free eBook: Quality and the Missing Puzzle Piece
Date: January, 2015
As a quality professional, you demand consistency. You want control. You need one common language of data. But when your company adds new machines, new lines, new facilities -- and even new companies – you don’t get quality consistency. You get quality chaos. And you’re responsible for bringing it all under control.
CCD vs. CMOS for high resolutions
Date: January, 2015
Essential camera properties such as resolution, frame rate and image quality are defined by the deployed image sensor – hence why it is of crucial importance in terms of performance in image acquisition. The present report outlines relevant sensing technologies and their applications as well as potentials in present-day camera developments.
Survival of the Fittest: The process control imperative
Date: January, 2015
In tough times, manufacturers focus on reducing their operating costs, but may not be able to afford to spend their way out by buying more productive machinery. With that pathway closed, what are the opportunities for radically reducing costs without replacing existing machines? This paper explores four areas where substantial savings can be found if firms are prepared to change the way they control their machining processes.
Bridgestone Costa Rica: Getting a Grip with Design of Experiments
Date: January, 2015
To solve challenges certifying a new tire and overcoming a production bottleneck, a Bridgestone Costa Rica project team turned to Minitab Statistical Software. They designed an experiment to find optimal settings for factors affecting both challenges, then used the results to produce and certify more tires with more speed.
Reducing the Cost of Quality with Real-Time SPC
Date: September, 2013
The level of global competition faced by today’s organizations has put more pressure on the bottom line than ever before. To realize market-leading performance, executives not only have to work to achieve growth targets, they also have to continuously reduce costs in operations.
How To Use Risk Evaluation To Develop A Proficiency Testing Participation Plan
Date: September, 2013
In the past, the proficiency testing items and participation frequency were formulated by accreditation bodies, regardless of the scale, customer type, and economic conditions of a laboratory. In 2010, ILAC P9 require the applicant laboratories considering needs and risk level to make their own proficiency testing participation plan, as long as proficiency testing program feasible both logistically and economically.
Recent Changes in Aerospace Standards
Date: August, 2012
With all of the new changes surrounding AS9100C:2009, AS9120A:2009, AS9101D and AS9104/1 it is imperative that you understand how they affect you, your business and your industry. This white paper provides an in-depth look at recent and upcoming changes to the AQMS requirements so that you and your organization will not be caught off guard when they come into place.
Environmental Management System (EMS): Why You Need One Now More Than Ever
Date: August, 2012
In the 21st century, environmental issues have become a strategic concern, with organizations vying to meet their environmental obligations while simultaneously attempting to handle challenging marketplace, regulatory, competitive and global demands. Indeed, modern organizations must now develop effective environmental programs that can successfully handle a multitude of internal and external drivers.
Visual Management: Increase Your Company’s Profitability Through Insight
Date: December, 2011
Download a new white paper from Red Lion to find out how implementing a simple visual management system can help you meet Kaizen, lean manufacturing and additional efforts to become more competitive in a global economy. The white paper describes various visual management solutions, which include the collection of key performance indicators and the communication of these KPIs to the production floor personnel—who can affect the greatest improvement.
Fundamentals of Calibration
Date: December, 2011
Calibration is an insurance policy that verifies the accuracy of test instruments. Measurement instruments are essential for any company that verifies and measures during the product design and manufacturing process. Since these instruments are used to verify the quality of products, they are ultimately responsible for a business' success and the profitability. This makes the calibration of test and measurement equipment essential to multiple industries.
Fast and Easy Package Inspection
Date: July, 2011
Fast and Easy Package Inspection The BOA from Teledyne DALSA is a tiny (41 mm3 cube) “smart camera” (see Figure 1). This smart camera contains an image sensor – as in a regular digital camera – image processing computers, communications, and machine vision software, all in a package that is IP67 (wash-down) rated and requires no cooling.
Calibration is NOT a DIY Project
Date: May, 2011
In order to stay profitable while delivering both quality and value, companies often find themselves looking for ways to reduce costs and free up valuable resources. Most companies discover they cannot effectively perform their own calibrations because of the many associated costs. One solution is to outsource difficult-to-manage functions that lie outside core processes. Calibration services can fall within this category.
Calibration Basics and Best Practices
Date: March, 2011
Calibration is essential to improving a company’s bottom line and maintaining a superior reputation. Determine if calibration is a do-it-yourself operation or one that should be outsourced. This white paper outlines calibration basics, best practices and how these actions can ensure product quality, increase efficiency, decrease turnaround time and reduce costs.
Tap Into Blue Chip Metrology Expertise
Date: January, 2011
The business of manufacturing is a colossal world of outsourcing: from product design to parts to services. This practice makes it possible to leverage expertise when you need it. In a field such as metrology where the difficulty of finding and training qualified staff remains an industry-wide issue, outsourcing is a growing nationwide trend.
Analyzing Data to Save Tax Dollars: Erie County, New York
Date: July, 2010
Residents of Erie County, New York, faced a painful choice: raise taxes, or slash services. Then the new county executive offered a third option: use Lean Six Sigma to cut costs. Learn how the power of Minitab 15 Statistical Software helped the county's new improvement program save more than $2 million in just its first year.
Modern CMM Design Concepts
Date: May, 2010
Coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) are used in practically every industry that requires precise dimensional inspection of manufactured parts. In today’s competitive environment, manufacturers demand CMMs that are accurate, reliable, fast, economical, and provide maximum flexibility with respect to operating environment. In order to meet these often conflicting requirements and provide maximum value in the products delivered to their customers, CMM manufacturers must make informed design decisions, intelligent material choices, and employ novel techniques.
An Introduction to Portable CMMs
Date: June, 2009
Many advances in CMM technology have occurred over the decades, including the development of portable CMMs. Portable CMMs provide all the benefits of traditional CMMs but with added flexibility. They are lightweight and can therefore be used anywhere measurement is needed (the machine goes to the part). A controlled environment is not required and operation is very simple..
Choosing the Right Extensometer for Every Materials Testing Application
Date: October, 2008
In materials and component testing the range of applications where extensometers are used is extremely diverse. As a result, the technical requirements for these devices are multifaceted, which means that there is no single device which satisfies all needs. As a pioneer and global leader in modern extensometry, the Zwick Roell Group believes that it offers its customers the widest range of technical advice, products and solutions.
The Factory Diagnosis Diagram
Date: December, 2007
As a rule, counting, measurement and experimental data of various origins are initially protocolled or stored in the order of their occurrence. For descriptive and/or analytical processing of such data, it is often advantageous, at times even mandatory, to sort the data in ascending or descending order according to their size, i.e., to bring them into a so-called rank order.
Signal to Noise Ratio—What is the Right Size?
Date: August, 2007
The concept of signal (S) to noise (N) ratios has high visibility in design of experiment circles due to the work of Taguchi and his disciples. In this paper we will look into one of the signal to noise ratios and provide an answer to the question of “How large the ratio should be to call it a significant signal?"
Data Integrity and Industrial Reliability via Wireless Mesh Networks
Date: August, 2007
Industrial environments demand rugged and reliable solutions regardless of the type of system to be deployed. Electronics as a group are some of the most mechanically and performance fragile systems that live on the shop floor. Within this environment there are frequent examples of noise and interference sources that disturb or otherwise impair the reliable functioning of electronics. More and more, wireless sensors and metrology instruments are being deployed in production areas.
New 3D Parameters and Filtration Techniques for Surface Metrology
Date: May, 2007
For a long time surface metrology has been based upon measurement using 2D profilometers. Over the past twenty years the appearance of 3D profilometers and non-contact gauges has created a need for the standardization and formalization of the analysis of 3D surface texture. This paper presents the current status of the standardization process and includes a short description of the tools and parameters that will become available to users when work on the definition of the new standards.