The world has now had a few days to react to Twitter's recent announcement that they will selectively censor tweets based on the local laws of countries. The responses range from people saying that it's a non-issue to downright outrage. Twitter's actions are certainly well in line with other web titans like Google and Facebook when it comes to international freedom of ...

What comes to mind when you think about your morals and values? Is it plausible to think these very basic principles could quite possibly be responsible for your perception of the world around you? What about the effect they have on your job or your work ethic? Family development expert Stephen J. Bavolek defines our morals as a code of conduct with identified rights ...

When we talk about happiness at work, we usually focus on ways to boost your satisfaction and land a position that offers a sense of purpose and fulfillment. One tidbit that rarely makes headlines is that many employees are actually pretty content with their work. In fact, a CNBC/SurveyMonkey survey found that 85 percent of American workers are happy with their jobs. With numbers like those, it stands ...

When I took the CMO role at my organization mere weeks after returning from maternity leave for my second child last July, I had the typical working-mom apprehensions about the time and energy necessary to fulfill the obligations required of a C-suite executive. Was it selfish to prioritize my own career when I had a newborn and a toddler? I ultimately decided that, while it's unrealistic to tell mothers they can have it all, I could make a go at it. ...

The transition from ICE to electric powertrain requires a complete review of the approach to quality and process controls. Some existing checks for ICE find even more extensive applications for the EV sector.

Digital twins replicate real-world environments digitally, aiding manufacturers in optimizing processes and improving safety and performance.

3D printing is a revolutionary technology that enables the creation of intricate and complex designs by adding material layer by layer. The final surface roughness of the printed part is critical to its overall performance and can have a major impact on its functionality.

Plant engineers and quality departments often struggle with zero point drift during air leak testing, where the initial zero reading shifts over time, leading to frequent adjustments of the leak test instrument. This article addresses the causes of zero drift, commonly attributed to changes in shop floor temperature, and provides strategies to minimize or eliminate this issue for improved efficiency in quality control processes.

UTM is versatile and cost-effective, evaluating physical properties while adhering to industry standards. They test durability and establish load thresholds for functionality, safety during use, and minimum loads for usability, improving the quality of the final product.

Real-time data acquisition prevents defective parts at an auto parts manufacturer.

I started my career in quality assurance and configuration management in 1963. On April 10th of the same year, the USS Thresher SSN 593 sank during its sea trials, leading to the tragic loss of 112 Naval Personnel and 17 civilians.

When discussing material strength, a material only needs to be as strong as necessary. Other properties like lightness, manufacturability, and sustainability also matter. Paper can be the ideal choice with resourceful processing and innovative design, despite being seemingly weaker as a raw material.

Catheters are used for various medical procedures, including addressing issues in a person's arterial network and urological conditions. They also deliver medical devices and treat conditions such as clogged arteries and irregular heartbeats. Testing for catheters includes tensile testing, lubricity testing, and usability/trackability testing.

This article introduces materials testing for metal powder and parts made using metal additive manufacturing. It covers types of testing and their objectives for characterizing printed metal, aimed at non-experts new to metal printing and testing.

VICTOR, NY—New Scale Robotics has been named an authorized systems integrator (ASI) for FANUC America Corp., enabling the company to more effectively use its Q-Span automated gauging technology in conjunction with FANUC’s collaborative robots.

EVs could represent 45 to 58 percent of all vehicles by 2030, with the lithium-ion battery market expected to grow over 30 percent annually. The question is whether battery quality can keep up with this surge.

Time series analysis enables manufacturers to track quality data, revealing patterns, trends, and anomalies to maintain consistent production standards. This method can be applied to daily production output or hourly quality measurements.

Compression testing is key in materials science for evaluating how materials respond to compressive loads. It helps determine mechanical properties like stiffness, strength, and fatigue life. This overview covers the testing process, material properties, standards, applications, challenges, and best practices.

Recently a discussion centered on organizational empowerment, its relationship to employee self-determination, and the impact on opportunity. The following is a summary of a recent conversation with one of our readers.

In March 2013, Lululemon, a billion-dollar Canadian athletic apparel company, made headlines after the media got wind of an unusual story. The Vancouver-based company recalled its popular black yoga pants after customers complained that the active wear was too sheer.

Materials are designed to withstand the environment and stress to which they will be subjected. The properties of a material or component involve not only the elemental composition but manufacturing processes such as heat treatment and machining processes.

The conference theme is "Strategic Success Through People-Powered Excellence."

Westinghouse and Holtec also support the bank's re-authorization.

Company to reduce carbon footprint 25% by 2025, launch STEM scholarship program.

Tariq Masud sat down with Quality to explain why this topic is so important. He will be presenting at The Quality Show on Tuesday, October 24.

Learn how design controls can help quality managers assess medical devices.

The single most important thing manufacturing leaders can do to engage their employees is to share the ‘why’ behind their daily work, says Kathleen Skarvan, CEO at New Prague, MN-based Electromed—Quality’s 2021 Plant of the Year.

Due to its ability to nondestructively capture, display and analyze the internal structures of objects in high resolution and three-dimensionally, industrial computed tomography is gaining importance as a precise 3D measuring technology for production in addition to the classic application fields of research and development and failure analysis.

Ensuring stringent medical part quality is challenging, but with the right vision system, manufacturers can utilize powerful technology to help determine that the challenges are being met. 

Measurement devices must be calibrated regularly to ensure they perform their jobs properly. While calibration covers a wide range of applications and scenarios, the goal is simple: ensure your device is measuring to your standards.

How LVHN used Lean Six Sigma tools and Minitab statistical analysis to achieve improvements in patient-centered care.

For their dedication to quality, Larsen Manufacturing (Mundelein, IL) has earned our 2022 Quality Plant of the Year award.

We review essential software specifications and cover how those attributes can be leveraged when considering computer-controlled physical product testing equipment in the lab or on the shop floor.

What level of quality do you feel is required in orthopedic implants, pacemakers and other critical, life-sustaining medical devices? The highest quality, of course!

Gerresheimer, a manufacturer for the pharma and life science industry, will invest more than $88 million in expanding its manufacturing operations in Peachtree City, creating over 200 new jobs for Fayette County.

Automating testing and inspection requires careful consideration of tools, including robot type, end-of-arm tooling, and ancillary systems. While cobots are popular for quality tasks, their full collaborative capabilities may not be utilized in some applications, leading to higher costs without maximizing benefits.

Reverse engineering is the process of taking apart a product to understand its design and functionality. This knowledge is helpful for creating similar products or improving existing designs.

Labor shortages continue to pressure manufacturers, with some dedicating up to 20% of their workforce to manual inspection. Embracing Quality 4.0 with automated in-line inspections and AI process analytics could provide significant value.

Discovering, evolving, and sometimes unsettling, artificial intelligence mirrors our human learning. Yet, as it integrates further, questions arise: Can it handle quality assurance? What's in the future? And crucially, how much control are we comfortable relinquishing to it?

AI is revolutionizing quality control in manufacturing, driving us into Industry 4.0 and beyond. Manufacturers can streamline processes, boost efficiency, and deliver top-notch products globally. Embracing AI isn't just advantageous; it's essential for thriving in today's economy. Businesses must invest in AI to empower their workforce and stay ahead in the rapidly evolving manufacturing landscape.

Quality managing editor Michelle Bangert talked with Justin Newell, CEO of Inform North America, who recently wrote an article for Quality on trustworthy AI.

In a world where AI vision technology is setting new quality control standards across industries, machines can now detect even the smallest defects in car parts and ensure that every packaged product meets health standards.

Machine vision has evolved significantly over the past forty years, and the demand for specialized solutions has increased in recent years. This article will explore current and future imaging requirements.

The growing use of AI in manufacturing has revolutionized quality control. Traditional inspection methods struggle to keep pace with complex production processes, but AI augments accuracy and efficiency, upholding high-quality standards.

Manufacturers focus on reducing their operating costs, but cannot afford buying more productive machinery.

The aerospace industry is known for manufacturing parts with critical dimensions and tight tolerances. Despite the high-demanding inspections they are required to perform, important players in the industry have managed to reduce bottlenecks and detect problems early in the manufacturing process.

Finding new talent can be an extremely difficult process for any organization, in any industry.

Are you a manufacturer researching ways to improve and increase productivity, as your cast parts become more complex?

How can a QMS help your organization to achieve a strategic culture of quality? What can you learn from the unique challenges other organizations face in different industries? 

Today’s manufactured components are more complex than ever, with more parts diversity, more model year changes and tighter tolerances than ever before.