Quality Control

Look-Ahead: Robotic system finds and records defects in finished parts.

Improvements in inspection equipment and techniques have evolved dramatically over the years.

Ways to control temperature effects to improve part quality.

Using on-machine inspection to check part quality can reduce lead times.

One machine shop's strategy for achieving zero-defect production relies on making all shop floor staff responsible for quality.

Manufacturing customers have begun demanding that their suppliers institute quality-control processes. At the same time, they are expecting their suppliers to adopt more efficient processes so that suppliers can reduce their prices while maintaining profitability. This article discusses these pressures and how even subtier suppliers are being affected by them.

Experts offer advice for implementing an SPC program in shops. They emphasize that developing an SPC program isn't as difficult as many people think, and that a program can be implemented with few hassles.

Implementing design for manufacturability is not a one-time event.