Inspection & Quality

ITW Vortec has released an update to its line of enclosure coolers. The ProtEX Vortex A/C enclosure cooler, released in April 2017, has been granted certification for Class I, Division 1, Groups A, B, C and D; Class II, Division 1, Groups F and G; and Class III, after extensive review by Underwriter's Laboratories (UL).

Last week's blog post on the successors of Rosie the Riveter inspired a reader to share her own experience as an early woman in manufacturing. Lois Anderson was tasked with walking into plants in Southwestern Michigan to convince dubious managers and workers to use new methods to improve their production quality and efficiency.

User error is a more common cause of unplanned downtime in the manufacturing sector than almost any other sector, according to a new Vanson Bourne global study, sponsored by ServiceMax from GE Digital. Unplanned downtime triggered by user error is 23% compared to as low as 9% in other sectors. (And did that robot just snicker?)

Slewing rings from igus are used in applications that handle high cycle speeds and loads, including control desks, welding equipment, indexing tables and chainsaws. Therefore, the slewing rings need to be extremely durable and reliable.

The L.S. Starrett Co. has announced the introduction of the HVR100-FLIP, a new large field-of-vision (FOV) benchtop vision measurement system that is capable of being used in either a vertical or horizontal orientation, features a high-resolution digital video camera and minimal optical distortion for accurate FOV measurements of up to 90mm (3.65").

Slater Tools introduces its new and comprehensive product line of GO/NO-GO gage sets for customer-specific applications. The full range of gages are designed and engineered precisely to inspect parts for machining process variations, such as form size, twist and tool wear.

A survey designed to assess manufacturers' preparedness for Industry 4.0 changes polled 537 manufacturing executives across eight industry segments. The vast majority of manufacturers surveyed have recognized the need for industrial transformation, with most already taking action. Those that have done so say they are already seeing benefits as a result.

Checking perpendicularity is a recurring theme on the shop floor—one that deserves detailed discussion and special tools, according to the Shop Operations column in the October 2017 issue of Cutting Tool Engineering.

In 5-axis machining, accurate rotary axis centerlines are critical, so regularly measuring and verifying these values is also critical. While the best course of action is to measure the machine using a high-tech system intended for this purpose, in a pinch you can use a manual process.

Measuring machined parts on a surface plate has long been a tedious job, one that requires mastery of dial indicators, a pocket calculator and an adjustable height gage that most in the industry refer to as a "Cadillac gage." But several metrology providers offer a more sophisticated way to quickly and accurately check hole diameters, the distance between part features, centerlines and more.

Most inspection-in-manufacturing features these days are about precision metrology equipment. This one is about people. More frequent rotation of (human) plant inspectors at medical device manufacturing facilities could benefit consumers and lead to fewer product recalls. That's the finding of a seven-year review of Food and Drug Administration inspections of and subsequent recalls at such facilities.

Easy, accurate tracking of items through the manufacturing process is becoming more and more important in the quality-conscious 'Smart-Factory' era. RFID tagging has distinct advantages as a tracking method, but barcode scanning has its adherents too.