Quality Control Processes

If a spindle breaks down, what is your company's plan of action? Is it the most practical and efficient way to deal with a down spindle? Spindles need maintenance at varying intervals based on the length and design of their operation. Normal use of any machine will cause wear and tear, the spindle being the component that receives the majority of the wear. It is necessary for spindles to run at the right speeds and feeds to minimize wear. Because of this, a good spindle program should consider the specific operational information of each individual spindle.

I attended 'Integr8,' an Industrial Internet of Things conference hosted by Automation Alley at Detroit's Renaissance Center last month. At numerous breakout sessions, a common question from participants was, "How do I get started with getting my shop floor connected?" This was an event full of experts enthused by the possibilities that IIoT hold for manufacturers, so I was pleasantly surprised to hear many of them reply, in effect: "With moderation."n

In the digitized manufacturing world being born, the product that a job-shop produces is less a piece of engineered metal and more a piece of intellectual property. So said Tom Kelly, the executive director and CEO of Detroit's Automation Alley. That difference brings risks but also unprecedented opportunities for those who are ready.

Kitagawa-NorthTech Inc., Schaumburg, Ill., which specializes in standard chucks, advanced chucks, custom-engineered workholding and steady rests, announced that Shawn Luschei has rejoined the company as senior manager of sales for North America.

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. In the end, she helped them excel.

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.

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.

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.

Thinking of purchasing shop floor control software but don't know where to start? You might want to start by brushing up on the relevant jargon.