September 2020 Metrology News Magazine
Editors Message:
“Quality is perceived before it’s experienced”. This adage is true for both a company as well as its product or service. “Company quality should permeate from every customer ‘touch’ and be distributed throughout the organization”.
I was recently prompted by an email to visit a specific company web-site. Their ‘Latest News’ section was last updated in early 2019. The Copyright Notice on every page was dated 2019 and several pages visited spewed out HTML code indicating something was broken. A great example of perceived company quality and that of an organization not paying attention to important details! This experience got me thinking that in these challenging business times we see many company announcements for new products, product enhancements, appointments, application stories etc yet how many companies appear not to be spending the necessary parallel effort to improve their overall customer experience. How often do you call a customer support line to be put on a long hold ‘enjoying’ shallow taped apologies for the delay “caused by an unusual call volume” and yet when calling the sales line you get through to a human voice immediately? When did a new customer prospect become much more important than supporting an existing customer? This indeed should be the very time when a company revisits their complete market engagement experience, as viewed by the customer, to ensure the best possible user experience and projected perception of quality and company dynamics. Markets have slowed, business has become more difficult, it’s not all about the product – it’s also about user engagement and their overall company experience. A small investment goes a long way to ensuring perceived company quality does indeed live up to the product quality experience that your next prospect customer has yet to judge….
When cleaning out my home office a few days ago I came across a package of reprinted business cards ordered early in 2020 for planned visits to the exhibition circuits of Europe and USA. It prompted me to realize I had not handed out a single business card this year. Online events have taken over this year along with virtual press conferences, online seminars, online training programs etc. We have all experienced the ability to engage much more readily, and with much less commitment, resulting in our improved personal productivity. Our improved knowledge and understanding of new technologies, market trends and the opportunity to improve process, quality and productivity will be critical as manufacturing enters the next phase in its global evolution. For me this mandated shift in engagement from physical to virtual has been a very positive experience and one that I am sure will continue albeit hopefully blended, with a return of physical presence again, in the not too distance future. If you have not yet engaged with many of the online events being offered in the coming month my suggestion is to do so and become personally better equipped for whatever the future holds.
In September the Metrology News platform published over 80 articles. This month’s newsletter showcases a number of these stories. The complete library of September articles can be accessed by clicking here.
As usual I welcome your comments, news and views – my inbox is always open.
Keith Mills – Publishing Editor
High-Speed Optical CMM Offers Fast Blade Inspection
Turbine blade inspection can be challenging – the ability to inspect features, leading-edge surfaces, root geometry, and cooling holes is crucial. The new UMA Blade from 3D Infotech integrates a high precision blue laser line sensor, a high-speed 3D scanner with advanced optics to deliver superior data quality on micro-features … read more
End To End Metrology Solutions
Metrology News recently sat-down virtually with the Metrologic Group CEO, Bertrand Gili, to discuss his view points on the role of manufacturing metrology and its transition and integration into smart factories. Metrology has become much more strategic to manufacturing over recent years. Can you comment on the role Metrologic Group is … read more
Atlas Copco To Acquire Perceptron
Perceptron, Inc. has announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Atlas Copco, a world-leading provider of sustainable productivity solutions headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, for $7.00 per share. The all-cash transaction values Perceptron at an equity valuation of approximately $68.9 million. Under the terms of the … read more
Improved vProbe Offers Production Floor CMM Measurements
The new and improved API vProbe tactile measuring sensor provides the ability to perform accurate CMM-style measurements directly on the production floor. Integrated with the API Radian Laser Tracker series, vProbe significantly enhances the measuring capabilities and functionalities of traditional Laser Trackers. vProbe is a wireless, hand-held, lightweight, tactile probe with … read more
Automated Dimensional Quality Control Suite Launched
Creaform has announced the latest release in its R-Series line-up, including the new MetraSCAN-R BLACK|Elite scanning sensor along with the addition of four different models of CUBE-R 3D robotic scanning measuring machines. Creaform has also launched an all-new VXscan-R digital twin environment software module, which completes the company’s turnkey automated … read more
ZEISS Adds Measurement Accuracy to X-ray Microscopy
The miniaturization and integration of components is driving a growing demand for high-resolution metrology. This is particularly the case when access is required to measure part characteristics not attainable with tactile and optical measuring systems. ZEISS is ‘making the invisible visible’ with the introduction, at an recent online seminar … read more
Resurrected Red Monster Breathes CMM Measurements Again
They say that ‘you can’t teach an old dog new tricks!’ NOT true! It CAN be done, but it’s not easy and this is where the expertise of CMM specialist Canadian Measurement-Metrology Inc. (CMMXYZ) comes in. CMMXYZ recently took on a massive CMM remanufacturing and retrofit project. The ‘old dog’ in … read more
Hybrid Light Source Handheld 3D Scanners Launched
SHINING 3D has added a new line of handheld color 3D scanners to its proven EinScan Series. The new EinScan H and HX handheld color 3D scanners are adding a new dimension of 3D scanning capacity to the EinScan portfolio. Based on many years of profound experience in 3D vision technology … read more
Smart 3D Metrology Digital Ecosystem Conference
Innovmetric has announced a virtual conference event, as an alternative to it annual conference that was cancelled earlier in the year due to the COVID pandemic. The conference is schedule for 30th September 2020. The virtual conference will provide the opportunity to learn more about the PolyWorks Smart 3D Metrology Digital … read more
Pop Up Metrology Roadshow To Visit 14 States in USA and Canada
Bruker Alicona has announced the hosting of a roadshow in USA and Canada which will visit over 20 cities, from September to November, providing exclusive demonstrations of their optical metrology equipment. The roadshow will be organized under consideration of COVID regulations. For a total of 7 weeks, Bruker Alicona will be … read more
Laser Tracker Discovers Original Steam Locomotive Design Errors
A steam train not seen since the 1960’s is being rebuilt by a group of engineering enthusiasts with the help of industrial laser scanning experts at the UK’s University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre AMRC who got the measure of a mysterious discrepancy between the original drawings and the … read more
Absolute Shopfloor Robotic Measurement System Charges EV Production Quality
ZEISS Industrial Quality Solutions has announced it will install ZEISS AICell trace at a premier electric vehicle manufacturer in North America in 2020. The correlation-free measuring cell is the most accurate, shopfloor car body robotic process and quality control system on the market. It achieves ISO 10360-8 stated accuracies while operating … read more
Measuring Measurement – Metrology Matters
The International Bureau of Weight and Measures states that: “Metrology is the science of measurement, embracing both experimental and theoretical determinations at any level of uncertainty in any field of science and technology.” Metrology is surely at the core of all practical scientific endeavours. Metrology is important because almost all of … read more
A.I. Challenges ‘Go-and-See’ Quality Control Methodology
At a factory south of Japan’s Toyota City, robots have started sharing the work of quality-control inspectors, as the pandemic accelerates a shift from Toyota’s vaunted ‘go and see’ system which helped revolutionize mass production in the 20th century. Inside the auto-parts plant of Musashi Seimitsu Industry, a robotic arm picks … read more
Smart 3D Universal Inspection System Uses Deep Learning
As Industry 4.0 takes hold, industrial automation and robotics are replacing many manual tasks in manufacturing. However, when it comes to visual quality inspection, most production lines still employ human workers in the tedious task of examining products and judging defects. The biggest drawback of manual visual inspection is that humans … read more
Inline Robotic Surface Finish Inspection
The inline control of surface roughness and micro structures is very often a huge challenge. Many available solutions are fast and can pace production but do not offer the necessary resolution. Others require a sophisticated anti-vibration system. The smartWLI extend range sensor combines all of the necessary requirement for fast, … read more
Mobile Fixture Plates Drive Vehicle Body Component Inspection
Witte Barskamp has announced the reaching of a milestone with the supply of 1,000 structured FixBase panels to operate in quality assurance applications globally. The Witte Barskamp FixBase panels, which are designed in a sandwich construction, offer maximum stability with a comparatively low weight and are compatible with the globally established … read more
Whitepaper Offers Insight Into Solutions For Quality Inspection
Inspekto, the pioneer of Autonomous Machine Vision, has released a whitepaper on the future of quality assurance in the industrial automation market. The paper addresses the needs of automation vendors and distributors who wish to add the first off-the-shelf product for industrial vision inspection to their portfolio. Industrial automation vendors provide … read more
Transmission Manufacturer Upgrades QA, Partners with OEM on New Heavy-Duty CMM
Lean thinking focuses on ways to add value without wasting resources. Benjamin Franklin captured the idea in ‘Poor Richard’s Almanack,’ when he said, “He that idly loses five shillings worth of time, loses five shillings and might as prudently throw five shillings into the river.” At Honda Transmission Manufacturing of America … read more
Deep Learning Powered Smart Camera For Complex In-Line Inspection Challenges
Cognex Corporation recently introduced the In-Sight D900 embedded vision system. A first-of-its kind solution, the In-Sight D900 features Cognex’s ViDi deep learning software inside an In-Sight industrial-grade smart camera. The self-contained system is designed to solve a broad range of complex in-line inspection applications including optical character recognition (OCR), assembly … read more
