Quality Control News

Realize full benefits of automated online inspection (AOI) through careful integration into existing operations, cautions Global SMT & Packaging. One UK contract manufacturer serving electronics and defense customers successfully introduced new benchtop AOI equipment along with faster pick-and-place devices. The setup boosts throughput by checking components and solder quality simultaneously on 400 boards/day.

Despite its current struggles, the U.S. auto industry still promises plenty of opportunity for vision applications, argues Machine Vision Online. Vision vendors anticipate contracts from new production lines to produce smaller, fuel-efficient cars. Increased auto component outsourcing will drive the need for smart cameras to spot defects and verify part marking for future traceability.

Emerson Climate Technologies, one of the world's largest HVAC firms, selected Daydem's Stature Quality Lifecycle Management software to expand quality programs at its global facilities. The platform allows various divisions to use common parameters for quality and risk and provides a central knowledge repository and Bill of Compliance.

Quality assurance professionals now have wireless capability in a mini-notebook computer packaged with real-time statistical process control (SPC) software for under $1,000. The Synergy 200A™ bundle, featuring a 2.2 lb computer, offers data collection, charting, analysis, and reporting on parts, assemblies, and processes. Access e-mail, presentation software, or other applications installed on the device's hard drive.

Makita USA will be the first manufacturer to implement the Power Tool Institute's (PTI) new uniform test method for measuring torque in cordless drills, reports Reliable Plant. PTI provides complete details on the new Torque Procedure, including descriptions of methodology and electronic testers with capacities up to 1000 in. lbs.

How can potential environmental impacts of products be mitigated? The new International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Guide for Addressing Environmental Issues proposes a step-by-step approach, based on product life-cycle analysis and product standards, to reduce potential environmental problems. The checklist tool also helps standards writers assess relevant environmental factors affecting new product development.

Mercury Computers, MA relies heavily on software tools to ensure reliability in printed circuit boards designed for the military, notes Test & Measurement World. All engineering disciplines participate in design-for-reliability efforts and conduct thermal, signal integrity, and component placement simulations early in the design process. Home-grown software calculates mean time between failure based on board components.

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Determine whether a component delivers the structural integrity specified for an application with an understanding of hardness testing. NDT magazine spells out processes and equipment used to master Knoop/Vickers, Brinell, and Rockwell testing methods. The resulting data are used to verify the heat treatment and quality of components.

If you've dreamed about designing the next big video game hit, a quality assurance background may well help get your foot in the door, notes a nine-year veteran of the field in Examiner.com. This two-part article gives education and skill-building tips, and useful employment Web sites, such as gamejobs.com. Neophytes can also use a toolset included with Neverwinter Nights 2 to build their own adventures and distribute them over the Internet.

Analyzing millions of Medicare claims, HealthGrades, a Colorado quality measurement firm, has published new rankings of U.S. hospitals. Medical centers get one (worst), three, or five stars (best), based on how many patients develop complications and die after treatment. Consumers can compare hospital rankings on the HealthGrades Web site by state and by 17 different procedures, such as coronary bypass, prostate surgery, or knee replacement.

Time to Load up on Statins?

A new drug trial indicates statins aren't just for people with high cholesterol: they also reduce inflammation that can lead to heart attacks. Will such news change your medication regimen — or will you wait for more evidence?