Quality Magazine

His colleagues say there's no one like him. He's been described as that rare person who can teach anyone about technical subjects, listen carefully, win over skeptical staff, and even emcee a retirement party with just the right mix of humor. Meet the 2023 Quality Professional of the Year.

Test & Inspection

Hardness Testing of Individual Battery Electrode Particulates

Recently, researchers have shown correlation between particle hardness and cycle performance.

Christopher Macey

April 4, 2023

ZEISS Industrial Quality Solutions

This article describes a novel micro-compression instrument and technique for determining the hardness of individual particles using controlled uniaxial compression. Brief examples of the technique used to characterize and compare the hardness of battery anode materials are provided.

Measurement

How to Measure the Intricate Components of Electrical Connectors

Quality assurance is critical for manufacturing electrical connectors.

March 30, 2023

Manufacturers have big expectations for electrical connectors — they want devices with even smaller, more complex and custom-tailored features. Why has this transformation accelerated over the last decade?

Quality 101

Learns from ISO 9001:2015

Having conducted well over 700 audits, I've noticed some patterns.

Roderick A Munro

March 29, 2023

Having conducted well over 700 audits, there are some patterns that have developed that are interesting to note.

QM 0423 Software Pharma-laboratory pc screen closeup VectorPro tests

Software & Analysis

Quality Software: Core Qualities to Build Specialist Software Tools in QC Metrology

Manual operations cannot fully meet the challenges of a competitive and increasingly digitized industry.

Carl Bramley

March 28, 2023

We review essential software specifications and cover how those attributes can be leveraged when considering computer-controlled physical product testing equipment in the lab or on the shop floor.

QM 0423 column Speaking Quality Jim SpichigerQM 0423 Column Speaking Quality Jim Spichiger

Speaking of Quality | Jim Spichiger

Accomplishments Build on One Another

Professional credentials led me to push myself further.

Jim Spichiger

April 18, 2023

Now that my hair has turned gray, I periodically think back and consider “what if …” What if I had chosen a different major in college? What if I had not taken a specific job opportunity?

QM 0123 CLMN From the Editor Darryl Seland

Column | Darryl Seland

From the Editor: Iterations

From manufacturing to personal growth.

Darryl Seland

April 17, 2023

2.0 — I’m guessing that just by writing this number, in this format, many of you know where I’m heading.

NDT | XRF

Enhancing Automotive Safety With Real-Time Composition Analysis

It is crucial that the compositions of metals and alloys used in automotive fasteners are verified through stringent quality assurance.

Mathieu Bauer

April 14, 2023

Fasteners – such as nuts, bolts, screws and rivets – are essential structural components of vehicles, and their failure can have severe repercussions for driver safety. Many of these metallic items are also unavoidably exposed to harsh operating conditions, meaning they are liable to corrode over time.

NDT | Training

Nondestructive Testing Training

There are many topics related to NDT training that might be confusing for anyone hoping to work in this field.

Tash Baksh

April 13, 2023

There are many topics related to nondestructive training, or NDT training, which might be confusing for anyone hoping to work in this field. Remuneration, paperwork, and examination are among the many subjects that are publicly debated in both online and offline forums.

NDT | Standards

How Pulsed Eddy Current Technology Helps Uncover Corrosion

The main advantage of PEC is that it can inspect through insulation, weather jacket, and wire mesh.

Charles Tremblay

April 12, 2023

Over the last few years, PEC has been developed and improved for much more productive and reliable inspection of a wider range of components. Because of these new developments, PEC is a very cost-effective option for the corrosion screening of several components while in service.

NDT | Materials Testing

Extensometry in Materials Testing Explained

An extensometer is a device used to measure changes in the length of an object, or sample in the materials testing world.

Erik Schmidt-Staubach

April 11, 2023

An extensometer is a device that is used to measure changes in the length of an object, or sample in the materials testing world, such as stress-strain measurements and tensile tests.

Quality in Automation | Quality 4.0

Time for Quality 4.0

Changes in industry are taking place now.

Dr. Milton Krivokuca

April 20, 2023

My informal observations of published white papers and interviews with colleagues support that quality is moving in the direction of Quality 4.0, but very slowly.

QIA 0423 Robotics Robotic Blade Thickness System

Quality in Automation | Robotics

Automated Robotics Are Just Getting Started

These machines are only gaining favor post pandemic.

Genevieve Diesing

April 19, 2023

Automated robotics are the best way to mimic a human in a factory environment, experts say. A robot's automated camera could replace a person's eyes, a PC would represent the brain and robotic arms are movement.

QIA 0423 Industry 4 Automated Factory main image

Quality in Automation | Industry 4.0

Connected Quality Is the Secret Sauce to the Fulfillment of Industry 4.0

Integrating QC and QA can mitigate product quality risk and empower smarter factories.

David Isaacson

April 6, 2023

9 Comments

The manufacturing industry has seen major upheaval over the past few years. From supply chain disruption to worker shortages, keeping the pipeline filled with quality products – free of defects – has been no easy challenge. Because of these issues, the promise of Industry 4.0, or smart manufacturing, has never been more important.

Quality in Automation | Column

6 Trends Bound to Boost Automation Growth in 2023

We expect these trends—and others—to contribute to the growth of automation in 2023.

Jeff Burnstein

April 5, 2023