Quality January 2012

JANUARY 2012, VOLUME 51/NUMBER 1 WWW.QUALITYMAG.COM

RISK MANAGEMENT FOR

MEDICAL DEVICE MANUFACTURERS p. 48

NEW COLUMN: GD&T WORKSHOP p. 24 BEST PRACTICES FOR SENSOR SYSTEMS p. 34 TODAY’S ENVIRONMENTAL TEST CHAMBERS p. 38 FMEAS FOR THE MEDICAL INDUSTRY p. 44

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TABLE OF

CONTENTS QUALITY MAGAZINE

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JANUARY 2012

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VOLUME 51

38

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NUMBER 1

DEPARTMENTS 6

FROM THE EDITOR

Predicting the Future 8

INDUSTRY NEWS

Toyota Recalls Select Models Ford Focus Seats Made from Recycled Waste Materials Source: ESPEC North America

Post-Crash Fire Prompts Safety Study 18 FACE OF QUALITY

Focus on the Vital Few 20 OTHER DIMENSIONS

Cal Labs Aren’t Always Right 22 LEGAL INSIGHT

The Employee Handbook

FEATURES

24 GD&T WORKSHOP

A Top Down View

QUALITY MEASUREMENT

34 BEST PRACTICES FOR DEVELOPING SENSING SYSTEMS Make use of available resources and different management environments.

QUALITY TEST & INSPECTION

38 FLASH FORWARD TO TODAY’S ENVIRONMENTAL TEST CHAMBER By replacing that aging chamber, you will benefit from improvements in technology.

QUALITY SOFTWARE

28 QUALITY 101

Considerations for Measuring Large Precision Bearings 32 QUALITY INNOVATIONS

The Heartbeat of Automation 52 CASE STUDIES

Five-Axis CMM Inspection Lets “Good Times Roll” Going to Great Lengths

44 FMEAS FOR THE MEDICAL INDUSTRY Failure modes and effects analysis is a process to be used and not a form to be filled out.

QUALITY MANAGEMENT

48 A CLOSER LOOK AT RISK MANAGEMENT FOR MEDICAL DEVICE MANUFACTURERS A requirement forces manufacturers to establish a formal process for dealing with risk management and focuses on how manufacturers can produce safer products.

62 QUALITY PRODUCTS 67 CLASSIFIEDS 68 ADVERTISING INDEX

NEXT MONTH 3-D Measurement Thread Inspection GR&R Quality Leadership 100

JANUARY 2012, VOLUME 51/NUMBER 1 WWW.QUALITYMAG.COM

ABOUT THE COVER RISK MANAGEMENT FOR

Completing risk management to ISO 14971 is nothing new for medical device manufacturers. During the past

MEDICAL DEVICE MANUFACTURERS p. 48

several years, there has been more of a global alignment within this industry. Specifically, both the FDA in the United States and the Medical Device Directive in the European Union have made risk management compliance for ISO 14971 a requirement. This requirement actually forces manufacturers to establish a formal process for NEW COLUMN: GD&T WORKSHOP p. 24 | BEST PRACTICES FOR SENSOR SYSTEMS p. 34 TODAY’S ENVIRONMENTAL TEST CHAMBERS p. 38 | FMEAS FOR THE MEDICAL INDUSTRY p. 44

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dealing with risk management and focuses on how manufacturers can produce safer products. Source: Intertek

D & ED SI IN n AT p. 56 io C is LO V

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Available On-Demand Are You a Whole Team? Taking a whole-team approach has proved vital in getting the most out of teams developing software using agile practices. However, whatever industry or business your team is in, the described remedies can prove beneficial in improving team effectiveness and enhancing deliverable quality. NVision Helps Reverse Engineer Optical Retailer’s Store Display A national marketing services provider recently used NVision Inc.’s Engineering Service Division to reverse engineer an essential part in a store display for one of the nation’s largest optical retailers. NVision was able to quickly scan the part and provide the CAD files necessary to mass-produce it for the display in the retailer’s stores nationwide, enabling millions in annual sales. Readers Respond: What Quality System Software Would You Recommend if Starting a Company’s Quality Manual from Scratch? Members of Quality Magazine’s LinkedIn Group offer up their own answers to this question. Do you have a response? Share your comment today.

Industry experts share their views on the latest in quality and manufacturing: • Jim’s Gems: Weekly Updates! • Shifting the Paradigm

CAD-Based Inspection Using Contact Measurement Eddy Current Testing: Its Many Benefits and Applications 3-D Optical Microscopy— Correlating Industrial Surface Metrology to Enhanced Product Performance

CONNECT WITH QUALITY: Connect with us to receive updates and to network with other industry professionals just like you.

• Quality Remix • NDT: Key to Quality and NDT Round-Up • Learning with Lecky, Vision RoundUp and Perspectives in Vision

Podcasts are easy to listen to directly from your computer or downloaded as an MP3 file.

Videos show you the latest products and technology to improve manufacturing processes.

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The Importance of ISO 50001

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Calibration Management Software: Important Factors Manufacturers Need to Know AS 9100 Revision C–What You Need to Know The Importance of SPC to Quality Management Systems

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QUALITY | January 2012

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FROM THE EDITOR

PREDICTING THE FUTURE SETTING THE FUTURE STARTS WITH IMAGINATION AND INNOVATION.

H DARRYL SELAND

arvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert posed in his book, “Stumbling on Happiness,” that, “the human being is the only animal that thinks about the future.” In other words, it is our imagination that sets us apart as a species. Armed with knowledge of the past and present, and with a vision of the future, many set off on a path to try and predict the future. It happens all around us. Every year, football fans and analysts alike quote statistics, play out arguments or just rely on gut feelings to make their predictions for the winner of the Superbowl. Whether these fans’ predictions are motivated by potential monetary gain or not, one place where it most decidedly is is Wall Street. Investors, brokers and traders brave the chaos of the trading floors every day trying to predict the future of companies and commodities around the world, investing money in companies poised to make a profit and selling the stock of those they believe will fail. In fact, so many are engaged in sorting through market data and analyzing the health of companies, that some perceive the markets as efficient, a hypothesis originally proposed in the 1960s by Dr. Eugene Fama, who believed “stock prices are ensured by the ready availability of ample information and by the vast number of rational investors avidly following each stock.” Others pour through this data in search of incorrect stock prices. They have a belief that the markets are inefficient and, therefore, present an arbitrage opportunity, or a chance to make money on a company or stock that is priced lower than it should be, giving them a chance to purchase the stock of a company on the rise at a cheap price.

Whether you believe markets are efficient or not, few places have developed as many tools or theories on their trade as the financial sector. The shear number of equations and algorithms developed, or “invented,” to measure the health of a company is amazing. Not only do we as human beings have the ability to imagine the future, but also invent that which can get us there. The idea is evident in the famous quote from Robert Kennedy, “Some men see things as they are and ask why...I dream things that never happened and ask why not?” It is our ability to imagine the future that is the cornerstone of innovation. Innovation leads not only to new methods and inventions, but also the improvement of existing products and practices. And I am not just talking about taking an existing product and sticking a clock in it. Check out this month’s Quality feature, “Flash Forward: Today᾽s Environmental Test Chamber” and see what’s being done to improve test chambers. Also, discover new ideas taking shape in sensing systems with Norm Axelrod’s article, “Best Practices for the Development of Sensing Systems for Production and Quality Control.” As always, enjoy and thanks for reading!

Darryl Seland, Editor in Chief

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CORPORATE DIRECTORS Publishing: John R. Schrei Corporate Strategy: Rita M. Foumia Information Technology: Scott Krywko Production: Vincent M. Miconi Finance: Lisa L. Paulus Creative: Michael T. Powell Directories: Nikki Smith Human Resources: Marlene J. Witthoft Events: Scott Wolters Clear Seas Research: Beth A. Surowiec

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PEOPLE NEWS The ASM Philadelphia Chapter (Hatfield, PA) named MIKE MCVAUGH, president of Laboratory Testing Inc. (LTI), as the 2011 Eisenman Award recipient. The annual award is presented in recognition of dedicated service to ASM, foresight, leadership and promotion of the metals industry and metallurgical education. McVaugh received the award at the October 20, 2011, Chapter meeting and made a presentation on the topic, Technology Has Taken Testing to a New Level, which covered the evolution of materials testing at LTI over the past 27 years, including broader capabilities, equipment enhancements and tighter quality control. The first Armand V. Feigenbaum Lifetime Achievement Medal was presented to YUANZHANG LIU, research professor of the Academy of Math and System Sciences, Shanghai, China. He received this medal in recognition of his promotion of total quality management in China for more than 50 years during which time he accomplished many firsts. Some of them are: • He founded the first research group of TQM for China in 1957. • He opened the first training seminar on quality control in China in 1957. • He was the first to write a series of weekly articles to introduce quality control in Workers Daily in 1979. • He was the first to start and host a TV program on TQM in 1979. • He was first editor and chief of the China Quality Magazine.

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QUALITY | January 2012

TOYOTA RECALLS SELECT TOYOTA, LEXUS MODELS TORRANCE, CA—Toyota Motor Sales USA announced that it will conduct a voluntary safety recall involving approximately 283,200 Toyota and 137,000 Lexus vehicles to replace the crankshaft pulley on the V6 engine. There is a possibility that the outer ring of the crankshaft pulley may become misaligned with the inner ring, causing noise and/or illumination of the discharge warning light. If this condition is not corrected, the belt for the power steering pump may become detached from the pulley and the driver may notice a sudden increase in steering effort. There are no reports of accidents or injuries related to this condition. The vehicles involved are: • 2004 Avalon • 2004 and 2005 Camry, Highlander, Sienna and Solara • 2006 Highlander HV • 2004 and 2005 ES330 and RX330 • 2006 RX400h No other Toyota or Lexus vehicles or these Toyota models with 4 cylinder engines are involved. Toyota is currently working on obtaining the necessary replacement parts. Once the replacement parts have been produced in sufficient quantities, Toyota will send an owner notification by first class mail advising owners to make an appointment with an authorized Toyota or Lexus dealer to have the crankshaft pulley inspected and if necessary, replaced at no charge. The owner notifications will be mailed by first class mail beginning this month.

SEAT FABRIC IN NEW FORD FOCUS ELECTRIC USES RECYCLED WASTE MATERIALS DEARBORN, MI—The new Ford Focus Electric features seat fabric made of recycled material that includes the equivalent of more than 20 plastic bottles per car. The fiber, called Repreve, is made from a hybrid blend of recycled materials and manufactured by Unifi Inc., a global sustainable textile solutions company. Unifi officials say 22 plastic, 16-ounce water bottles are used in the seat fabric of a single Focus Electric. The figure is based on the amount of Repreve branded fiber used in the production of fabric in each vehicle. The 2012 Ford Focus Electric also runs on battery power alone, requiring

no gasoline and producing zero carbon dioxide emissions. In 2009 Ford mandated that fabric suppliers use a minimum of 25% recycled content for all 2009 and beyond model year vehicles. Since then, 37 different fabrics meeting the requirements have been developed and incorporated into Ford vehicles. Carol Kordich, lead designer of Sustainable Materials for Ford, says Ford is taking it a step further by mandating that fabric be 100% sustainable in vehicles with eco-conscious powertrains like Focus Electric. Repreve fits the bill, she says, because it is a combination of post-industrial fiber waste and post-consumer waste, like the plastic water bottles made of

View the latest in quality industry news by visiting our headlines at qualitymag.com—updated daily. Just click the tag now and see what you’re missing. If you don’t have the mobile app on your smart phone, visit http://gettag.mobi to get started.

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polyethylene terephthalate plastic. Using Repreve also reduces energy consumption by offsetting the need to use newly refined crude oil for production. Repreve meets all Ford performance requirements, says Kordich, and Ford already is considering other uses across its entire car and truck lineup. Ford’s reduce, reuse and recycle commitment is part of the company’s broader global sustainability strategy to reduce its environmental footprint while at the same time accelerating the development of advanced, fuel-efficient vehicle technologies around the world. In November, Ford announced it is using 25 20-ounce plastic bottles to make the carpeting in every all-new Ford Escape utility vehicle it builds. It is the first time Ford has used this type of carpeting in an SUV. Over the past several years Ford has concentrated on increasing the use of nonmetal recycled and bio-based materials whenever possible, provided these materials are environmentally favorable in the specific application. Examples include soy foam seat cushions and head restraints, wheat straw-filled plastic, castor oil foam in instrument panels, recycled resins for underbody systems, recycled yarns on seat covers and natural-fiber plastic for interior components.

POST-CRASH VOLT FIRE PROMPTS NEW SAFETY STUDY DETROIT, MI—Federal regulators, stressing they see no consumer safety issue, have launched a new study of lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles (EVs) after a battery pack for a Chevrolet Volt caught fire three weeks after the car was crashed in a side-impact collision test. The Volt fire occurred in June at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s test facility in Wisconsin, where the wrecked Volt was being stored. Since then, NHTSA has contacted all major automakers with EVs in their lineups or in the future product plans with questions about lithium-ion battery safety. Both General Motors and NHTSA have tried to replicate the post-crash fire but have not been able to, a GM spokesman says. While lithium is highly flammable and there have been several instances of lithium-ion batteries in laptop comput-

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Spectroscopy specialist Starna Scientific (Essex, England) has appointed NATHAN HULME to the role of director to help guide the company’s expansion plans. Hulme’s main responsibilities will include assisting in setting out an overall business strategy for the company that will address communications with customers and dealers as well as involving leadership of the sales team.

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Transcat Inc. (Rochester, NY), a distributor of professional grade handheld test and measurement instruments and accredited provider of calibration, repair and other measurement services, has appointed LEE D. RUDOW to the role of chief operating officer.

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ers catching fire, automakers use multiple safety systems in their EV battery packs to safeguard against heat build-up and other “thermal incidents” that could lead to EV battery fires. GM suggested in a statement that the fire at the NHTSA facility occurred because testers did not de-energize the Volt’s battery after the side-impact crash test and stored the wrecked car with a live battery pack. It appears that coolant that leaked after the crash came into contact with the battery and was ignited. NHTSA, which is looking into automakers’ procedures for “draining” EV batteries after collisions, said in a statement that it has no reason to believe that electric vehicles are any more dangerous—or fire prone—than conventional gasoline vehicles. Separately, Nissan North America, which has been selling the all-electric Leaf hatchback since December 2010, says that

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there have been no reported incidents of a Leaf battery fire. Both the Volt and the Leaf have been given 5-star crashtest safety ratings by NHTSA. The agency said that its chief concerns in the wake of the Wisconsin blaze is that tow operators, wrecking ad storage yard personnel and safety responders all are aware of the need to de-energize EV batteries and of the process involved. More than 8,000 Leafs and 5,000 Volts are on the road in the United States and only two other Volt-involved fires have been reported and neither has been a lithium-ion battery fire. In the most recent case, a garage at a North Carolina home burned on Oct. 30 and early speculation centered on the home charging station in the garage. But in a recent report, the Green Car Reports blog quotes a Mooresville, NC, fire investigator as saying that his preliminary findings in a much-reported garage fire involving a Volt show that neither the car nor the home charging unit was the cause. The Volt was hooked up to the charging station and early reports speculated that the charger had malfunctioned. But the deputy fire marshal for the county said his early findings show that the blaze started elsewhere in the garage and then involved the Volt and the charging station. GM, Nissan, NHTSA, Siemens—maker of the charging station—and power supplier Duke Energy all have sent investigators to the Mooresville fire site. In the first incident a garage in Connecticut burned, destroying a Volt and a homemade Suzuki-based electric car that was parked next to it. Fire investigators determined that the fire did not originate with either vehicle or their chargers. Jim Federico, GM’s chief engineer for electric vehicles, said in a statement that the company “is working with other vehicle manufacturers, first responders, tow truck operators and salvage associations with the goal of implementing industry-wide protocols” for safe handling and storage of electric vehicles and their batteries in the aftermath of a crash. GM, he says, has its own protocols to “depower the battery of an electric vehicle after a significant crash” and has engineered the Volt with multiple on-board safety systems. The Volt, he says, “is a safe car.”

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NEWS GE’S SENSING BUSINESS GETS GOVERNMENT GRANT TO DEVELOP UK METROLOGY CENTER GROBY, LEICESTER, UNITED KINGDOM—The Groby manufacturing site of GE’s Sensing business, part of GE Energy, Measurement & Control Solutions, has been awarded £4.2 million ($5.76 million) over the next five years from the U.K. Government’s Regional Growth Fund (RGF). The funding will be used to help the company to develop its GE U.K. metrology center and to continue its investment in advanced pressure sensor design and manufacture, creating innovative products for harsh environments, ranging from aerospace to sub-sea oil and gas production. The RGF is a £1.4 ($1.89) billion fund operating across England from 2011 to 2014. It provides targeted support for businesses to allow them to expand and create jobs. The award is recognition of GE’s significant growth over the past few years and acknowledges and supports its planned investment in innovative technologies for a wide range of market segments, which will sustain existing jobs at the Groby site as well as creating a number of highly skilled, engineering and advanced manufacturing posts. As Groby Site Leader Tim Povall explains, “We already are seen in GE as a Center of Excellence for pressure technology and can point to recent important developments such as our 4Sight calibration and maintenance software and our TERPS pressure sensor technology. This new funding will help us to continue to build our research and development capabilities and establish a world-class metrology center for GE in the East Midlands.”

NO NEW U.S. PLANT FOR MAXED-OUT HYUNDAI ANN ARBOR, MI—With explosive U.S.-market sales virtually demanding the company find a way to get more cars into customers’ hands, Hyundai Motor America is not ready to commit to a second assembly plant in the United States, president and CEO John Krafcik told reporters at a media event at the company’s technical center near Ann Arbor, MI, in November. Krafcik insists that despite a meteoric post-recession sales climb and excruciatingly thin inventories for many models, Hyundai has not

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made the decision to build another U.S. assembly plant to add to its current site in Montgomery, AL, that started production in early 2005. Along with the Korea-based Hyundai Group’s affiliated Kia Motors America’s assembly plant in West Point, GA, the company currently has capacity to build about 400,000 vehicles in the United States—but the “problem” is that both Hyundai and Kia have been setting monthly and annual sales and market-share gains for several years—and record October sales for both brands were emblematic of their new front-runner status. In October, Hyundai and Kia surpassed their full-year 2010 sales performance, itself a record sales year for both; the two companies combined for 10-month sales just shy of 1 million units. In October, Hyundai’s year-to-date sales were up 21% (compared with its record 2010) and retail sales were up 31%. Hyundai’s looming supply crisis is underscored by its almost nonexistent inventories, which since the Japan earthquake in March have dipped to levels

ASSOCIATION NEWS THE COORDINATE METROLOGY SOCIETY (CMS, Benbrook, TX) has announced the results of its large-scale, interactive measurement study conducted at the 27th annual Coordinate Metrology Systems Conference (CMSC). The 58-page report entitled “How Behavior Impacts Your Measurement,” focuses on measurement strategies and behaviors of coordinate metrologists. More than 100 conference attendees participated in the data collection activity coordinated by the National Physical Laboratory (UK) assisted by members of the CMS Certification Committee. Metrology is the science of measurement, and professionals in this field work in diverse industries such as aerospace, automotive and power generation. During the two-day study, participants were asked to perform three tasks using portable 3-D coordinate metrology equipment for data acquisition: to measure a door using a combination of a laser tracker, retro reflectors and software; to measure an engine compartment using a combination of an articulating arm, probe and software; and to measure a vehicle using a combination of a laser tracker, probing and laser scanning system. The final report reveals various results based on 3-D measurement tasks executed with little or no instruction, as compared to the outcome of 3-D measurement tasks completed using procedures, or a participant guiding an operator with methodology to collect the needed measurements. The study was sponsored by Metrologic Group and its U.S. subsidiary ATT Metrology.

one-third of what is considered healthy. Hyundai says its days supply in July was 21 days, a low for the year, and things had scarcely improved by October, when the company set its new sales record for the month despite a 26-day supply. “We’ve got a lot of headwind, a lot of opportunity to grow the brand in the U.S.,” Krafcik says, while simultaneously sticking to the story that Hyundai, acutely concerned

about maintaining quality, is not considering another U.S. assembly plant. Hyundai’s U.S. boss did say the company is projecting a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of sales in 2012 of about 13.5 million units (vs. the 12.8-million SAAR predicted for 2011), and says Hyundai “should at least grow with the industry next year.” The extra sales are not likely to

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NEWS come from increased output from the Group’s two U.S. factories, however (Kia’s Georgia plant makes the Santa Fe midsize crossover for Hyundai). Krafcik says the company already wrung out unexpected combined extra output of about 10% for 2011, mostly through increased efficiencies, so little more can be expected. Instead, he says, Hyundai sales will increase with incremental volume from new or

revised imported models, including an all-new Azera full-size sedan and a redesigned Genesis coupe and sedan, among others. But Krafcik’s admonitions that Hyundai is not working on U.S. expansion plans sound increasingly less convincing. The Alabama plant, which makes the popular new Elantra compact car and its bigger counterpart, the Sonata midsize sedan, is running

flat-out and was scheduled to make about 330,000 vehicles in 2011, not to mention the high-volume 2-liter and 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engines used for the Sonata and Kia’s Optima. The plant also is adding construction of the Nu 1.8-liter 4-cylinder engine family, used in the Elantra. Unless another economic or natural catastrophe rears up to grenade sales, it seems inevitable Hyundai must address its stretched-to-the-max production.

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McLEAN, VA—September U.S. manufacturing technology orders totaled $606.56 million according to the American Machine Tool Distributors’ Association (AMTDA) and The Association For Manufacturing Technology (AMT). This total, as reported by companies participating in the USMTO program, was up 22.9% from August and up 51.9% when compared with the total of $399.32 million reported for September 2010. With a year-to-date total of $4,074.00 million, 2011 is up 91.9% compared with 2010. These numbers and all data in this report are based on the totals of actual data reported by companies participating in the USMTO program. “September numbers were the second highest monthly dollar total in the last 15 years,” says Peter Borden, AMTDA president. “American manufacturers are still rushing to beat the end-of-year bonus depreciation deadline.” The United States Manufacturing Technology Orders (USMTO) report, jointly compiled by the two trade associations representing the production and distribution of manufacturing technology, provides regional and national U.S. orders data of domestic and imported machine tools and related equipment. Analysis of manufacturing technology orders provides a reliable leading economic indicator as manufacturing industries invest in capital metalworking equipment to increase capacity and improve productivity. U.S. manufacturing technology orders also is reported on a regional basis for five geographic breakdowns of the United States: • Northeast. At $112.75 million, September manufacturing technology orders in the Northeast region were

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up 74.6% when compared with the $64.56 million total for August and up 71.9% when compared with September a year ago. The year-to-date total of $612.93 million is 65.0% more than the comparable figure for 2010. Southern. September manufacturing technology orders in the Southern region totaled $78.04 million, 34.5% more than August’s $58.03 million and 16.1% more than the September 2010 total. With a year-to-date total of $513.08 million, 2011 is up 63.2% when compared with 2010 at the same time. Midwest. Midwest region manufacturing technology orders in September stood at $175.88 million, 3.7% less than the August total of $182.55 million but up 48.9% when compared with last September. At $1,376.97 million, the 2011 year-todate total is 119.6% more than the comparable figure for 2010. Central. Manufacturing technology orders in the Central region in September totaled $170.82 million, up 22.4% from August’s $139.55 million and up 48.1% when compared with the September 2010 figure. The $1,098.33 million year-to-date total is 92.0% higher than the total for the same period in 2010. Western. Western region manufacturing technology orders totaled $69.07 million in September, 41.9% more than the $48.66 million total for August and up 109.1% higher than the tally for September 2010. At $472.69 million, 2011 year-to-date is up 98.0% when compared with last year at the same time.

AUTOMATE AND PROMAT TO COLOCATE IN 2013 CHICAGO—Automation Technologies Council (ATC) and the Material Handling Industry of America (MHIA) announce that the Automate Show and Conference will once again colocate with ProMat in 2013. Both exhibitions will be held January 21-24, 2013, at Chicago’s McCormick Place. Automate 2013 is an event for robots, vision, motion control and related automation solutions in North America. ProMat is the premier material handling and logistics show held in North America. The colocation of

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events is the latest effort by ATC and MHIA to help end users find solutions to their manufacturing and supply chain challenges. “We had such terrific feedback from attendees and exhibitors in 2011 that it made perfect sense to build upon and expand our colocation in 2013,” says Jeff Burnstein, president of ATC. “We’re looking forward to an outstanding Automate event that

educates current and potential users on how automation solutions can help them improve productivity; boost product quality, speed time to market, reduce costs and become stronger global competitors.” “The decision to colocate ProMat 2013 and Automate 2013 was an easy one after the successful collocation of these events in 2011,” says George Prest, COO for MHIA. “The coloca-

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CHENNAI, INDIA—Caterpillar Inc. will build a $150 million engine manufacturing facility in India that will produce Perkins branded 4000 Series engines. Perkins is a subsidiary of Caterpillar. The company is also investing an additional $62 million in its existing off-highway truck manufacturing facility in Chennai. The new investment to expand truck capacity in Chennai is in addition to a $108 million investment for Chennai that Caterpillar announced in 2010. Together these new investments will help support customers in India and other growth markets, and are part of Caterpillar’s goal to be the leader in its industry in India.

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FACE OF QUALITY

FOCUS ON THE VITAL FEW ORGANIZATIONS NEED TO FOCUS ON THE RIGHT BEHAVIORS.

W JIM L. SMITH

hile the economy is sputtering and attempting a comeback from one of the worst recessions in history, organizations are challenged with reinventing themselves as a means to survival. This isn’t much different than in the past as most of the effort centers on trying to become the low-cost producer. Success, however, with this transformation is that it must be accomplished without compromising quality. Recently in one of our quality management courses, the class was discussing their organization’s current recovery efforts. One of the students commented about reading an article on organizations’ need to let go of old assumptions and take a different approach to their performance improvement initiatives. Over the next two months this column will discuss 10 vital tips organizations and their quality professionals should cultivate to bring about positive results. These 10 tips are not just for challenging times but would be effective in any environment and circumstance. 1. Keep the end goal in focus. Studies suggest that in as many as 80% of all initiatives, managers focus on less important things rather than their goals. Organizations need to focus on the important issues that will allow them to achieve their primary goals. They need to find ways to deal with the day-to-day challenges without allowing distractions. A good methodology that has proven helpful to many organizations is Hoshin planning, which was developed by Dr. Yoji Akao. It combines the basics of total quality management and Shewhart’s PDCA (plan-do-check-act) improvement concepts. The key objective is to emphasize the creation of the vital few in order to ensure that all employees comprehend and focus on the things that are most important. 2. Make crisis an ally. It seems many organizations regularly operate in crisis so why not exploit the situation? If not done already, it is a good time to craft action plans for specific cost improvements and initiatives. The current climate of economic uncertainty offers an ideal opportunity to drive change. Organizational resistance is low, and the workforce is more willing to change daily work practices. Workers have already discovered quicker, easier methods to perform assignments. In normal times they are not typically willing to volunteer these improvements, which would translate into changing work standards. This is a great time to rally the troops to become synergistic and work toward common, shared goals of

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QUALITY | January 2012

improved quality and greater efficiency. The key is to involve as much of the workforce as possible. 3. Solicit help from all levels. It may come as a surprise but senior-level managers don’t always have the solution. I know because I’ve been one of them. Certainly management holds the keys to the success engine. However, the engine is propelled by the energy generated at the factory level and supplied by the workers. Organizations that focus attention and technology at the worker level to improve individual performance will see sustained transformational results. Organizations need to create a synergistic environment that will encourage worker ownership and empowerment. This will provide the energy for the success engine that will pull the organization to the front of the competition. 4. Don’t take metrics at face value. It is not unusual for middle managers to exaggerate, or misrepresent, their efficiency, often by as much as 10%. Metric calculations are often skewed, flawed or too focused on the lower levels rather than on the operational causes of performance loss or waste. Because of blurred results, management routinely sets the bar for improvement against incorrect baselines, which obscures the potential for true improvements. Create clear, understandable and accurate performance metrics. 5. Too many metrics confuse and hinder real improvement. Most companies have far too many metrics, which confuse their organizations and hinders improvement. With so many metrics only a few people know what actions really drive the metrics; therefore, people focus on the wrong things. Too many resources are spent collecting and reporting data which produce little or no improvement. In many cases this leads to something Dr. Deming called analysis paralysis. Organizations fail to provide a framework of meaningful metrics to empower the workforce to properly identify issues and to resolve problems in real time. This stifles most organizations and prohibits real and sustained improvement. Managers who are routinely disappointed by not seeing more improvement to the bottom line shouldn’t have to look too hard for the reasons. Next month’s column will address five more vital tips for organizations. Jim L. Smith has more than 45 years of industry experience in operations, engineering, research & development and quality management. You can reach Jim at [email protected].

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OTHER DIMENSIONS

CAL LABS

AREN’T ALWAYS RIGHT THE GAGE USER HAS TO JUSTIFY CALIBRATION FREQUENCY.

A

reader wrote me recently of a situation he was trying to sort out with a couple of his calibration sources. Some of their comments left me shaking my head in wonder, but that’s not uncommon these days when so many are still not accredited. Here are some examples from my reader and others.

HILL COX

DUE DATES ON REPORTS My reader sent out some adjustable thread rings for calibration and requested that a due date beyond one year be shown on the report. The lab advised him that they were “not allowed” to do this. A discussion ensued and my reader had trouble making the lab understand that it is up to the customer to make such decisions—not the cal lab. A quick look at ISO 17025 confirmed this to be the case. It clearly states that any such statement on a report must reflect what the customer wants, not what the lab A calibration report thinks it should be. is a summary of the state This makes sense because the gage owner of the item calibrated at that is privy to the condipoint in time. tions of use and the lab is not. And the owner knows what the potential use is going to be for the gages as well. That doesn’t make the owner an expert in these matters, but he or she has more critical information needed to make the call that the lab does not have. It goes without saying but I must—some gage owners look at calibration frequency based on economics rather than performance. This can be very dangerous and I can understand a laboratory recoiling in horror. The best thing a lab can do is advise the customer when their request is off the wall. Yes, some auditor will read the report, and not understanding ISO 17025, will think the lab is out to lunch when the due date decision was made by their customer. If the customer doesn’t want to change the due date, the lab could put a footnote on the report indicating that the due date was determined by the customer. Alternatively, the due date could be f lagged with a note suggesting that it be reviewed by the customer. I find it interesting that so many people want a due date on a report, or cal labs put one on without discussing it with the customer. The creators of ISO

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QUALITY | January 2012

17025 were concerned that disreputable labs could use this as a method to drumming up business. As a result of this situation, the standard doesn’t require a due date to be put on a report. A calibration report is a summary of the state of the item calibrated at that point in time. After it leaves the lab anything or everything can change. A due date, however created, could be made obsolete by a number of factors such as: • An accident that may require an item to be calibrated sooner than what the cal report says to confirm it is still within the limits. • A review of the calibration data may indicate to the customer that the due date should be changed. That will only become apparent after the calibration report with a now inappropriate due date is received. • Disputes between departments or manufacturers and their customers often can trigger recalibration. • Your customers may indicate they want changes to your due dates. Too many gage users want a due date on the report so they don’t have to justify their choices to an auditor. If it’s on a report from a reputable lab, an auditor is unlikely to question it, so the user gets a free ride. At the end of the day, however, the gage user has to justify calibration frequency irrespective of who made the judgment call. I believe the due date should be part of the gage record so its history is traceable along with reasons why changes may have been made. Under this scheme, you don’t have a report stating one thing while your frequency has been extended or compressed. The item itself will have a status sticker on it with a due date and when that sticker is missing, damaged or illegible, the gage record will note what it should be. Now, all you have to figure out is how to express the date so it will fit in the space on the sticker and the format you use is understood by all who need to know. Being a simple kind of guy, I think it’s hard to beat “May/12.” Hill Cox president of Frank J. Cox Sales Ltd. (Brampton, Ontario, Canada). He may be reached at [email protected].

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LEGAL INSIGHT

THE EMPLOYEE HANDBOOK HOW CAN IT LEGALLY PROTECT AND IMPROVE YOUR BUSINESS? “Point 1 - Create constancy of purpose toward improvement of product and service, with the aim to become competitive and to stay in business, and to provide jobs.” – W. Edwards Deming

S

imilar to a quality manual, an employee handbook can improve employee relations and efficiency, BRYAN L. ensure consistent treatment of personnel and legally BERSON ESQ. protect an organization. Employees (and independent contractors) want to know what managers expect of them, what their rights are and what is prohibited. By clearly communicating their expectations to personnel, managers are more likely to obtain compliance. Within an organization, important policy information may be scattered throughout a variety of interoffice memoranda, e-mails, bulletins, newsFor a handbook to be effective, letters and pamphlets. New employees will not an organization must instill a have access to all of the old materials. Employhabit of consistently using it. ees may not have access to policy information provided to managers. One department may not have access to information provided to another. This creates misunderstanding. Without a guide, employees will ask repetitive questions about company policy, forcing managers and personnel departments to answer similar questions. The answers may be inconsistent. If policies aren’t written down, managerial and employee turnover results in a loss of institutional knowledge. Some employees may be too embarrassed or intimidated to ask questions. Thus, some employees resort to using their best judgment. They may simply do what they perceive everyone else to be doing. This can lead to further inconsistency and serious problems. Creating a handbook does not have to be difficult. A skilled attorney can help managers develop one that meets the organization’s workplace needs. The process of drafting a handbook forces managers to think critically about jobs and employment relationships. They should consider which personnel policies work and which should be improved. Soliciting employee ideas and feedback through interviews and questionnaires can be valuable. Top executives and managers make a handbook authoritative by explicitly endorsing it with their signatures and creating a culture that uses and fol-

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lows it. The handbook must describe its purpose. Management then outlines all important personnel policies including those with respect to: hiring; hours; compensation and incentives; benefits; vacation and personal time; performance; training; workplace behavior; privacy; trade secrets; and grievances, among others. Handbooks also legally protect employers. Some labor and employment laws require employers to provide employees with certain information. Handbooks are an obvious place to include these policies. Management should include a disclaimer that the handbook is not a contract and does not create one. Nearly every state recognizes the doctrine of “employment at will,” which gives employers the right to terminate employment at any time for any reason. (Montana provides employees with special protections against severance. In all states, employees may always quit because the 13th amendment to the Constitution prohibits involuntary servitude.) On the other hand, if an employee and employer have a contract, the employer cannot simply fire the employee. Severing an employee before the expiration of the contract would result in a breach of the contract, thereby making the employer liable for damages. A poorly drafted handbook may inadvertently create an implied contract by promising that employees will not be severed without a legitimate business reason or if they are doing good work. Unrealistic promises, even if well-intentioned, can create legal and business problems for organizations. For a handbook to be effective, an organization must consistently use it. If it remains on the bookshelf gathering dust, it won’t do any good. It must be written in plain English so employees and managers understand what the policies mean. In a misguided attempt to save money, some organizations simply copy another company’s handbook and change the title page. To be effective, a handbook must be tailored to a company’s specific needs. It also must be periodically audited and updated. It will evolve with the needs of the organization and improve it. Disclaimer: This column is for informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice.  Bryan L. Berson, Esq. is an attorney, mediator and the president of The Berson Firm, P.C., a commercial and civil law firm specializing in business law, real estate, mediation and litigation. He may be reached at [email protected].

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GD&T WORKSHOP

A TOP DOWN VIEW o what is GD&T anyway? For some people it’s a grim, depressing and troublesome burden, whose importance they question deeply. For others it’s grand, delightful and terribly important, and the only reliable basis for specifying machine part geometry. As must be well known, in order to define things which we want other people to manufacture for us—in particular machine parts—there are two essential requirements. First, we must define their fundamental geometry. Secondly, because no physical object can be perfect, we must specify just how imperfect they may be and still function. The two tools for doing these two things are: CAD (computeraided design) and GAD (GD&T aided design). CAD provides the means to generate, manipulate and unambiguously communicate the perfect nomi-

nal geometry of an object. GAD, on the other hand, provides the means to investigate, determine and unambiguously communicate permissible limits of imperfection to guarantee the assembly and operation of an object. CAD without GAD is very “bad” because it represents just half the story, and CAD with “bad” GAD is even worse, because it implies the stated requirements are reliable when they are merely decorative and misleading. In addition to GAD there is the classical alternative for specifying permissible limits of imperfection, namely classical dimensioning and tolerancing (CD&T), but it consists solely of the “±” tool and is just as bad as bad GAD, because it depends entirely on tribal understandings, is beholden to no rules and is therefore just as prone to mislead.

THE ORIGINS OF GAD As Stanley Parker, the alleged inventor of GD&T, discovered early one frosty morning in 1940, CD&T is essentially useless. After his team had spent a whole day rejecting a run of the last critical parts for a shipment of torpedoes by Her Majesty’s Torpedo Manufactory in Alexandria, Scotland, Parker set them carefully aside in order to return the next day to do some additional checks before initiating a new manufacturing run. However, when he arrived, he discovered they were all missing. As it turned out, anxious to make the shipment on time, the night assembly crew was delighted to find the missing parts neatly stacked in the inspection department, and in the wee hours installed the parts, proved they were perfectly functional, and released the shipment. Upon learning this, rather than recalling the shipment and firing the assembly manager for criminal behavior—a highly justifiable response under the circumstances—Parker congratulated him on his pluck and set to work to understand how he, Parker, could have rejected a set of perfectly functional parts. In the process he tore CD&T apart in an effort to discover possible weak-

CD&T

Decorative GD&T

Functional GD&T

What is geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T)? B Y B ILL TANDLE R

S

A R80

R80

4X 60°

4X 60°

R80±0.1

4X 60°±0.1°

Break Edges

Break Edges

Break Edge 80

0

A B AN EXAMPLE OF THE GD&T CHALLENGE The drawings shown here represent three different attempts to specify permissible limits of imperfection for a vacuum flange which includes a pattern of threaded bolt holes which must be mutually tightly located but only loosely constrained relative to the center of the periphery of the flange, and of which one planar surface must be extremely flat to ensure an airtight seal with a mating O-ring, and the other reasonably parallel, but only loosely located relative to the first. In addition, the flat edge of the flange must be tightly perpendicular to the vacuum face and tightly located relative to the bolt hole pattern in order to accurately orient and locate a mating part. We’ll analyze the drawings in our next column. Source: Multi Metrics

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QUALITY | January 2012

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BALL BAR - DUMBELL nesses, and since weaknesses were all that he found, he set to inventing a more reliable set of tools, namely the gift of GD&T which not only links permissible limits of imperfection to function, but specifies them so precisely that others can do precisely what they specify. Today we are the proud inheritors of Parker’s symbolic language—now referred to as GD&T—which represents a set of tools with which to not only communicate design intent unambiguously to manufacturing and inspection, but, much more importantly, with which to ensure that what we communicate is worth communicating, namely represents functional, assemblable parts. THE GIFTS OF GAD GD&T is a highly sophisticated encodable and decodable symbolic language for managing the risks involved in machine part design, manufacturing, inspection and assembly. It serves first to force the designer to research the functions of

each feature of a part, because if not properly understood, said functions can never be properly encoded. Secondly, it serves to bring to light possible shortcomings in the geometry of certain features of a part to perform their required functions. As a result, it encourages refining the geometries of those features to improve their ability to perform their functions and as a result leads to the creation of more fault tolerant designs. Thirdly, GD&T provides the means to unambiguously specify preliminary limits of imperfection to enable mathematically reliable tolerance stackup analysis, which in turn enables refinement of said limits to guarantee assembly and operation, all prior to drawing release. It is only with GD&T that tolerance stack-up analysis becomes a scientific endeavor; it is only with GD&T that we can unambiguously specify manufacturing objectives; and it is only with GD&T that metrology becomes a fully automatable, scientifically reliable process.

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GD&T WORKSHOP The lack of functional GD&T is demonstrably responsible for bumpy new product ramp up cycles, unnecessarily costly manufacturing processes and unavoidably questionable inspection results, all based on tribal understandings, however, companies are so accustomed to experiencing these problems that they cannot imagine a small investment in GD&T could significantly reduce them. But it can, and in fact, GD&T is not only a gift, but a necessity for an organization which cares about getting it right the first time and which cares about the bottom line. PATH TO SUCCESSFUL GAD Unfortunately, however, grasping GD&T, and making it work, turns out to be somewhat troublesome. This is because its symbolic language needs to be just as rich and complex as the real world of what can go wrong. In order to master GD&T and enable it to produce the bottom line benefits of which it is capable, we must start with absolutely crystalline sets of concepts, tools and rules, which the ASME Y14.5 and ISO 1101 standards attempt to provide, but sometimes with limited success. Next, with these in hand, we need well-organized, precisely stated processes for encoding and decoding GD&T—something not addressed in the above standards. Finally, we also need well-documented sets of best practices in order to successfully turn what appears to be a jungle into a veritable English garden. With these foundations in hand, the final need is for intelligent, software based automation of the encoding and decoding processes in the CAD, CAM and CAI (computer aided inspection) worlds. Although in its early stages, automation has begun to be addressed in CAI and CAD, but still has a substantial distance to go. Maybe it’s time to start demanding it from suppliers of these products, if you haven’t already. Editor’s note: We encourage readers to submit questions, and we will attempt to provide succinct answers to as many as possible. Bill Tandler is the president and chief technical officer of Multi Metrics Inc. (Menlo Park, CA). He can be reached at GDandTWorkshop@ qualitymag.com or (650) 328-0200.

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QUALITY | January 2012

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QUALITY 101  Building a dimensional gage for checking a very tight tolerance on a large part includes many of the same concepts required for any precision measurement. Bearing tolerances are much too tight for hand gages such as an ID micrometer, or a large caliper, and many CMMs have neither the capacity nor the accuracy. In many cases, the only option is to build a custom gage for the family of parts to be measured. Source: Mahr Federal Inc.

CONSIDERATIONS FOR

MEASURING LARGE PRECISION BEARINGS Despite their size, all the elements of good gaging come into play with large precision bearings. BY GEORGE SCHUETZ

M

echanical bearings, including ball, roller, taper roller, needle, spherical and cylindrical, to mention a few, have been in use for hundreds of years, with countless designs, applications and sizes, and just as many measurement requirements that need to be defined and verified. With today’s emphasis on miniaturization, one would think the measurement of tiny bearings is the biggest challenge—just think of having to handle and measure all the components of a 0.10 inch diameter bearing. But the measurement of extremely large bearings—such as those used in power turbines, wind generators or large earth moving equipment— also are a challenge. Here we’re looking at bearings that measure anywhere from 12 inches to 20 feet in diameter. Despite their large size, these bearings still need to be inspected to meet design and manufacturing requirements, and in many cases, the toler-

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QUALITY | January 2012

ances involved are not that different from small bearings. The key specifications for bearings include numerous linear dimensions, as well as form and surface finish characteristics. The challenges are many when doing such measurements on extremely large bearings, not only in the gaging process itself but many times in just handling the parts. Often, gages must be used on the shop floor because the parts are too large to be carried to a measurement lab in the far corner of the building. This brings environmental considerations into play. For example, thermal expansion is much greater on large parts than small, and vibration can be more problematic on a tall gage column than on a smaller one. Indeed, all the elements of good gaging—defined by the acronym SWIPE: standard, workpiece, instrument, people and environment—come into play with large precision bearings. Let’s look at the particulars by specification.

DIMENSIONAL MEASUREMENTS The first series of checks usually done are to make sure the part is correct dimensionally. And since bearings tend to be round, diameters need to be measured. Inside diameters (IDs) and outside diameters (ODs) are probably the most common dimensions measured on the shop floor and there are endless methods of doing so. But few of these methods reach the level of precision required for bearing tolerances, let alone work on some of the sizes required. Building a dimensional gage for checking a very tight tolerance on a large part includes many of the same concepts required for any precision measurement. Bearing tolerances are much too tight for hand gages such as an ID micrometer or a large caliper, and many coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) have neither the capacity nor the accuracy. In many cases, the only option is to build a custom gage for the family of parts to be measured. For the tolerances required, longrange scales are generally not accurate enough, and a comparative gage tends to offer the best performance. With a comparative gage you have to have masters (or qualified parts) to set the gage. Just as you would have for a bench gage measuring a 3-inch bearing component, you also need a master for a 36-inch part. Having a good reference is critical to making the measurement. Sometimes, though, there may not be masters or qualified parts for each particular set up. For such cases, a gage design that incorporates precision measuring heads and a reference ball can use gage blocks to set the radius of the part—and thus the gage—to measure the diameter. Also important is having the ability to easily manipulate the part to allow measuring at different heights

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Tolerances are often as tight on large bearings as on small, and comparative gaging procedures are the same. Gage size and robustness, however, are not. Source: Mahr Federal Inc.

When bearings get to the 20-foot diameter range, they can get pretty heavy. And since the typical form machine is designed around parts that are less than 12 inches in diameter, form machines for large bearings need to be “beefed up.” Source: Mahr Federal Inc.

and diameter locations. Manipulating a 36-inch part is a lot different from a 3-inch part. What’s needed is to have the gage manipulate the part to the commanded position. Designing a gage that can position the part reduces the time an operator handles it, helping in two ways. It relieves the operator of the need to handle heavy parts, preventing

injury, and it also reduces one of the biggest sources of error in the shop: parts that are not the same temperature as the gage. Since the amount of thermal expansion on a large part is very significant, the less an operator touches it the better. Then there are large bearings that have very thin walls; so thin that hold-

ing their shape is very difficult, particularly when gaging force is applied. In these cases special fixturing consisting of six measuring heads can be used to help “round up” the part. These fixtures also can provide additional valuable information to the manufacturer. Because each measuring head works independently, there is increased capa-

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QUALITY 101 bility for part analysis. For example, these six heads provide: • Three 2-point diameters • Average diameter • Two 3-point diameters • Total indicator runout (TIR) values. Because these six heads do a lot of averaging, they will produce very repeatable readings despite rotating the part to multiple points on the part diameter.

In addition, special equations have been developed to compensate for the six points of gaging pressure being used. FORM MEASUREMENT When bearings get to the 20-foot diameter range, they can get pretty heavy. And since the typical form machine is designed around parts that are less than 12 inches in diameter, form machines for large bearings need to be “beefed up.”

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The first issue to consider is the base of the machine. A large base adds stability, absorbs vibration and provides a foundation to stage the part. Any vibration that passes through the machine gets amplified as it moves up the structure. The more you can eliminate vibration in the base, the less error will show up in the measurement. Then there is the rotary table for large bearings. For large capacity, air bearings are the only practical choice. Air bearings have all the characteristics required: heavy load capacity (thousands of pounds), excellent axial stiffness, and an air cushion that absorbs vibration and reduces the potential for damage if a part is accidentally placed a little too hard on the table. Another area to look at is the vertical stand and horizontal arm which holds the sensing probe. The mass of these components is a key factor: they need to be tall and have enough reach to get at all the parts within the range of the table. But without sufficient mass, they will magnify any vibration coming up through the base and shake the arm like a string of spaghetti. The last area to consider is the number of counts that can be obtained from the rotary encoder. To collect form analysis data for the part, a digital encoder is built into the table. On large diameter parts, circumferences can become enormous. It is important to have a rotary encoder that has as high a resolution as possible. The higher the resolution, the more data points that can be collected, which means better analysis of the whole surface and more accurate results.

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QUALITY | January 2012

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SURFACE TEXTURE AND CONTOUR With some of today’s portable handheld surface gages having 30 parameters available, along with the ability to store and retrieve data, most measurements are easy and can be taken in virtually any orientation, regardless of the size or location of the part. Portable gages offer a wide range of available probes to allow for measuring just about anywhere on the part and provide the parameter required. But while measuring surface finish is relatively easy, there are usually more parameters than just finish requirements called out on large bearings. Many bearings have curved races in which the balls run. Surface finish is

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important to reduce friction on these tracks, but also critical is the form or curvature of the track. If the curvature is not correct, the ball will not ride in the correct location, or too much pressure will be applied to the balls which will produce heat and result in early failure of the bearing. For this measurement a contouring gage needs to be used to trace the races and other areas on the bearing. A contour gage has a long arm, capable of very long range and high resolution, allowing for curvature analysis of the races. Staging and mass are important for this measurement—as they are for other measurements—but special vibration isolation also is necessary, since the contour probe is so sensitive and extremely susceptible to vibration.

For this application large air vibration isolation pads are a must. The gage holds the part at a slight angle and keeps it in place with adjustable guides to allow the contour system to be positioned at the proper location. PRECISION NATURE OF TASK In measuring extremely large bearings, size matters. Not only must gages be robust enough to accommodate extremely heavy parts, but they must also be able to manipulate parts. They must allow measurements of high precision, be able to operate in shop floor environments, and do so with enough operator ease and efficiency to keep pace with the manufacturing process. Consideration must be given to issues such as gage mastering, thermal expan-

sion and vibration, and the ability to accommodate and analyze increased data from longer part traces. Finally, operators must approach large bearing measurement with the appropriate mindset. It is intuitively hard to grasp the fact that a bearing many feet in diameter and weighing perhaps several thousand pounds can have the same tolerance requirements as a 3-inch roller bearing. But they do, and unless care is taken and operators are fully sensitive to the precision nature of the task, measurement results will be less than adequate. George Schuetz is director of precision gages at Mahr Federal Inc. (Providence, RI). For more information, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.mahr.com.

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31

INNOVATIONS

THE HEARTBEAT OF

AUTOMATION Envision enterprise solution helps companies to optimize automation processes, minimize unnecessary maintenance and increase production throughput. BY DARRYL SELAND, EDITOR IN CHIEF

Envision provides a detailed and easy to understand view of each station. Source: Beet Analytics Technology

Previously unseen and untapped real-time process performance data can be easily accessed and monitored at your fingertips, either on-site or remotely. Source: Beet Analytics Technology

Envision remembers and stores every anomaly (deviation from targeted cycle time) of each operation over a set period of time. Source: Beet Analytics Technology

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QUALITY | January 2012

I

n the realm of process diagnostics and quality management, Envision’s Automation Intelligence System technology could be considered a quantum leap beyond traditional motion sensing diagnostics tools. Whereas existing diagnostic tools use vibration sensors or other signals, Envision creates digital traces of all sets of events pertaining to the automated or manufacturing processes. “Envision makes what is invisible be visible,” says David J. Wang, CEO and CTO of Beet Analytics Technology (Plymouth, MI). “It leverages existing sensors in the system and uses them as timing devices to capture the heartbeat of any automated process. The amount of data that is captured and processed by Envision is massive. We overcome tremendous technical hurdles to make this new set of data available.” In capturing the heartbeat, Envision’s solution “listens” to the rhythm of machine and automated operations, illuminates untapped and currently invisible process data to pinpoint possible problem areas before a critical failure and transforms how a system’s operational and quality performance is measured and managed. The software monitors and records every automated motion and process in real-time, acting as an EKG of sorts, comparing the actual process performance against design-intended cycle time to gauge the health of the system. “Even though we are decades into the digital age, our manufacturing floors are still in the digital dark age. Every second, thousands or even millions of financial transactions, blogs, twitters, phone calls, SMS messages and others are recorded in the digital universe,” says Wang. “At the same second, millions of motions and operations are completed in tens of thousands of manufacturing processes or automated processes, yet there is no recorded digital trace.” According to Wang, Envision makes digitizing these motions and operations possible, enabling them to be measured, analyzed, inspected and tested. “With Envision,” says Wang, “we will be able to provide the ‘single point of truth’ of all manufacturing processes.” For Beet Analytics Technology, the idea of “machine heartbeat” software was born in 2009. “Control, safety and data network had recently and finally converged into one network thus opening the door for a new

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kind of automation diagnostics software that could leverage the power of the computer to give more intuitive, historic and predictive automation diagnostics to the end user,” says Wang. A team comprised of control engineers and IT software developers— including the two main inventors of Envision, who combined have more than 36 years of combined experience in both control engineering and information technology—was formed to develop the concept into a software product in the second quarter of 2009. “They were able to see this new possibility and created the foundation for Envision,” says Wang. After 18 months of development, the beta version of the software was released and piloted on a major automaker’s assembly line in November 2010. Envision Version 1.0 was officially released October 2011 after more than two-anda-half years of development. According to Wang, the response to Envision has been extremely positive. “During the last two decades, the advancement in software has not been focused on the shop floor or manufacturing. With the proliferation of computer-aided and ERP systems, the industry has been able to digitize most of the engineering, finance, purchasing and other back office operations in any given enterprises,” says Wang. “There is no enterprise system out there to digitize the real manufacturing processes down to every motion on the factory floor. There is a huge vacuum in applying information technology to help manufacturing getting better and smarter. The market is waiting for something like Envision.” According to Wang, the software can be applied to any automated or semi-automated control process from an automated assembly line to a rollercoaster ride in an amusement park to just about any process with predefined sequence and time constraint. “We have been piloting in an automotive OEM assembly factory for the last 12 months,” says Wang. “We have conducted proof of concept pilot with an electronic manufacturer.”

SPECIFICATIONS » Web-based software application. » Provides clear and in-depth automation intelligence. The software delivers the vast amount of previously untapped manufacturing data into clear, actionable information. » Captures and provides accurate in-depth component level cycle time performance. » Identifies areas for process improvement down to the component level. » Pinpoints critical areas for preventive maintenance. » Enables all users to monitor and analyze the system performance anywhere via the Web.

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January 2012 | QUALITY

33

MEASUREMENT

Best Practices for Developing

Sensing Systems FOR PRODUCTION AND QUALITY CONTROL Make use of available resources and different management environments. BY DR. NORMAN N. AXELROD

S

monitor-display times. This number was ensing and control systems’ best plausible but apparently picked out of practices, for development and thin air. At this speed, each photosenstroubleshooting, usually result in fasting unit had to sense and provide other er, less costly and improved quality and functions in a time span of less than product control systems. 100 milliseconds. Best practices have TECH TIPS The sum of the acquibeen defined in the Four practices stand out sition times for all photoHarvard Business Review among those that we have sensors must be less than as “straightforward, seen applied successfully in 100 milliseconds. At least actionable advice for novsystem development: three standard imaging ice managers, seasoned » Simplify/relax specifications in planning stage. cameras (with acquisition leaders and people at all times of 30 milliseconds levels in between.” This » Use a master craftsman each) were considered definition emphasizes during troubleshooting of for determining ovality “actionable advice” over malfunctioning system. of a critical implantable more rigid restrictive » Use practical information on medical component or a definitions requiring operations and history. total of 90 milliseconds. repeatable, replicable, » Control or exploit the In addition, sensing time nonidiosyncratic features. competitive corporate for common industrial Four practices stand environment. sensors is often 10 milout among those that I liseconds or more. have seen applied successWith seven more single photosenfully in system development. sors (possible acquisition times of these single industrial photosensors SIMPLIFY/RELAX can be 10 milliseconds) the total SPECIFICATIONS IN acquisition time would be 90+70 or PLANNING STAGE 160 milliseconds, which is greater For planning an online optical sensing than 100 milliseconds needed for system for quality and product control, total acquisition of 0.1 second (or with nine or 10 sensors and four local 100 milliseconds). In addition, computers, I met with the technical other operations have time requirefolks. The goal was to improve the ments including inputting numbers measurement system while improving into files, sensing data to a central the cost-benefit ratio without sacrificcomputer for processing and storing performance. age, maintaining and changing the One of the stated requirements was visual displays on a video monitor, to sense and store data from all sensors self-calibrating procedures and selfevery 10th second (or 100 milliseconds) monitoring procedures. including data processing, storage and

1

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QUALITY | January 2012

The initial design specifications could be made to work, with more complex, expensive hardware and software, and with attention paid to the actual response times. However, it appeared better to reduce costs and build in safety margins for existing issues, as well as allow for anticipated but unidentified new issues that often occur in new projects. In a meeting with technical folks, I asked how long it takes, when the current system detected a problem, for corrective action to be taken. The reply: about 5 minutes. I suggested that data be collected once per minute. Everyone agreed. This would significantly expand the time allowed for sensing, data processing, communications and display, as well as reduce the storage requirements without reducing functionality. This, and other similar practical simplifications of specifications, reduced the cost of the system by more than 30%. It simplified hardware, software and development. It permitted some expansion of the system functionality. The system was completed and satisfactorily tested on schedule. The system was completed, tested and used by production-line operators. It met the General Manufacturing Practices requirements and has been used satisfactorily for years with data collection taken from sensors once per minute.

2

USE A MASTER CRAFTSMAN DURING TROUBLESHOOTING OF A MALFUNCTIONING SYSTEM Having appropriate tools available during troubleshooting can increase effectiveness. Such tools should include a combination of appropriate human, testing and modification capabilities.

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In particular, rapid, effective lowercost troubleshooting has been obtained by having a master craftsman available during tests and redesigns. The master craftsman should have the tools and skills to modify components of the system as useful design changes are identified. The system in question was an optical communication system used with a computer-controlled brain-surgery system to remove brain tumors. The patient’s head was imaged in three-dimensions by X-rays, and the image was saved digitally. The patient’s head was then mechanically held in place. The display monitor showed the saved image of the inside of the patient’s head as well as the superposed location of the tip of the surgical knife. The position of the surgical knife was transmitted to a remote receiver, 5 to 10 feet away, using a light emitting diode source on the knife. However, the receiving optics of this communication system had been unreliable and the goal of this trouble-shooting was to identify and eliminate the cause. The procedure was straightforward. Several functional tests were done on the communication receiver for different relative locations of the surgical knife and the receiving station. I then proposed a modification of the receiving optics. The system engineer who had been working on the system showed me the system and the available resources. The corporate master craftsman and I discussed the modifications that were thought to be required. This consisted of using the existing components to point out the perceived problem, providing a hand-drawn sketch and talking him through the modifications. Then the engineer and I left so that the master craftsman could work without interruption. He was encouraged to contact us if he had any further questions. When we returned, the optics had been modified and inserted into the communication system: the system now worked in geometries which, before, had provided unreliable reception. Having shown that this approach was productive, we then went through two more modifications. Each modification improved the signal-to-noise ratio. Nominally, we were there. I then was told to provide a report with calculations/computing results for what had been done, as well as for any

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additional modifications that might prove advantageous. The real-time adjustment process of master craftsman work with the consultant shortened the time to bring this product to market. There was no proposal by me for system troubleshooting as well as designing, fabricating and testing the initial modifications. The proposal preparation and subsequent evaluation by the company can take weeks, if not months.

It helps to have faith in the expertise of the outside troubleshooter for this to work.

3

USE PRACTICAL INFORMATION ON OPERATIONS AND HISTORY Hands-on experience and day-to-day operating issues can be obtained from engineers and on-line operators who work on quality systems. Be sure to

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MEASUREMENT schedule folks to talk with as early as is practical. In one example, we had designed an online laser-based system to gage the diameter of red-hot tubes—several inches in diameter—that were coming out of an annealing furnace. The design was to be presented to managers of this manufacturing plant. Before the meeting, I talked to the operations engineer. He told me that

they had bought and tested a gaging system to do the job but that he had not seen it since the tests. On further questioning, he said that the only person at my presentation who knew about this was the plant manager. I presented my design. Nothing unusual was mentioned. At the end, the attendees started to leave, and I approached the plant manager and asked him about the previously tested

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QUALITY | January 2012

gaging system. He said that the previous system had burned up. How could it have burned up? I had been told that there would be significant distance between the optical gaging system and the rapidly moving tubes being gaged. He said that to verify the measurement of the purchased system, they pulled a hot tube off line immediately after measurement and, using rollers, moved it to within several inches from the gaging system. The gaging system melted. No one had mentioned this event, asked for a verification/calibration system for hot pipes or suggested that heat might be a problem. There are several simple straightforward solutions for such problems that avoid system meltdowns. CONTROL OR EXPLOIT THE COMPETITIVE CORPORATE ENVIRONMENT A highly competitive environment is generally the culture in system planning and development at many companies. Improving the employee’s advancement, real or imagined, takes precedence over the selecting the best route to achieving the immediate goal. It is rare, but I saw one corporation where the corporate culture apparently was one of cooperation. This had emerged from the company’s founding with the corporate goal of improving medical care by improving medical devices. This was a goal in which folks took pride. In addition, exploiting internal or external competition or a combination of both, outstanding systems can be developed. There are different scenarios for this. • Minimize competitive juices for a common good. In planning for development of a new quality control system for a critical medical device, one corporation formed a group consisting of highly qualified internal and external experts in all involved areas. In other companies, such discussions consisted primarily of attacks citing the weaknesses of the proposed suggestion. The objectives were described and folks suggested different approaches followed by discussion. The participants suggested non-obvious means to improve the suggested systems using their technological expertise. The company ethos was to do good by providing solutions that improved medical treatment. Everyone seemed

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to be proud of this and would spend extra effort and time in areas with which I had contact. This was true for development of quality inspection and control systems. All suggestions were respectfully considered, and the combined expertise was used to improve all suggestions. This not only improved suggestions, but also encouraged folks to make suggestions that they felt might lead somewhere. Use the cooperative team ethos where possible. Modify an overly competitive culture for productive ends. • Maximize competitive juices for a common good. Problems at a silicon integrated circuits manufacturing plant halted production. To address this, two different laboratories, at corporate R&D, were assigned the task of solving this problem, with the spoils to the winner. This fired the competitive juices of the engineers in both groups and the problem was solved in a short time. Here, exploiting the competitive approach provided successful rapid results. • Combine cooperation with competitive juices to defeat an internal threat. Easily the most outstanding example where internal cooperation and expertise, in response to an internal threat, led to the invention of the charge coupled device (CCD). The inventors Boyle and Smith won the Nobel Prize. Boyle and Smith were the lab director and department head of silicon/semiconductor development at Bell Labs. They were outstanding technologists and managers. The threat arose from magnetic bubbles. A single, small magnetic domain, with polarization up or down to represent zero or one, could be moved in a material from one location to another. This permitted digital information to be transferred from one location in a material to another location and to be stored and sensed for polarity. This threatened semiconductor/silicon dominance in digital storage and communications. The threat, it is ironic to note, came from a competing group working on magnetic bubbles within the corporation. Boyle and Smith met to size up the threat. They invented a means to move electrons from one location to another in silicon, using shaped and movable electric-potential wells

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that had the same features as the magnetic bubbles but were faster and in much-better developed material that had massive research and development done for silicon transistors. Silicon won: it was no contest. The different practices discussed for obtaining faster, better development of sensing systems make use of available resources and different management

environments. The successful examples discussed illustrate how to exploit or establish resources and how to exploit or modify existing attitudes/procedures to improve the work product. Q Dr. Norman N. Axelrod is an optical/laser system developer and consultant at Norman N. Axelrod Associates (New York, NY). For more information, call (212) 741-6302, e-mail naxelrod@axelrodassociates. com or visit www.axelrodassociates.com.

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TEST & INSPECTION

BENEFITS » New chambers include their own integrated controller with extended features and benefits suited specifically to temperature and humidity control. » All chamber manufacturers now offer mid-size models with fast temperature change rates that have a reasonably small footprint. » In the past decade, networking equipment for the Internet and cell phones drove test chamber sales, but today the new demand is from solar panels and lithium-ion battery products.

Flash Forward

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emember back, maybe 20 years ago, when you were the newbie, sent down to the test lab for the first time? As simple as your boss made an environmental test chamber sound— it’s just a pizza oven with humidity or it’s just a freezer that goes hot too— actually using a chamber was much more trouble. Lucky for you it was in the lab, and you didn’t have to purchase or maintain the equipment at that point in your career. You did have to deal with the lab manager, who closely guarded his chambers. The controller was confusing, failures were mysterious and data collection was a chore.

38

QUALITY | January 2012

Flash forward to today, where you are the boss and that lab manager is long gone, but that same test chamber is there. Now is a great time to replace that aging chamber in your lab. Not only will you have a more reliable machine, you will benefit from improvements in technology. CONTROLLERS GIVE ACCESS TO DATA The first digital controllers for test chambers were about as easy to use as MS-DOS, but without the keyboard. It took an expert just to set a single temperature point to run. Data collection was done by strip chart or circular

recorders on paper. Most of these controllers have been retrofitted on older chambers with generic process controllers such as a Watlow F4, which also have serial interfaces for data collection. New chambers now include their own integrated controller, with extended features and benefits suited specifically to temperature and humidity control. While one should not select a chamber based solely on its controller, each manufacturer’s proprietary interface and fixed capabilities will leave you scrambling to come up with new operation plans once you get your new machine. Data collection to a computer is de rigor, for example, but variations in interface types, file access and storage, as well as the data itself, may leave the operator happy or frustrated. Remote Web-based access is the current trend and has taken chamber use to an even higher level of user-friendliness.

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Look Beyond Compliance. At NSF-ISR, Competitive Performance is Key. ƵƚŽŵŽƟǀĞ DĞĚŝĐĂůĞǀŝĐĞƐ džƉĞƌƚĞƌŽƐƉĂĐĞ^ŽůƵƟŽŶƐ ŶǀŝƌŽŶŵĞŶƚ͕,ĞĂůƚŚĂŶĚ^ĂĨĞƚLJ dƌĂŝŶŝŶŐ &ƌĞĞǁĞďŝŶĂƌƐŽīĞƌĞĚƚŚƌŽƵŐŚŽƵƚϮϬϭϮ͘ ŽŶƚĂĐƚƵƐ͊ E^&/ŶƚĞƌŶĂƟŽŶĂů^ƚƌĂƚĞŐŝĐZĞŐŝƐƚƌĂƟŽŶƐ hŶŝƚĞĚ^ƚĂƚĞƐ dŽůů&ƌĞĞ͗ϴϴϴͲE^&ͲϵϬϬϬͮdĞů͗ϳϯϰͲϴϮϳͲϲϴϬϬ ŝŶĨŽƌŵĂƟŽŶΛŶƐĨͲŝƐƌ͘ŽƌŐͮǁǁǁ͘ŶƐĨͲŝƐƌ͘ŽƌŐ ĂŶĂĚĂ dĞů͗ϭͲϮϴϵͲϴϯϴͲϮϮϬϰͮĐĂŶĂĚĂΛŶƐĨͲŝƐƌ͘ŽƌŐ

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  ĚĞǀŝĐĞĚĞƐŝŐŶ͕ƚĞƐƟŶŐĂŶĚŵĂŶƵĨĂĐƚƵƌĞ  ͻ/^KϭϯϰϴϱƌĞŐŝƐƚƌĂƟŽŶƚŚƌŽƵŐŚƐŝƐƚĞƌĐŽŵƉĂŶLJE^&Ͳ/^Z &ŽƌŵŽƌĞŝŶĨŽƌŵĂƟŽŶŽŶDĞĚŝĐĂůĞǀŝĐĞƐ͕ĐŽŶƚĂĐƚ͗

E^&WŚĂƌŵĂůLJƟĐĂ͕ϳϭϵDŝĚĚůĞ^ƚƌĞĞƚƌŝƐƚŽů͕dϬϲϬϭϬh^ ƚ͗нϭͲϴϲϬͲϵϰϬͲϲϱϱϬͮĨ͗нϭͲϴϲϬͲϵϰϬͲϲϱϱϮͮĞ͗ŶƐĨƉŚĂƌŵĂůLJƟĐĂΛŶƐĨ͘ŽƌŐͮǁ͗ǁǁǁ͘ŶƐĨͲƉŚĂƌŵĂůLJƟĐĂ͘ĐŽŵ E^&WŚĂƌŵĂůLJƟĐĂŝƐƉĂƌƚŽĨE^&/ŶƚĞƌŶĂƟŽŶĂů͛Ɛ,ĞĂůƚŚ^ĐŝĞŶĐĞƐŝǀŝƐŝŽŶ

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January 2012 | QUALITY

39

TEST & INSPECTION Temperature changes under eco operation (example)

A new energy-saving thermal shock chamber has a compact footprint and can be integrated with other test equipment. Source: ESPEC North America

A temporary shutdown of the unused zone on thermal shock chambers results in energy savings. Then boosting the zone’s temperature setting prior to transfer significantly improves the temperature shock. Source: ESPEC North America

Shown is a conceptual view of chamber with safety features for battery testing. A false ceiling acts as an explosion vent. Source: ESPEC North America

Also, control and recording based on sample temperature—not air temperature—is commonplace.

troubles with test chambers. Larger and faster chambers had bulky refrigeration systems that were expensive to maintain. The refrigeration on today’s temperature chambers is rock-solid reliable and high performance is an accessible choice.

All chamber manufacturers now offer mid-size models with fast temperature change rates (5 to 20 C per minute) that have a reasonably small footprint. A new scroll type of compressor that is compact, powerful and reliable has made this possible, thus

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QUALITY | January 2012

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HUMIDITY: STILL A MYSTERY Humidity systems on older chambers were always mysterious and fussy. Today, manufacturers have each refined their own technology for generating and controlling humidity. Humidity may be generated by an inchamber water bath, an external steam boiler or an atomizer. Humidity detection and control may be via an electronic sensor or wet-bulb method. All are valid methods, but each has different operation and maintenance requirements, keeping them somewhat mysterious. Often the most trouble comes from end-users who do not understand the details of the system they own. CONSIDER THERMAL SHOCK If you are like most test professionals, a thermal shock chamber has been on your wish list for some time. The extreme temperature change caused by suddenly switching from a hot to a cold exposure zone is a tempting expansion of any lab’s capability. Operation costs and facility requirements have improved, but such a machine still remains a significant investment. Savings for thermal shock can be accomplished by reducing the number of defrost cycles. Running the cold zone at extremes such as -65 C constantly, it attracts moisture from the room, freezing on the cooling coil. The expansion and shrinking of the air volume due to the temperature shock also draws in moisture. In old thermal shock chambers, defrosting as frequent as every 10 temperature cycles was necessary. Improved sealing of the chambers, as well as added systems to purge the zones with nitrogen or dried air, has extended defrosting periods to 100 cycles. One new innovation is a bellows-type component that allows the volume of air in the chamber to change without sucking in room air, so that defrosting may be required only every 500 cycles.

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The latest integrated controllers can automatically manage operation to save energy and boost performance, taking advantage that one zone is always in standby mode. If the controller has the capability to temporarily turn off the standby zone, energy savings of up to 45% have been recorded. For improved performance, the standby zone can be temporarily set to a more extreme temperature than

the desired final condition, helping ensure a fast recovery. If a test calls for a -40 C cold cycle, for example, the chamber could run the air at -55 C in anticipation of a transfer from the hot zone. After the transfer, the temperature is controlled to ensure the product recovers to the desired -40 C temperature, albeit more quickly. This control feature can reduce the size of refrigeration

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making fast temperature cycling a more realistic choice when shopping for a new chamber. Some companies have been replacing laboratories full of liquid-nitrogen cooled chambers for new units with advanced refrigeration and control.

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TEST & INSPECTION

Remember back when you were the newbie, sent down to the test lab for the first time? As simple as your boss made an environmental test chamber sound—it’s just a pizza oven with humidity or it’s just a freezer that goes hot too—actually using a chamber was much more trouble. Source: ESPEC North America

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working equipment for the Internet and cell phones drove test chamber sales, but today the new demand is from solar panels and lithium-ion battery products. Photovoltaic solar panels are being tested to simulate the stress of extreme outdoor conditions—environmental extremes unlike nearly any other product, except some aerospace and automotive applications. Humidity testing at 85 C/85% for six weeks or more requires large vault-like solid chambers. The sheer volume of chambers that has been sold to this industry in the past few years has drastically improved the design of these large walk-in chambers, forcing manufacturers to move them from the custom world into the standard world. The rapid progression of lithiumion battery applications from cell phones and laptops to automobiles also has forced changes in temperature chambers. While these batteries are inherently safe when sold to consumers, the environmental testing is geared toward ensuring that safety.

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QUALITY | January 2012

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The cutaway image shows how the recirculating airflow is conditioned for optimal performance. Source: ESPEC North America

And when testing for safety, accidents can and will happen. A battery leaking, venting or exploding in a standard chamber is a significant danger. A myriad of special safety options and design features are now being offered, such as low-temperature heaters and explosion vents.

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A modern benchtop in the lab includes remote computer operation. Source: ESPEC North America

As an interesting example, one company needing to test a new hand sanitizer dispenser knew they had a problem with the alcohol-based product being in a chamber. Years ago, chamber salespeople would have struggled with finding the right solution. In this case, the salesperson was able to quickly

apply the some of the same safety features as might be used on a chamber for batteries. Q David Jung is marketing manager at ESPEC North America (Hudsonville, MI). For more information, call (616) 896-6100, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.espec.com.

January 2012 | QUALITY

43

SOFTWARE & ANALYSIS

FMEAs for the

Medical Industry: Which FMEA Type Should I Use?

Failure modes and effects analysis is a process to be used and not a form to be filled out. BY RICHARD HARPSTER

W

ith the demand for reduced costs in the medical industry, there is an increased interest in the use of the failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA). Unfortunately, most people are not aware of the various

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QUALITY | January 2012

FMEA types available for use and their purpose. It is important to understand that the FMEA is a process to be used and not a form to be filled out. There are four basic FMEA process types that can sig-

nificantly improve a company’s ability to provide their customers with high quality, reasonably priced medical products and services. The four FMEA process types are: system FMEA, design FMEA, process FMEA for manufacturing and process FMEA for service delivery. SYSTEM FMEA The system FMEA process should be used by personnel responsible for the

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SOFTWARE & ANALYSIS is acceptable and the design requiredefinition of design requirements that ments should be released for design. will be provided to the product design• Assess the impact of proposed ers. The main objective of the system design requirement changes. FMEA process is to identify any design • Identify the labeling claims that requirements that if left unchanged must be written based on the current would result in customer state of the design requirements. requirements not being TECH TIPS • Assist in troubleshooting met and as a result expose There are four basic FMEA field problems. the patient to injury and/ process types that can • Train product designers. or the company to unacsignificantly improve a comceptable financial risks. pany’s ability to provide their When determining DESIGN FMEA customers with high quality, the risk of not meeting The design FMEA proreasonably priced medical customer requirements, cess should be used by products and services: 17 different categories of designers of the product. » System FMEA requirements must be conThe main objective of the sidered. The system FMEA design FMEA process is to » Design FMEA is the most important of all identify any design prod» Process FMEA for FMEAs when it comes to uct characteristic specificamanufacturing product design since there tions—such as ingredient » Process FMEA for is no way of preventing an concentrations—or softservice delivery improperly designed prodware code (if a programuct from getting to the cusmable device is involved) tomer if the requirements it was designed that if left unchanged could expose the to are incorrect. patient to injury and/or the company to The output of the system FMEA prounacceptable financial risks. cess is used to: The output of the design FMEA pro• Define the current injury risk to the cess is used to: patient and/or financial risk to the • Define the current injury risk to the company due to the current design patient and/or financial risk to the requirements. company due to the current product • Identify improvement actions to characteristic specifications or softbe attempted to improve problem ware code. design requirements. • Identify improvement actions to be • Estimate the market share loss if attempted to improve the product non-safety related problem design characteristic specifications. requirements are not changed. • Evaluate whether or not the remain• Evaluate whether or not the remaining ing risk to the patient and/or finanrisk to the patient and/or company due cial risk to the company due to the to the current design requirements current product characteristic speci-

46 QUALITY | 1January QLTBG104SCI.indd

2012

•

• • •

fications or software code is acceptable and the specifications should be released for manufacturing. Assess the impact of proposed product characteristic specification and/ or computer code changes. Estimate the cost of proposed characteristic specification changes. Troubleshoot field problems. Train product designers.

PROCESS FMEA FOR MANUFACTURING The process FMEA for manufacturing processes should be used by personnel responsible for the manufacture of the product. The main objective of the process FMEA process is to identify any process weaknesses that if left unchanged could expose the patient to injury, manufacturing worker to injury and/or the company to unacceptable financial risks. When determining the risk of using the current manufacturing process including the supplier base, the process must be examined for 10 different categories of process weakness. The output of the process FMEA process is used to: • Define the current injury risk to the patient, injury risk to the manufacturing worker and/or financial risk to the company due to the current process. • Identify improvement actions to be attempted to reduce or remove process weaknesses. • Evaluate whether or not the remaining risk to the patient, manufacturing worker and/or financial risk to the company due to the current process

www.qualitymag.com 1/26/11 12:30 PM

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• • • •

design is acceptable and the process should be released for manufacturing. Create documentation detailing steps that must be taken for optimized manufacturing. Assess the impact of proposed process changes. Assess the impact of proposed product characteristic specification changes on the process. Estimate the cost of proposed product characteristic specification changes. Troubleshoot manufacturing problems. Troubleshoot field problems. Train manufacturing personnel.

PROCESS FMEA FOR SERVICE DELIVERY The process FMEA for service delivery process should be used by personnel responsible for the delivery of medical services. The main objective of the process FMEA process is to identify any process weaknesses that if left unchanged could expose the patient to injury, service provider to injury and/or the company to unacceptable financial risks. When determining the risk of using the current service delivery process including the service consumable supplier base, the process must be examined for nine different categories of process weakness. The output of the process FMEA process is used to: • Define the current injury risk to the patient, injury risk to the service provider and/or financial risk to the company due to the current process. • Identify improvement actions to be attempted to reduce or remove process weaknesses. • Evaluate whether or not the remaining risk to the patient, service provider and/or financial risk to the company due to the current service delivery process design is acceptable and the service delivery process should be released for use. • Assess the impact of proposed service delivery process changes. • Assess the impact of proposed service consumable product characteristic specification changes on the service delivery process. • Create documentation detailing steps that must be taken for optimized service delivery. • Troubleshoot service delivery problems. • Train service delivery personnel.

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PULLING IT ALL TOGETHER Every company can experience significant improvements in the quality of the medical products and services that they deliver through the use of the FMEA process. When used correctly, the FMEA process can become the cornerstone of a company’s product and/or service development system. When performed correctly, the FMEA process will also sup-

port and enhance any improvement processes such as Six Sigma or lean manufacturing that may exist within the company. Q Richard Harpster is president of Harpco Systems (Wixom, MI). For more information, call (248) 3741718, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.harpcosystems.com/quality-mag.

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January 2012 | QUALITY

47

MANAGEMENT

A Closer Look:

UNDERSTANDING RISK MANAGEMENT FOR MEDICAL DEVICE MANUFACTURERS A requirement forces manufacturers to establish a formal process for dealing with risk management and focuses on how manufacturers can produce safer products. BY TODD KONIECZNY

C

process for dealing with risk manageompleting risk management to ment and focuses on how manufacturISO 14971 is nothing new for ers can produce safer products. medical device manuBut how does the Third facturers. During the TECH TIPS Edition of IEC 60601-1 past several years, » Both the FDA in the United work with the ISO 1991 there has been more States and the Medical standard and what does of a global alignment Device Directive in the Euroit mean for the medical within this industry. pean Union have made risk device industry? Specifically, both the management compliance for With the release of the FDA in the United ISO 14971 a requirement. new Third Edition 60601States and the Medical » Certification of a product 1, compliance with ISO Device Directive in the without a compliant risk 14971 also is now required European Union have management process will for product certification. made risk management not occur. The Third Edition 60601compliance for ISO » The entire risk management 1 series of standards 14971 a requirement. file must be submitted consists of the following: This requirement actuwhen the product is sent to ANSI/AAMI ES60601-1: ally forces manufactura third-party laboratory for 2005; CAN/CSA-C22.2 ers to establish a formal certification.

48

QUALITY | January 2012

No. 60601-1: 2008; CENELEC EN 60601-1: 2006; IEC 60601-1: 2005. DECODING IT ALL For certification of products, both the ISO 14971: 2000 and the ISO 14971: 2007 standards need to be considered. The FDA and Medical Device Directive require that the risk management is completed to ISO 14971: 2007. However, for the CB Scheme certification, only certain clauses are required to be met in the ISO 14971: 2000 standard. These clauses include 3.3 a, 3.5 e, and 4 to 7. All of these clauses are documented in the test report form for the CB Certification. But what about certification to ISO 13485? Certification to ISO 13485 does not demonstrate compliance to the requirements of ISO 14971. RISK: WHAT DOES IT REALLY MEAN? In the Third Edition 60601-1 series of standards the word risk appears more than 600 times. Risk management appears more than 200 times, and risk

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MANAGEMENT management file appears more than 100 times. Translation: This standard is taking a more risk-based approach, but many medical products in Europe still need to comply with the Third Edition deadline of June 1, 2012. So how does a manufacturer move forward in applying both the requirements of the Third Edition 60601-1 series of standards and ISO 14971 to certify their product? Let’s investigate

how the different clauses of 60601-1 use the tools of ISO 14971 for showing compliance with the requirements. In the 60601-1 standard clause 4.2 is what drives the requirements for ISO 14971. The clause states “The Risk Management Process complying with ISO 14971 shall be performed.” Therefore, certification of a product without a compliant risk management process will not occur.



The entire risk management file must be submitted when the product is sent to a third-party laboratory for certification. A risk management policy statement is required to be completed from top management, which includes the following information: • Criteria for risk acceptability. • Applicable national and regional regulations. • Relevant international standards. • Any information that could affect risks in the product, state of the art, stakeholder concerns.

Didyouknowthat99%ofallFMEAs aredoneincorrectly?

This policy statement can be a general statement that covers all products in the organization or can be created for all individual projects in the organization.

Basedonathreeyearsurvey,thelargemajorityofFMEAsare done improperly andas a result millions of dollars in profits are being lost every year.  It is no secret that companies spend the majority of their FMEA implementation time debating about what goes into the various FMEA columns and determining FMEA ratings.  It is possible to perform FMEAsinafractionofthetimecurrentlybeingspentbymost companies while significantly improving the ability of the FMEA process to protect the company from unacceptable financialrisks.

THE NEED FOR ESSENTIAL PERFORMANCE Essential performance is not new to the Third Edition, it is more defined—the performance necessary to achieve freedom from unacceptable risk. Essential performance in the Third Edition is a requirement for compliance. Why? Essential performance functions could lead to an unacceptable risk. The IEC 60601-1 Third Edition standard also notes that “essential performance exists when the feature or function in question is either absent or its characteristics are degraded to a point that the ME equipment is no longer suitable for its intended use.” A simplified way of determining essential performance is to use the risk management tools and run all the performance functions of the product through risk assessment. Any performance functions that are determined to be acceptable risks can now be classified as performance functions. The remaining functions are what the standard is referring to as essential performance. Some examples of essential performance

Forafreeninetyminuteonlineassessmentofthequalityof yourcurrentFMEAsandtolearnaboutanefficient,common sense method on how to improve them, give us a call (248Ͳ 374Ͳ1718)orsendusanemail([email protected]).

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50

The following three requirements need to be met to compliance with the requirement: 1. The manufacturer shall establish a risk management process. 2. The manufacturer shall establish acceptable levels of risk. 3. The manufacturer shall demonstrate that the residual risk is acceptable based on the requirements in the manufacturers risk management policy.

QUALITY | January 2012

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functions are diagnostic functions, surgical functions, alarms and the performance functions in the particular standards for medical products. EXPECTED SERVICE LIFE, EQUIVALENT SAFETY FOR EQUIPMENT Third Edition 60601-1 in Clause 4.4 introduces the concept of expected service life. The definition from the standard “maximum period of useful life as defined by the manufacturer” needs to be declared in the risk management file. This expected service life is then used as a tool to determine compliance with additional clauses in the standard. Clause 4.5 “Equivalent Safety for ME Equipment or ME Systems” allows for risk management to show an alternate method for complying with a requirement in the standard. For example, on mobile products there is a requirement in the standard that the product must pass over a 20-millimeter high threshold. To pass the test, the mobile product wheels will need to be larger than designed so that the product can pass over the threshold, but with larger wheels the product cannot function as intended. By applying the tools of risk management, the manufacturer can justify equivalent means of safety to show an alternate method than what is in the standard is an acceptable risk. Risk management in the Third Edition 60601-1 plays a role in how third-party testing companies will conduct certain tests of the product. For example, in the Second Edition 60601-1, Clause 44.3 covers the spillage test which was conducted by spilling 200 milliliters of tap water at a distance of 5 centimeters for 15 seconds on the top of the product. The Third Edition 60601-1 Clause 11.6.3 takes a different approach of using risk management to determine the requirements of the spillage test. Through risk management, the manufacturer can determine the type of liquid, volume, duration of spill and the location of the spill that the testing partner will be when conducting compliance testing. Third Edition 60601-1 uses ISO 14971 techniques in a variety of ways to better assist in the certification of product requirements. Specifically, there are requirements for outright compliance to the requirements of ISO 14971. In addition, the clause requires

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that the tools of ISO 14971 are used to determine key functions of the product required to demonstrate compliance with the requirements, and the clause requires that the tools of ISO 14971 are used to determine the test methodology that the third-party testing company will use to conduct the test. Q Todd Konieczny is the North American Medical Technical Lead for Intertek (Boxborough, MA).

For more information, call (978) 635-8528, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.intertek.com.

QUALITY ONLINE For more information on medical standards, visit www.qualitymag.com to read the following: • “ISO 13485: Medical Devices and Risk Management” • “The Need for ISO 13485” • “Understanding ISO 13485”

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51

CASE STUDY

GOING TO

GREAT LENGTHS Massive cybermill positions with precision using world’s longest linear scales.

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accurate, reliable linear scales at those hen plans for North America’s long lengths was originally thought largest five-axis gantry machine impossible. “We approached Heidenwere set in motion, the challenge of hain Corp. (Schaumburg, IL), one of establishing a massive our longtime partners, machine with an X-axis BENEFITS with this exceptionally the length of three quar» The X-axis homing cycle long linear scale challenge ters of a football field was with distance-coded and they met it,” explains daunting. This was the reference can save more Martin Honer, a controls task undertaken recently than 3 minutes over a project engineer at Ingerby Ingersoll Machine typical system. soll. “It is an impressive Tools (Rockford, IL) to the » With the large mill as part sight on what we call our benefit of W Industries of the mix, W Industries Cybermill.” Now at W (Detroit), a leader of metal is growing at a rapid rate— Industries, this Cybermill products manufacturing. more than 100 employees is running around the The job of developing a are on tap to be added annually. clock, guided by two 72 huge gantry machine that meter Heidenhain linear is 20 feet wide by 204 feet » The Cybermill is routinely scales—the world’s longest— long (with 8 feet under doing what others cannot, running down the length its gantry) is challenging, such as wing and fuselage bond tools and molds. of the guideway. to say the least. To find

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QUALITY | January 2012

LARGE PARTS IN GOOD MEASURE Rooted in work for the automotive industry, W Industries has recently expanded its capabilities, highlighted by this extraordinary mill. Since spring of 2010, W Industries has successfully been using the Cybermill to machine huge high precision parts for aerospace and defense applications, with quotes now out on many alternative energy jobs. “With this large mill as part of our mix, we are growing at a rate that no one really anticipated,” explains Jason Sobiek, director of aerospace manufacturing at W Industries where it is said that 100 employees are on tap to be added annually. “We even get calls at the front desk asking for us to quote jobs.” As an industry leader, W Industries has three Michigan locations and houses 24 mills. “With this giant Cybermill, we are now working on a program for the AirBus A350 airplane for Spirit, borne of a government bond that we believe is the largest to be issued in the state of Michigan,” says Sobiek. This high definition, high tolerance project consists of two long tools for

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 All three of the axes on the mill include linear measurements provided by Heidenhain’s 382C sealed linear scales—X axis is 200 feet, Y axis is 26 feet and Z axis is 8 feet. To put the Cybermill’s size into perspective, staff at W Industries estimate that one could stack 78 Hummer H2 sport utility vehicles (without tires) two-high, three-wide, end-to-end within its table. Source: Heidenhain Corp.

the fuselage, both 16 feet by 70 feet, which utilizes about ⅓ of the travel of the Cybermill. All three of the axes on the mill include linear measurements provided by Heidenhain‘s 382C sealed linear scales—X axis is 200 feet, Y axis is 26 feet and Z axis is 8 feet. To put the Cybermill’s size into perspective, staff at W Industries estimate that one could stack 78 Hummer H2 sport utility vehicles (without tires) two-high, three-wide, end-to-end within its table. Within that amount of space, many types of large structures can be machined, including large molds, jigs, fixtures and composite tooling. Currently taking off into the aerospace industry, this Cybermill is routinely doing what others cannot, such as wing and fuselage bond tools and molds. “We plan to also be involved with flight hardware and special aerospace projects in the near future,” says Sobiek. “The aerospace industry is in an early upward build trend of new fleets. The next 10 years should be very good for this industry and W Industries is very excited to be a part of that growth.” The alternative energy industry sector also is in growth mode and W Industries is on board here with this Cybermill as well. “We can machine any part of a windmill,” says Dave Hislop, W Industries NC programming specialist, “from a blade, hub assembly to a nose cone. We believe we are unique in this ability because a turbine blade can be 100 feet long or a mold 200 feet. We believe this is one of the only pieces of equipment in the world that can build these single pieces. We are quoting many windmill parts jobs right now.”

chose these scales because Heidenhain makes the best feedback equipment in the business, and we were pleased that their LB scales carry distance-coded reference marks.” The distance-coded reference marks (semi-absolute) on the LB scales

are extremely important on large machines as they allow it to “home” or ascertain its position at startup very quickly. At every startup, subsequent electronics find the absolute reference (home position) after traversing a very small distance. Conventional machine

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WORLD CLASS LINEAR MEASUREMENT Long-length machining jobs are fast becoming a forté of W Industries. “We are happy to see W doing so well in this area,” says Ingersoll’s Honer. “The positional accuracy on these long Heidenhain linear scales is ±5 microns and the repeatability is exceptional. We

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January 2012 | QUALITY

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CASE STUDY

Because more than 450 feet combined of these two LB distance-coded linear scales had to be installed at W, technicians from Heidenhain offered to assist in their installation. W staff mounted the housings and each 72-meter scale tape, bearing surface and protective sealing lips were installed by Heidenhain over a five-day period. Source: Heidenhain Corp.

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QUALITY | January 2012

referencing involves physically travelling the machine axes to a fixed home position that could potentially be many meters away. Distance-coded reference marks speed and simplify such reference runs. “On W’s Cybermill, for example, the X-axis homing cycle with distancecoded reference marks are of great advantage as they could save over three minutes over a typical system— with a home limit switch at one end of the travel if the gantry was at the other end of its travel,” explains Honer. “In general, this system also saves machine wear and tear, and is more convenient for the operator, particularly if large work pieces are involved where axes may have to be moved in order to avoid collisions.” Because more than 450 feet (150 meters) combined of these two groundbreaking LB distance-coded linear scales had to be installed at W, technicians from Heidenhain offered to assist in their installation. W staff mounted the housings and each 72-meter scale tape, bearing surface and protective sealing lips were installed by Heidenhain over a fiveday period. “It was an exciting opportunity for us,” explains Paul Hood, Heidenhain service technician. “All, including the intermediate gaskets and scanning units, had to be just right. The housings are dial-indicated and needed to be within 0.004 flatness and parallel. Then the scanning head and bracket has to be mounted correctly providing for a 0.06 air gap over the entire 72 meters. The installation went well.” “Soon after, we had third parties out with laser trackers to check the machine, and the results were outstanding,” adds Sobiek. “It is a very accurate machine.”

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EXCEPTIONAL ACCURACY ON SPINDLE TOO Honer adds, “Overall, accuracy and repeatability are critical on a machine of this size. It is important to note that the tools on the spindle of the gantry are moving on some pretty big arcs and they too need to be very accurate.” The Cybermill’s spindle head operates at 16,000 rpm with 50 kw of power. “This amounts to cutting very accurately at approximately 1,000 inches per minute,” explains Hislop. “This is a very high speed, a phenomenal rate, especially unique for its size.” To handle the measurement of the angles within the spindle, two absolute Heidenhain RCN angle encoders are used: one on the C axis (the joint between the RAM and the red spindle head) and on the B axis (the joint at the tool that allows the tool to angle). The B axis must move ±100 degrees. “The angular positional accuracy on the spindle head is 20 arc seconds with repeatability of 10 arc seconds,” says Honer. “Both Heidenhain linear and angle encoders continue to provide the accuracy we need on the Ingersoll machine tools. I have to add that since we send machines all over the world, it is also important to us that Heidenhain is an international company and we know we can always get support.” THE JOURNEY The evolution of this giant machine at Ingersoll began in 2006 where it first served as a shorter prototype at their facilities in Rockford. There it was tested and used to successfully machine the invar tooling for the Boeing 787 wing skins. At that point, two gantries were installed on a single X-axis bed, offering high productivity and flexibility, at the same time allowing very long parts to be loaded. As part of its diversification plans, W ordered this machine in 2008 as a single-gantry machine with a much longer X axis. Heidenhain’s recordbreaking linear scales led the guideway in this long length endeavor. The addition of more gantries is always an option here as the extremely long length makes it truly unique. Heidenhain Corp. (800) 233-0388 www.heidenhain.com

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This Cybermill is running around the clock, guided by two 72 meter Heidenhain linear scales running down the length of the guideway. Source: Heidenhain Corp.

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949-457-1913 [email protected] January 2012 | QUALITY

55

CASE STUDY  During scanning the Revo maintains the approach angle, allowing a large cylindrical feature, such as a cylinder bore, to be measured with the same stylus used for measuring a 5-millimeter bore, without “shanking” the stylus. Source: Renishaw Inc.

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“GOOD TIMES ROLL” Scanning probes speed form-data collection and feedback to machining cells, reduce CMM fixturing and cut probe calibration time from hours to minutes.

K

ing requirements are comparable to awasaki’s 800,000-square-foot the best in the automotive industry, Maryville, MO, plant, opened though our manufacturing is focused in 1989, produces single- and twinon lower volumes of many different cylinder air-cooled or water-cooled kinds of products.” The plant has 50 engines, 1000 cc or smaller, for commachining lines, typically arranged mercial and consumer lawnmower in a U-cell pattern with start and end OEMs, as well as for a sister plant that machines across from each other. manufactures ATVs and Mule util“Primarily, it’s one-piece production ity vehicles. Operations at Maryville with machining lines running a part include aluminum die-casting, plasthrough multiple processes at a high tic injection molding, rate,” Watts explains. extensive amounts of BENEFITS Kawasaki utilizes automachining, painting and » What would take 3 to 4 mation in many die cast assembly. All engines— minutes to scan with an and some machining approximately 500,000 SP25 is now being meaoperations, accomplished per year—are run-off sured in 10 seconds with through the integration before shipping as well. the Revo. of Kawasaki robots. On “We use the Kawa» The system eliminated the one of the crankcase saki Production System need for custom probe lines, robots load raw (KPS),” says JC Watts, configurations. materials and unload quality control technical finished parts that are group supervisor at the » Probe calibration times have been cut from six to seven placed into inventory for Maryville plant. “Our hours to about 45 minutes. assembly to draw upon. quality and engineer-

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QUALITY | January 2012

Machined parts include aluminum, cast iron and steel. “We’re running similar tolerances that automotive powertrain uses for high-end products, and there are probably four or five critical processes for our aluminum parts and 15 for the steel parts,” Watts adds. It is not uncommon to find tolerances “in single digits in microns” for form and 0.05 millimeter true position. The QC lab is responsible for inspecting 125 different mass-produced parts, as well as vendor parts and those produced for engineering development. The environmentally controlled lab is located adjacent to the machining lines, and parts intended for routine inspection are delivered on carts or via train (an electric vehicle towing several trolley carts). Critical components may be hand delivered for priority inspection during a line changeover or if an operator suspects a problem. 5-AXIS SCANNING ADVANTAGE “When I started here, we had a couple of 3-axis CMMs [coordinate measuring machines] with PH10 articulating heads and SP25 probes, and another CMM with a fixed probe head,” Watts explains. “We were frustrated with having to make probe configurations and being limited to what we could do even with the articulated heads. We had so many different probe configurations that calibration times of six to seven hours took a bite out of our inspection throughput, too. We wanted to do better than what the industry considered the norm, so we looked at several options and the 5-axis Revo system appeared to be the fastest and most flexible available. It was the best fit for our requirements.” Kawasaki bought a new Mitutoyo Crysta-Apex 121210 in 2009 with the Revo system installed from the factory, and retrofitted an identical machine in 2010, after the first machine was up and running with all the part programs. The Revo 5-axis scanning probe

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head can collect up to 6,000 data points per second. It is engineered for high-speed precision measurement of contoured surfaces and complex geometries requiring high-volume data collection to validate fit and form with high accuracy. It uses two rotary axes, one in the vertical plane and one in the horizontal, for infinite rotation and positioning. Five-axis software drives the measuring head and synchronizes its motion with the linear axes of the CMM. Look-ahead algorithms drive the probe path and CMM in coordinated continuous motion. The head adapts position while measuring on the move, maintaining stylus tip contact with changing contours at scanning speeds of up to 500 millimeters per second. “Though our SP25s were scanning probes, we were doing 95% touch probing because scanning was too slow with a 3-axis CMM,” Watts explains. “Our cylinder and crank bores are probably the best examples of where we believed touch probing was inadequate. To accurately collect enough data points to measure the geometry of a bore 80 to 100 millimeters in diameter and 150 millimeters in length, the SP25 probe took so long we limited those inspections to machine set up or special requests from our design department. Now on every crank case we measure, the Revo does a spiral scan of bores and the system outputs the values to software. We also send a graph of the data points to our network that can be used by anyone in QC, engineering or production, and it really helps troubleshoot problems. You can visualize the problem. What would take 3 to 4 minutes with an SP25, we’re measuring in 10 seconds with the Revo.” The Revo scanning heads have all but eliminated the need for touch probing. Now 95% of inspections utilize scanning, with no “time penalty” as before, allowing Kawasaki to collect so much data that it challenges the speed of computers doing the analysis. The Revo probe also can do “head touch” probing or be used for traditional machine-touch probing when the situation calls for touches. “With scanning inspections, our production and engineering people have a lot more confidence that the data is valid,” Watts adds. “With touch probing it is easy to get one speck of dirt that causes an out-of-round condition if you’re only sampling seven or eight

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Kawasaki Maryville’s QC lab is responsible for inspecting 125 different massproduced parts, as well as vendor parts and those produced for engineering development. Twin Revo systems allow Kawasaki to measure all of its mass production parts with just two probe configurations. Source: Renishaw Inc.

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CASE STUDY points. It can throw the location of that circle off. We have specific documented examples of where there were flatness errors we would not have caught with touch probing, and cylinder bore geometries that would not have been caught with touch probing because of the amount of data sampled with the touch probe. We still caught these problems before they left the plant, but the parts were scrap. The Revo scanning capabil-

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QLT01114Unit.indd 1

ity allows us to catch form errors much more quickly, without a time penalty on our inspections. It has definitely made us more proactive in catching quality problems early in the game.” FEWER PROBE CONFIGURATIONS, MORE FLEXIBILITY With Revo, the Maryville operation now has two probe configurations that measure all of its mass produc-

tion parts, reserving custom probes in a changing rack for a few special applications. Special configurations for vendor parts also have been eliminated because the infinite positioning angles of Revo allow measuring of a part without special fixturing or consideration of which probe to use. With so few probes, calibration time has dropped to around 46 minutes. Now QC technicians monitor the calibration instead of calibrating every shift. “We are now able to measure all our mass production parts with just two probe configurations,” says Watts. “We were able to eliminate the large ball stylus configurations because of the large approach angle the Revo creates between the stylus and the work piece. During scanning the Revo maintains the approach angle which allows a large cylindrical feature such as a cylinder bore to be measured with the same stylus used for measuring a 5-millimeter bore, with no chance of shanking the stylus.” Flexibility of the Revo system also has proven to be a time-saver for Kawasaki. “We can measure any part on either machine with a limited amount of fixturing and no special calibrations,” says Watts. “We measure all our parts on three types of fixturing. The Revo probe orients itself to the part after it’s initially aligned. The utilization of special fixtures has almost been eliminated, without concerns of measurement error due to part alignment.” Kawasaki programs all of its inspection routines in-house using Mitutoyo’s Mcosmos 3.1 software. The upgrade to Revo instigated a shift to parametric and modular programming of inspection routines through in-house development of coding. This allows a program to be used for a part family. “We might have 30 different crankshafts, for example, but because everyone has the same features, only in a different size or location, we can use the same inspection program to measure all the parts,” Watts states. Infinite angles of the Revo system make it simple to create parametric programs because there is no concern about the stylus interfering with a part feature, due to size or orientation of the feature. The probe automatically aligns normal to the feature being measured, simplifying programming.

QUALITY | January 2012

www.qualitymag.com 11/30/10 1:42 PM

BALL GAGE INSTEAD OF A CYLINDRICAL PLUG GAGE. Save time with the self centering spherical surface of the ball gage. When measuring a large number of holes it can be 100 times faster. Put one or two flats on the ball and find any out-of-round holes. Measure how parallel the space Revo-equipped CMMs at Kawasaki’s Maryville, MO, plant have cut inspection times by half or more on scanning intensive applications, as well as eliminating the need for custom probe configurations, cutting probe calibration times and adding new capability to collect large amounts of form measurement data. Source: Renishaw Inc.

is between two surfaces and or the size. You can get into inside diameters or inside spherical surfaces of rod end bearings.

FASTER INSPECTION, BETTER DATA FROM QC TO R&D Watts says the transition from 3-axis to 5-axis programming is not difficult, and a programmer with limited ability can still program Revo inspections as 3-axis. However, when it comes to optimizing speed of inspection, it is critical to use head motion as much as possible. “This allows you to scan parts the quickest, without inducing measurement error,” he adds. “Revo opens up a lot of possibilities, with few limitations, so speed gains are obtainable for both the higher and lower skilled programmers.” Inspection results may be relayed to the machining lines manually or they can be accessed locally by line operators over a computer network. “Some of our inspection reports supply offsets directly back to the machining centers coordinate system; this allows the CNC [computer numerical control] operator to read the offset adjustment right off the report, allowing no misinterpretation of what offsets the operator needs to input,” Watts explains. “We take advantage of some of the best fit algorithms and work with our production engineers, especially on parts that require more complex algorithms to get the adjustment right, and to utilize multiple process adjustments simultaneously. We had limited ability to do this before the Revo; the Revo allowed us to utilize parametric programming, which in turn allowed us to expand our capability across the board more easily.” Five-axis CMM scanning has been a game-changer for QC at the Maryville

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plant in terms of speed, data quality and inspection capacity, according to Watts. “We’ve enjoyed big gains from having two machines that are completely redundant, so if one machine breaks or is down for calibration, it’s no problem to measure critical parts on the other machine. That’s a big advantage in the QC lab, because we were the ones who, in a pinch, had to get the large part on the small CMM, or the part requiring the odd angle probe on the machine that didn’t have it. We use to get requests from R&D to measure certain geometries, and it was next to impossible to achieve in the time allotted. Now we can provide the data much quicker and, being scanned data, our people have greater confidence in it. This new flexibility, the reduced fixturing, form measurement, the parametric programming—these are all collateral advantages, in addition to the raw inspection speed.” The Maryville facility has run more than 50,000 parts through the two Revoequipped CMMs, and Watts indicates there are plans to expand the use of the Revo system to gear inspection and cam lift if it proves feasible. “We’ve developed our own algorithm and sub-routine in our software for cam lift, and that’s something that would have been more difficult to do without the Revo system due to the angle the probe requires to measure the lift on the lobes.” Renishaw Inc. (847) 286-9953 www.renishaw.com

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January 2012 | QUALITY

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QUALITY

PRODUCTS THE LATEST PRODUCTS TO HELP YOU IMPROVE YOUR MANUFACTURING PROCESS COMPACT GAGE COMPUTER

MOBILE SURFACE MEASUREMENT The Etamic W5 surface roughness measuring system is suited for measurements on the production line. The unit is capable of tracking five separate measurement programs, up to 100 separate profiles, with a total storage capacity of up to 10,000 completed measurements. The roughness probes and measuring instrument electronics are calibrated independently from each other at the factory, eliminating the need to make regular adjustments to the amplification or to recalibrate. HOMMEL-ETAMIC | (248) 446-9540 | WWW.HOMMEL-ETAMIC.COM

The Nemo ultracompact gage computer can collect data from traditional measurement devices, including wireless devices, and store them locally or send them in real time on a corporate network LAN. The unit’s 5.7-inch thin-film transistor color display makes it easy for an operator to visualize measurement results. The integrated touch screen allows programming and data acquisition without the use of peripheral devices. MARPOSS CORP. (888) 627-7677 WWW.MARPOSS.COM

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QUALITY | January 2012

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LED INSPECTION colorCONTROL MFA-5 inspects LEDs for their function, contrast and luminosity. The unit can verify up to five LEDs simultaneously. The measuring system can be extended in a modular fashion by adding extra MFA-E modules in batches of five channels. The light from the target object is transmitted to the inspection system via a flexible, 2-millimeter diameter, plastic optical fiber and is evaluated dynamically using a color sensor for color and intensity. The color value is evaluated within just a few milliseconds. MICRO-EPSILON | (919) 787-9707 | WWW.MICRO-EPSILON.COM

The moment a logo answers all of your quality questions. This is the moment we work for. DIGITAL TACHOMETER The EHT-600 tachometer has a rugged metal housing and four measuring modes: real time, maximum, minimum and mean. The unit has an auto measuring range of 0 to 25,000 rpm with up to 0.01 rpm resolution up to 2,000 fpm using the optional 12-inch wheel. Auto statistics include max, min and mean. HOTO INSTRUMENTS (847) 564-2260 WWW.HOTO-INSTRUMENTS.COM

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FORCE/TORQUE INDICATORS & SENSORS Models 5i and 3i digital force/torque indicators with interchangeable remote force and torque sensors have plug-andplay technology—all calibration and configuration data is saved within the sensors’ smart connectors, not the indicator, allowing for true interchangeability. Force sensors are available in capacities up to 10,000 lbF (50 kN), and torque sensors are available in capacities up to 5,000 lbFin (550 Nm).

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January 2012 | QUALITY

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PRODUCTS

SURFACE PROFILE GAGE

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The PosiTector SPG Surface Profile Gage measures and records peak to valley surface profile height in accordance with ASTM D4417-B and others. Available with either standard or advanced features, the unit has a measurement rate of more than 50 readings per minute. All models include a tungsten carbide probe tip for long life and continuous accuracy. Field replaceable probe tips are available with either 60- or 30-degree tip angles to conform to a variety of international standards. DEFELSKO CORP. (800) 448-3835 WWW.DEFELSKO.COM

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ROCKWELL HARDNESS TESTING SYSTEM Versitron Rockwell hardness testing systems achieve accurate and repeatable hardness test results under less than ideal operating conditions, making it suitable for both lab and shop use. The system can perform tests in as little as four seconds, even on manually activated machines. The robust frame allows large specimens to be clamped in seconds prior to applying the load without supports or tools and without affecting test results. NEWAGE TESTING INSTRUMENTS INC. (800) 806-3924 WWW.HARDNESSTESTERS.COM

WIRELESS DATA COLLECTOR The Wireless Model 600 Handheld Data Collector is equipped with compatible RF transmitters, such as LMI’s 241, 241BW, TP107 and 200. Additional devices can be linked to a Wireless 600 using the MicroRidge Mobile Module. This wireless interface supports a variety of gages. The unit collects data from several devices without having to connect and reconnect cables to them. ASI DATAMYTE INC. (800) 455-4359 WWW.ASIDATAMYTE.COM

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CAMERAS The Genie TS series includes VGA, 1.2, 1.4, 2, 4, 5, 8 and 12 megapixel formats, reaches speeds up to 300 fps and is available in both monochrome and color versions. The next generation imaging platform has advanced features such as image filtering, image compression, color correction, color space conversion and image transfer-on-demand. Inte-

grated performance and operational capabilities include a dynamic range to optimize image capture from sunto-shade, motorized lens control with image-to-image aperture, zoom and focus functionality, auto iris, and both RS-485 and RS-232 ports to control peripherals around the camera. TELEDYNE DALSA (978) 670-2000 WWW.TELEDYNEDALSA.COM

CMM The MICURA coordinate measuring machine (CMM) is a high precision, compact, bridge-type CMM that features precision scanning technology with the VAST XT gold active scanning sensor. The system offers 0.9 micron + L/400 accuracy with low probing force and can be used for measurements of small and intricate parts often required in the optical, electronic, medical, aerospace and telecommunication industries. CARL ZEISS (800) 327-9735 WWW.ZEISS.COM/METROLOGY

SCANNER The Werth FlatScope inspects flat work pieces and extrusion profiles in a production environment. The main area of application is in the measurement of complex profiles such as rubber, plastic or aluminium profiles, as well as stamped parts, laser cut profiles and circuit boards. The measuring range of this series of machines is up to 650 millimeters. The unit is equipped with an image processing sensor with telecentric or zoom optics. Werth Inc. (860) 399-2445 www.werthinc.com

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TEST INSTRUMENTS Digital Tachometer LED Stroboscope

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CONTROL SYSTEM 50

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67

ADVERTISING INDEX ADVERTISER

PAGE

Accelper Consulting

155 N. Pfingsten Rd.,

WEB

29

www.accelper.com

Bal-tec Division, Micro Surface Engr. Inc.

25, 59

www.precisionballs.com

Carl Zeiss

30, 63

www.zeiss.com

Certified Comparator Products

10, 29

www.certifiedcomparator.com

CyberMetrics Corp.

21, BC

www.cybermetrics.com

Deltronic Corp.

26, 64

www.deltronic.com

41

www.gagemaker.com/quality

35, 47

www.gerbertechnology.com

Suite 205 Deerfield, IL 60015 GROUP PUBLISHER Darrell Dal Pozzo

Gagemaker Inc. Gerber Technology

(847) 405-4044 [email protected] REGIONAL MARKETING NEW ENGLAND AND MID-ATLANTIC

Gradient Lens Corp.

51

www.gradientlens.com

Harpco Systems

50

www.harpcosystems.com

5

www.hommel-etamic.com

Hommel-Etamic Imada

42, 66

www.imada.com

62

www.ledfordgage.com

Barbara Grim 1288 Centerton Rd., Pittsgrove, NJ 08318 Phone: (856) 358-4800 FAX: (856) 358-0900 [email protected] CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST

Ledford Gage Lab Mahr Federal Corp.

1, 3, 16, 42

www.mahr.com

Mark-10 Corp.

7

www.mark-10.com

Marposs Corp.

17

www.marposs.com

Meyer Gage

10

www.meyergage.com

109 Willow Springs Trail, Mt. Holly, NC 28120

Micro-Vu

57

www.microvu.com

Phone: (704) 822-6434 FAX: (704) 822-6834

Minitab Inc.

27, 49

www.minitab.com

Mitutoyo America Corp.

IFC, 45

www.mitutoyo.com

23

www.mts.com

Bill DeYoe

[email protected] MIDWEST, SOUTHWEST,

MTS Test

WEST AND NORTHWEST

NSF International

39

www.nsf-isr.org

Olympus NDT

37

www.olympus-ims.com

33, 53

www.ogpnet.com

Origin Technologies Corp.

16

www.origintech.com

Q-Mark Manufacturing Inc.

55

www.cmms.com

Quality Measurement Control

65

www.qmc.com

Ram Optical Instrumentation

25, 64

www.ramoptical.com

Renishaw

13, 66

www.renishaw.com

9, 31

www.stindustries.com

11

www.qmi-saiglobal.com

12, 46

www.scienscope.com

Buck Bicek 5820 Middaugh Ave. Downers Grove, IL 60516 Phone: (630) 971-0904 FAX: (248) 502-1086 [email protected] REGIONAL SALES MANAGER Steve Scheinpflug 155 N. Pfingsten Rd., Ste. 205 Deerfield, IL 60015 Phone: (847) 405-4025 Fax: (248) 283-6587 [email protected]

Optical Gaging Products

S-T Industries Inc. SAI Global Scienscope International

QUALITY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Roger Muse Director - Sales and Marketing ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board Jim Smith ASQ Fellow

Steve Flynn President Optical Gaging Products Inc.

Praveen Gupta Principal Accelper Consulting

William R. Gilman President Qioptiq Inc.

Bill Fetter Director of Marketing and Communications Hexagon Metrology Inc.

Bill Hangartner Sr. CEO Quality Calibration Service Inc.

Andreas Blind Vice President of Sales JENOPTIK - Industrial Metrology Hommel-Etamic America Corp. Jerry Kardas Vice President KardasLarson LLC Tony Picone President & CEO Mahr Federal Inc. Mark Fridman Sales & Marketing Manager Mark-10 Corp.

68

Meindert Anderson Corporate Manager Olympus NDT

Bob Friesen Vice President of Marketing S-T Industries Inc. Edward Morse, Ph.D. Professor - Mechanical Engineering Center for Precision Metrology UNC Charlotte Ed Pritchard Consultant Western Environmental Corp. Don Moors CEO Western Gage Corp.

QUALITY | January 2012

SigmaXL

19

www.sigmaxl.com

Stuhr

12, 26

www.cdvcorp.com

TE-CO

40

www.te-co.com

UBM Canon United Testing Verisurf

IBC

www.qualityexpo.com

58

www.unitedtesting.com

14, 15

www.verisurf.com

VisionX Inc.

36

www.visionxinc.com

Webster Instrument Inc.

54

www.webstertesters.com

Western Gage Corp.

43

www.westerngage.com

This index is provided as a reader service. The publisher assumes no liability for errors or omissions.

QUALITY (ISSN 0360-9936) is published 13 times annually, monthly except semi monthly in November, by BNP Media II, L.L.C., 2401 W. Big Beaver Rd., Suite 700, Troy, MI 48084-3333. Telephone: (248) 362-3700, Fax: (248) 362-0317. No charge for subscriptions to qualified individuals. Annual rate for subscriptions to nonqualified individuals in the U.S.A.: $178.00 USD. Annual rate for subscriptions to nonqualified individuals in Canada: $216.00 USD (includes GST & postage); all other countries: $228.00 (int’l mail) payable in U.S. funds. Printed in the U.S.A. Copyright 2012, by BNP Media II, L.L.C. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the consent of the publisher. The publisher is not responsible for product claims and representations. Periodicals Postage Paid at Troy, MI and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: QUALITY, P.O. Box 2145, Skokie, IL 60076. Canada Post: Publications Mail Agreement #40612608. GST account: 131263923. Send returns (Canada) to Pitney Bowes, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON, N6C 6B2. Change of address: Send old address label along with new address to QUALITY, P.O. Box 2145, Skokie, IL 60076. For single copies or back issues: contact Ann Kalb at (248) 244-6499 or [email protected].

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It’s Not Always What You See p. VS8

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VISION & SENSORS

TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S

January 2012 DEPARTMENTS 22VS Cast Study Customer Requirements Define 3CCD 26VS Cast Study Nikon Metrology iNexiv Helps FMI Master Critical Medical Component Molding 28VS Products IBCVS Advertising Index 18VS

IN THE NEXT ISSUE Magneto-Optical Sensors

COLOR IMAGING 6VS

COLOR: IT’S NOT ALWAYS WHAT YOU SEE

Color is a versatile, non-contact method to identify materials and material variations and its wave properties are commonly used for gauging.

Machine Vision Standards USB 3.0 Image Analysis

GIGE CAMERAS 10VS GIGE VISION 2.0 HAS ARRIVED

This new release tries to build on previous successes by improving the connection to faster sensors.

ABOUT THE COVER January 2012

www.visionsensorsmag.com

CONNECTORS AND CABLES GigE Vision 2.0 Has Arrived p.VS10

12VS CONNECTORS AND CABLES 101

Development Trends in CCD Cameras and Sensors p. VS18

Fully understanding the application will help ensure that the cabling and connectors utilized provide the expected performance and durability. CAMERA AND SENSOR TECHNOLOGY

Color:

18VS DEVELOPMENT TRENDS IN CCD CAMERAS AND SENSORS

Today’s machine vision cameras and sensors come in a multitude of resolutions, optical formats and technologies. Each of the primary sensor technologies, CCD and CMOS, find homes in various applications and camera makers must choose which best fits the needs of a particular application.

It’s Not Always What You See p. VS8

Advancements t in i CMOS imaging i i sensor technology are delivering wider, more powerful feature sets in GigE Vision cameras. Source: TeledyneDALSA

VISIT VISION & SENSORS ONLINE AT

www.visionsensorsmag.com The Essentials of Product Identification using Machine Vision Barcodes were first used to label railroad cars in the early 1960s, but they were not a commercial success until they were used to automate supermarket checkout systems, with the now well-known Universal Product Code (UPC) barcode. Barcodes are now widely used in manufacturing and quality control applications for industrial inspection.

2VS

VISION & SENSORS | January 2012

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NEWS

Power Technology Expands US Machine Vision Laser Manufacturing Capabilities LITTLE ROCK, AR—Power Technology, Inc. (PTI) announced that it is expanding its US production capabilities for machine vision laser modules in direct response to the Thailand flooding. PTI plans to add experienced design engineers and production personnel. In addition, laser diode inventories have been expanded to support affected customers. Unknown to many customers, a large percentage of Machine Vision laser modules and diode pumped solid state lasers are manufactured in Bangkok, Thailand by contract manufacturers. Those manufacturers are now reporting 3.5 feet of water in their factories. Thai government officials project that the flood waters will not recede for six weeks. Disruptions in the supply chain are partially due to the fact that up to 650,000 employees can’t make it to work. For the last 40 years, PTI’s laser designs have supported Fortune 500 and other companies in the biomedical, semiconductor, industrial, defense & security markets and are bringing US design and manufacturing capabilities to the machine vision and inspection industry. Those applications include laser modules designed for 3-D profiling and mapping, dimensional scanning, high-speed road and rail inspection, Web inspection, fluorescence, and illumination.

SHUTTLEPIX WINS DESIGN AWARD FROM JAPAN INSTITUTE OF DESIGN PROMOTION BRIGHTON, MI—Nikon Metrology’s Shuttlepix Digital Microscope has been awarded the Good Design Award 2011 organized by the Japan Institute of Design Promotion. The Good Design Award is a comprehensive program for the evaluation and encouragement of design organized by the Japan Institute of Design Promotion (JDP). This award system was originally established in 1957, out of the belief that design was essential in breaking out of the cycle of poverty in Japan. Since then, the Good Design Award has been given to outstanding designs for more than 50 years in the pursuit of industrial development. Approximately 37,000 Good Design Awards have been given in continuing these efforts. JDP receives approximately 3,000 submissions from more than 1,000 companies and designers from inside / outside of Japan every year. These designs are screened by about 60 design experts, who select and recommend those designs worthy of the Good Design Awards. However, the Good Design Awards is not a beauty

4VS

contest, nor is it an award that assesses the design’s outcome in economic terms. Rather, the Good Design Awards is a system that aims to channel the eminent powers of distinctive designs to build prosperous lives and encourage sound industrial development. It is a campaign to brighten and enrich society through design.

AIA SIGNS MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WITH CHINA MACHINE VISION UNION ANN ARBOR, MI—The Automated Imaging Association (AIA) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the China Machine Vision Union (CMVU), a recentlyformed trade association representing machine vision in China. “We are very excited to be collaborating with CMVU in our mutual efforts to advance the understanding and use of imaging and vision technologies,” says Jeff Burnstein, president of AIA. The agreement outlines a wide range of activities on which the two associations will collaborate including an exchange of market data, mutual support for trade shows and technical conferences, and promotion of member companies.

VISION & SENSORS | January 2012

“We plan to build upon our initial areas of cooperation within the next year as CMVU grows and accelerates its activities,” says Burnstein. “Having experienced the difficulties of starting AIA back in 1984 with only a handful of member companies, I know how challenging it is to build a strong trade group. I’ve pledged the support of myself and the AIA staff to help CMVU in any way we can.” Burnstein signed the agreement on behalf of AIA, while Dr. Ding Shaohua, Chairman of the Board of CMVU, signed for the Chinese trade group. The signing ceremony took place on October 26 in Beijing during the Vision China trade show and conference. During the conference, Burnstein gave a talk on the growing importance of machine vision, which focused on leading applications and future opportunities for vision in a wide-range of industries.

MICROSCAN RECEIVES 100TH U.S. PATENT RENTON, WA—Microscan announces that it recently received its 100th U.S. patent, marking a significant milestone in the company’s history as a pioneer in barcode, machine vision and machine vision lighting technologies. Since its start in 1982, the company has had a strong tradition of innovation that includes the invention of the fi rst laser diode barcode scanner (U.S. 4,855,581) and the industry-standard 2D symbology, Data Matrix (U.S. 4,939,354). The 100th patent (U.S. 8,000,594) protects Microscan’s innovative dome light used in its Mobile Hawk handheld reader, which gives the imager its best-inclass read performance on direct part marks. With the growing need for item-level traceability in many industries, companies are increasingly adding 1D or 2D barcodes on their products using a direct marking method such as inkjet, dot-peen, or laser marking. Robust decode

www.visionsensorsmag.com

algorithms plus the Mobile Hawk’s powerful lighting technology make it ideal for reading these low-contrast, reflective, or otherwise hardto-read marks. “Microscan continues to focus on simple, precise technology to meet complex needs in industries as diverse as packaging, life sciences and electronics,” says Bruce Scharf, vice president of engineering. “We are now at the 100-patent milestone and our engineers have not slowed down development of straightforward solutions for complex barcode, machine vision and machine vision lighting applications.” For more information about Microscan’s comprehensive line of barcode, machine vision, and machine vision lighting products, visit the company’s website at www.microscan.com.

LMI TECHNOLOGIES’ 3-D SMART SENSORS FINDS THREE NEW DISTRIBUTORS VANCOUVER, CANADA—LMI Technologies has signed Cadence Automation, Advanced Control Solutions and Parameter AB as Gocator distributors. Companies in Quebec, the southern United States, and Scandinavia looking to improve their factory automation processes will now have access to LMI Technologies’ Gocator family of 3-D laser measurement sensors. “There is a growing shift towards 3-D measurement in Quebec,” says Marc-Andre Laurin, sales manager at Cadence. “We are seeing an increasing demand for flexible 3-D measurement sensors that are easy to use.” As a strong product entry into the burgeoning Quebec, southern United States and Scandinavian markets, these newly signed agreements hold substantial market potential for Gocator 3-D smart sensors. With the manufacturing sectors pushing economic growth in all three regions, LMI and its new distributors are expecting a large volume of initial interest in Gocator.

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January 2012 | VISION & SENSORS

www.visionsensorsmag.com QLTVS01121Cinnauto.indd 22

5VS 12/9/11 1:57 PM

VISION & SENSORS

COLOR IMAGING

Color: It’s Not Always What You See

dent on the atom and absorbed by an electron in a low energy state. The electron is then boosted to a higher energy state by an energy difference equal to the energy in COLOR IS A VERSATILE, NON-CONTACT METHOD TO IDENTIFY MATERIALS AND MATERIAL VARIATIONS AND ITS WAVE PROPERTIES the photon. If the energy of the photon does ARE COMMONLY USED FOR GAUGING. By Dr. Norman N. Axelrod not match the energy difference between the two energy levels of the electron, then absorption does not occur. Vibration and rotation modes of molecules provide other acceptable lower-energy differences (usually in near infra-red) that provide probes with different energies. In a solid material (e.g., a semiconductor), the energy levels allowed to electrons are broadened (This occurs since the electrons now feel the electric field of its own atom’s nucleus as well as electric fields from near-by atoms). So, instead of narrow-band emission and narrowband absorption, the wavelength spreads (or bands) are wider. This, of course, affects both the absorption bands of semiconducConcave grating spectrometer covers wavelengths from tors used in detectors, as 360 to 825 nm. Input via fiber optic cable. Spectra well as when they are used detected by 2048 pixel linear CCD detector and output as light sources. In semicommunicated via USB 2.0 and RS-232. Exposure time from 1 ms to 65 seconds. Source: Ocean Optics conductors, life is more complicated: for example, All materials have color. controlled impurities used to dope If you shine light onto a material (solid, liquid or gas), the material can add other optical the amount of light that is reflected, transmitted and features. These properties of light are parabsorbed depends upon the color (or wavelengths) of ticular to different materials and are analogous to fingerprints of the materials for identification purenergy level drops down to a lowerthe light and of the material. The poses. The specificity of properties quantized energy level. The energy colors can be in the ultraviolet, visof different materials can be used to lost by the electron can be emitted ible and infra-red. characterize different materials for as a light photon with its energy The wavelengths of the light process and product control. (and wavelength) equal to the energy reflected, absorbed and transmitted, In addition, light has wave properdifference between the upperas well as the light emitted by the ties as well as the particle-like quanelectron energy level and the lowerlight sources, are the direct consetum properties discussed previously. electron energy level. quence of processes involving the The wave properties are extensively Absorption by an atom can take electrons and molecules. used for non-contact gauging. place in the reverse direction: a In emission from an atom, an Emphasis here is on vision and light photon (or quantum of light) electron in a higher-quantized sensing applications. The wavewith the appropriate energy is inci-

tech tips

 The wave properties of color provide “fingerprints” of the material for defect detection and identification.

6VS

 Color imaging is an effective noncontact gauging tool, particularly small dimensions.

VISION & SENSORS | January 2012

 The use of color can also exploit differences between information-containing signal and background light to improve the signal-to-noise ratio.

www.visionsensorsmag.com

VISION & SENSORS

COLOR IMAGING

Point-and-shoot spectrometer. Spectrometer covers wavelengths from 380 to 780 nm. Spectrum from image is detected by pixel linear CCD detector. The output is displayed on the unit and can be communicated via USB 2.0 and RS-232. Exposure time is from 3 ms to 6 seconds. Object size, with auxiliary lens, down to 36 microns. Source: Photo Research

lengths of the light discussed will be from the ultraviolet (180 nm to 400 nm), through the visible (400 nm to 700 nm) and near infrared (700 nm to 2,000 nm).

LIGHTING As with other aspects of illuminating materials and products: • The best lighting provides the best images. • The best images provide the best signals. • The best signals provide the simplest, fastest and most reliable signal processing. The stand-alone word “lighting” or “illuminating” sets up the wrong mental image. Lighting is not just shining light, as in lighting a room (even room lighting has different applications, such as room lighting for offices, living rooms, bedrooms). I prefer “targeted lighting,” which exploits the optical properties of the target (or object of interest). Use of color can also exploit differences between information-containing signal and background light to improve the signal-to-noise ratio. It can use not only color/wavelength/spectral properties, but also geometric properties (micro and macro dimensions, texture and

8VS

Modular system for functional LED inspection. An LED is placed inside the lower box on the left and turned on. The emitted light is collected by an integrating sphere in the upper box on the left. The light from the integrating sphere is transmitted to the spectrophotometer (Jaz) by a fiber optic cable. The spectral output is displayed on the Jaz unit and can be digitally communicated. Source: Ocean Optics

texture axes) and induced optical properties (timed fluorescent excitation with fluorescent markers and intrinsic fluorescence). We can see how different colors and purity are produced, selected and detected. This provides a basis for choosing different light sources, color selectors and detectors. First, examples of practical applications of targeted lighting are discussed.

EXAMPLES OF PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Using broad spectral regions to determine materials and variations • Determine extent/completion of thermal annealing of automobile brake linings by sensing changes in near infra-red reflection. • Determine area of aluminum precipitated on silicon crystal using a different value for each of the absorption edges of the two materials. • Detect presence of inorganic material contamination in raw mixed soup vegetables for major soup manufacturer using general differences in optical properties between plant (organic) and inorganic materials. Using spectral lines (narrow spectral regions) to discriminate against background

VISION & SENSORS | January 2012

• Identify presence of helium on sun, 93 million miles away. • Confirm presence of annealing gas in expensive whisky bottle during heat treatment. • Sense & image the presence and chemical activity of molecules by attaching fluorescent markers to molecules (optogenetics). • Count rapidly moving cool steel tubes in factory with very variable overhead & sun light by using small, low-power laser, narrow band filter, sensor and computer. • Gage diameter of glowing rods leaving annealing oven using narrow laser-line illumination with narrow-band filter for laser-line to eliminate background light. Using dimension of light wavelengths for gauging (N.B. 500 nm = 0.5 microns; 25 microns = 1 mil = 0.001 inch; yellow is about 600 nm) • Gage diameter of small-diameter wire and fibers from diffraction pattern produced by single wavelengths from parallel laser beam. • Gage particle size and surface roughness from small-particle scattering. • Gage strain in structures by using fiber-optic sensors. The fiber optic cables have diffraction gratings embedded in them, so that small strains change the spacing of the

www.visionsensorsmag.com

grating apertures; this changes the diffracted wavelengths seen by the wavelength sensitive detection modules and the change is a measure of strain. • High-resolution, multi-wavelength dimensional gauging with interferometers. • Use polarization properties of thin transparent extruded films to detect holes and defects.

OPTICAL TOOLS As seen in the examples, color applications vary from simple to sophisticated. Most applications require a light source and photodetector(s) that use optical properties of the target. The simplest is when the target is opaque, as in sensing when a person walks through an entrance. The most complex depend upon specific features of the target. Light Sources The most common light sources are incandescent and fluorescent, with LEDs expanding rapidly in all areas. LEDs are small, inexpensive, rapidly-switched, semiconductor devices that operate for longer times but have wider spectral lines/bands than lasers. Low-power lasers for sensing provide very parallel beams of light with very narrow spectral lines and can be the size of AA batteries with built-in optics and electronics. Small semiconductor lasers were used in several of the examples. Narrow-band spectral lines are available from low-pressure gas light sources at different wavelengths. • Sodium doublet lines (at 589.0 nm and 589.6 nm) provide the illumination from yellow highway light. They have been used as precision wavelength sources for factory and laboratory use. • A handy bright ultraviolet line at 253.7 nm from a low-pressure mercury source (with quartz windows and eye protection) can be used for both sensing and UV curing.

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Optical Filters Optical filters can provide wavelength bands of interest and discriminate against unwanted background light. They are available in band-pass, high-wavelength pass, low-wavelength pass and narrowband filters. Broad-Band Optical Filters A simple set-up for detecting defects and foreign matter may use a whitelight (many wavelengths) light source, an optical filter appropriate to the materials and a photodetector or camera sensitive to the light transmitted by the filter. Since the materials detected are solid, then it would be likely that the bands detected would be broad, so that broad-band (many wavelengths) optical transmitted filters can be used. Instruments for Selecting Narrower Wavelength Regions of Interest To obtain narrow spectral lines from broader sources, narrow-band filters, monochromators, spectrometers and interferometers are used. Each has their own characteristics and variations. Monochromators and spectrometers separate the different colors, from light sources, across large wavelength regions; narrow wavelength bands are produced. Interferometers are often used to measure the light intensity of different wavelengths (e.g. the structure of spectral lines in very narrow spectral regions)

ORDER OF BATTLE For determining which wavelengths to use for materials in products, use a monochromator or spectrometer to provide information on which wavelength region is most useful (i.e., gives the highest signal-to-noise ratio). Then, in practice, use a filter or filters that do the job. It can be sufficient to simply have a number of filters that cover the spectral region of interest and try them one at a time (i.e. kind of a

poor-man’s monochromator). Then, in practice, use an appropriate filter (or filters) to do the job at lower cost and smaller space requirements. Signal Processing Different color applications can require not only different spectral resolutions (or how well two colors can be distinguished), but also means for detecting very low color/ light signals that are close to, or within, the background noise. Simple photosensors can be used for higher intensity light, but more sophisticated optics are required for higher spectral discrimination. For very low signals, it is common to modulate (at a given electrical frequency) the source of the incident light before it illuminates the target of interest and then to detect the modulated signal (of that electrical frequency) that has been modified by the target.

SUMMARY Color is a versatile, non-contact method to identify materials and material variations. Wave properties are commonly used for gauging. These provide: • fingerprints of the materials for defect detection and identification purposes. • non-contact gauging of features, particularly those with small-dimensions • improvements in the signal-tonoise ratio due to background. It is used in virtually every industry to determine/confirm quality for high-volume production and to determine/confirm quality for low-volume, high-value products. It is used for product and process control. V&S Dr. Norman N. Axelrod is principle of Norman N. Axelrod Associates and has been doing contract development and consulting on challenging electro-optical sensing & control systems for over twenty years. He provides solutions to long-standing as well as urgent problems. Axelrod Associates provides related system and technology resources on a contract basis. (212) 741-6302 [email protected].

January 2012 | VISION & SENSORS

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VISION & SENSORS

GIGE CAMER AS

GigE Vision 2.0

the same; this is called link aggregation. Hence, by using 2 gigabit/sec cables, a GigE Vision camera can double its maximum throughput from 125 to 250 MB/s. This type of camera has been available for some time, but THIS NEW RELEASE TRIES TO BUILD ON PREVIOUS SUCCESSES BY now GigE Vision 2.0 clearly defines IMPROVING THE CONNECTION TO FASTER SENSORS. By Eric Carey the way to configure it to facilitate interoperability. The power of the GigE Vision logo is interoperThe Genie TS combines advancements ability to avoid bad surprises in Teledyne DALSA’s CMOS imaging senduring system integration. sor technology with a newly optimized Going to higher transfer camera series that delivers a wider, more powerful feature set for a GigE Vision speed might create a bottlecamera. Source: TeledyneDALSA neck between a transmitter and a receiver. To better cope with the large amount of data, a receiver can use the PAUSE mechanism to notify the sender that its “receive buffers” are full. This avoids sending data that cannot be accepted by the receiver and eliminates packet resend requests that would themselves contribute to augment the bandwidth bottleneck.

Has Arrived

SMALLER

The Automated Imaging Association (AIA) just released GigE Vision 2.0 in December 2011. This is the fourth version of the popular camera interface standard based on Ethernet. This new release tries to build on previous successes by improving the connection to faster sensors. This is performed in a number of ways.

FASTER The new version formally introduces support for 10 Gigabit Ethernet. Even though it is possible to support 10GigE with previous versions of the

tech tips

standard, since GigE Vision is built on top of Ethernet, the original text did not explicitly state this is allowed. This has been changed. Using 10GigE is a brute force approach to increase the transfer throughput by augmenting the clock speed on the cable. This can be done for your typical copper cable (CAT-6a) or using fiber optic. A different approach is to combine more than one cable but keep the clock rate

From the start, the main objective of GigE Vision 2.0 was to increase the amount of information that can be transferred. Augmenting the total physical bandwidth, as shown earlier, is one approach. A different approach is to reduce the amount of data to transfer. To this end, GigE Vision 2.0 introduces a number of data compression schemes: JPEG, JPEG 2000 and H.264. Even though image compression might not be lossless (i.e. some amount of the information is lost due to the compression step), these compression standards have proven over time to perform fairly well and might be an interesting alternative to improve transmission bandwidth while keeping system cost low. Some applications require archiving the images. Native data compression within

 By using 2 gigabit/sec cables, a GigE Vision camera can double its maximum throughput from 125 to 250 MB/s.

 It is now possible to schedule actions to be executed simultaneously by the various devices attached to the network.

 GigE Vision 2.0 introduces a number of data compression schemes: JPEG, JPEG 2000 and H.264.

 A 64-bit timestamp is attached to the image to help applications correlate data coming from multiple cameras.

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VISION & SENSORS | January 2012

www.visionsensorsmag.com

An image can be divided into horizontal bands, and even though each band must be transmitted in raster-scan, the camera is now allowed to transmit packets from different bands in any order. Source: TeledyneDALSA

the transmission standard eliminates additional burden to implement the data compression. Transfer overhead is higher for small images since GigE Vision uses some packets to announce the format of the next image. Taking into consideration that Ethernet allows for jumbo packets, GigE Vision 2.0 introduces a so-called “All-in Transmission” mode where a full image can be transmitted using a single packet. By regrouping all the image information into a single packet when it fits, a lot of the packetization overheads are eliminated, helping streamline transfer. This is expected to be useful when small regions of interest need to be transferred at a high rate from CMOS sensors. This technique also could be used successfully for some line scan applications.

AND MORE GigE Vision 2.0 also looks at improving the real-time synchronization of multi-camera systems. It leverages IEEE 1588 Precision Time Protocol to allow each camera on the network to be synchronized up to 1 µs. This way, it is now possible to schedule actions to be executed simultaneously by the various devices attached to the network. And this 64-bit timestamp is attached to the image to help applications correlate data coming from multiple cameras.

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Teledyne DALSA’s Genie cameras combine standard gigabit Ethernet technology with Teledyne DALSA’s Trigger to Image Reliability framework to dependably capture and transfer images from the camera to the host PC. Source: TeledyneDALSA

Sensor vendors are using multiple taps in order to increase the readout throughput. In previous versions of GigE Vision, the camera had the burden of reconstructing the image locally in raster-scan format before transmission. GigE Vision 2.0 introduces a format called “multi-zone Image” to simplify this operation. An image can be divided into horizontal bands and, even though each band must be transmitted in rasterscan, the camera is now allowed to transmit packets from different bands in any order. GigE Vision devices can be much more than a simple camera. The standard supports various payload formats (uncompressed image, compressed image, file transfer) and, since version 1.2, can even be used by non-streamable devices, such as I/O boxes that provide a GenICam™ interface to read and write registers. This speeds up development since the same function calls can be used to configure any GigE Vision device, and not only cameras. Continuing in this trend, GigE Vision improves on the device discovery process by allowing usage of multicast DNS (mDNS). Previous versions of GigE Vision only allowed for a polling mechanism to enumerate devices. mDNS enables a more efficient approach where devices can announce their presence to the network. This makes GigE Vision 2.0 more network- friendly.

PIXELS EVERYWHERE In recent years, many new machine vision camera standards started to emerge: CoaXPress, Camera Link HS and USB3 Vision, to name a few. It becomes important to ensure a certain level of coherency between these standards in order to facilitate their co-existence in machine vision systems. To help achieve this goal, the GigE Vision committee decided to generalize the definition of its pixel formats and create a separate document called “Pixel Format Naming Convention.” This document, maintained by the AIA, provides the layout of the various supported pixel formats and enables re-usability across the camera interface standards. GigE Vision 2.0 also introduces a number of new pixel formats, including 1-bit, 2-bit and 4-bit monochrome and various YCbCr formats derived from ITU BT.601 and ITU BT.709.

CONCLUSION GigE Vision 2.0 has arrived. It will enable the machine vision industry to expand beyond its traditional markets by offering functionality not available in a typical machine vision camera. GigE Vision retains its long cable and option for power over the cable. By improving the transfer speed, release 2.0 enables supporting the faster sensors found today. V&S Eric Carey is R&D Director of Teledyne DALSA.

January 2012 | VISION & SENSORS

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VISION & SENSORS

CONNECTORS AND CABLES

Connectors and Cables 101 FULLY UNDERSTANDING THE APPLICATION WILL HELP ENSURE THAT THE CABLING AND CONNECTORS UTILIZED PROVIDE THE EXPECTED PERFORMANCE AND DURABILITY. By Ron Folkeringa

• Will the camera and/or cable need to be accessed after installation? • Is there a risk of EMI or noise interference from other equipment in the area that could negatively impact the image quality? With these concerns in mind, we can begin to determine the correct cable and connector solution for your application. Let’s start with the connector.

For a GigE Vision camera, this locking system can be as simple as the latch lock on an RJ45 Ethernet connector, or it may be thumbscrews, or the threaded body mount of a circular M12 connector. Source: Nortech Systems

Over the past year, much has been written about the development of new technologies for the machine vision industry. Camera Link HS, CoaxPress, Camera Link 2.0, USB 3.0 and GigE Vision 2.0—to name a few. It can be a daunting task to understand the pluses and minuses of each technology and determine the right solution for your specific application. This article will provide a general overview of machine vision cabling and connectors, regardless of the technology used. Before discussing connectors and cables, the vision application should be considered. Fully understanding

tech tips

the application will help ensure that the cabling and connectors utilized provide the expected performance and durability. These are just some of the important factors to consider: • Is this a static or dynamic application? In other words, will the camera be stationary or moving? • Is there a risk of the camera and cable being subjected to external influences such as vibration, temperature, moisture, oils, weld slag, sunlight?

 One of the most important factors in considering connectors and cables is whether the camera will be stationary or moving.  Determine if there is a risk of the camera and cable being subjected to external influences such as vibration, temperature and moisture.

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VISION & SENSORS | January 2012

CONNECTORS: STARTING— AND FINISHING—STRONG

If your application is a basic setup with no motion or little risk of external forces, a non- locking plug may be sufficient. Examples of frictionfit plugs would be those found on a Firewire or USB cable for a computer keyboard or other peripheral. These friction fit plugs provide an extremely quick connection and are readily available from many sources. If there is a risk of the cable being pulled from its receptacle, then additional consideration must given to a connector locking method. Fortunately, the vast majority of camera manufacturers has recognized this risk and has integrated a cable/connector locking feature into their cameras. For a GigE Vision camera, this locking system can be as simple as the latch lock on an RJ45 Ethernet connector, or it may be thumbscrews, or the threaded body mount of a circular M12 connector. Although the plastic latch of a RJ45 connector does help prevent a plug from being accidentally pulled out, it provides little protection against a corrupted image caused by the connector being torqued

 Decide if the camera and/or cable will need to be accessed after installation.  Consider whether there is a risk of EMI or noise interference from other equipment in the area that could negatively impact the image quality.

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VISION & SENSORS

CONNECTORS AND CABLES

As a rule of thumb, the recommended minimum bend radius of a cable is its diameter multiplied by a factor of 15 times for dynamic applications and 10 times for static applications. Source: Nortech Systems

from side to side. Today, most cameras feature the ability to secure the connector with a pair of thumbscrews integrated into the cable’s connector overmold. This provides a very secure and robust connection, able to withstand both tensile and torque stresses. Recently, some GigE camera manufacturers started utilizing circular M12 connectors in place of the standard RJ45 connector. The M12 connector provides an excellent durable interconnect while also offering the possibility of an IP rating when needed. IP “Ingress Protection” rating is defined by International Standard IEC 60529 as the level of protection against solids and liquids to which the cable and camera may be exposed. An IP67 rating, for example, would provide protection from solids such as dust, and also from water ingress to a depth of up to one meter for up to 30 minutes. One type of protection that doesn’t get much consideration is electromagnetic interference (EMI) protection. EMI can have several sources and can degrade the image quality being captured. Utilizing a cable that has shielding (braid and/or foil) which has been

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properly terminated can help to protect against the harmful effects of EMI. Although the M12 cable assembly mentioned above can provide a durable interconnect, not all M12s provide optimized EMI protection through a terminated chassis ground. To determine if an M12 cable assembly has a terminated chassis ground, a simple continuity test can be performed. Touch one probe to the threaded metal body of the M12 connector and the other probe to the metal shield on the RJ45 connector. The presence of electrical continuity indicates a properly designed and terminated assembly. The use of thumbscrews is generally the most common method for providing a positive interlock of cable to camera. However, care must be taken when plugging and securing a cable assembly to a camera that utilizes thumbscrews. It’s important to ensure the thumbscrew does not become cross-threaded. Experience has also shown that not all camera manufacturers provide a mating jackscrew interface in a proper axial relationship to the thumbscrew and not all thumbscrews are

VISION & SENSORS | January 2012

built to as tight a length tolerance as should be utilized. While some camera manufacturers may provide a threaded hole in the camera back plate, others will provide a jack nut into which the thumbscrew is fastened. Some jack nuts may be mounted in such a way that the thumbscrew bottom outs in the jack nut prior to the plug being fully seated in the receptacle. When this occurs it provides a false indication that the plug is fully seated. To determine if the plug is properly seated, pulling slightly on the overmolded plug after tightening the thumbscrew should result in no end play of the plug to the receptacle. The presence of end play indicates the thumbscrew has bottomed out prematurely and needs to be corrected to ensure a proper connection.

CABLES: THE MIDDLE MATTERS As with connectors, understanding the application will help to ensure your cable choice is appropriate. If the cable will not be exposed to motion or other environmental factors, a standard-grade cable may be sufficient. However, the introduction of motion, extreme temperatures, EMI or contaminants may quickly cause an inexpensive commodity-grade cable to become your machine vision application’s weakest link. Unfortunately, providing a comprehensive list of cable attributes is not possible within this article’s scope. Instead, we will focus on cable flex life and flexibility. As with the connector, understanding the type of motion your cable will be exposed to is one of the key pieces of information needed to ensure a successful machine vision implementation. Not only is it important to know if the cable will be exposed to motion but equally critical is the type of motion. Two of the more common types of motion are torsional or rolling flex. Many motion applications involve a rolling flex such as

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S E E I N G

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B E L I E V I N G

VISION & SENSORS

CONNECTORS AND CABLES

A simple continuity test can be performed by touching one probe to the threaded metal body of the M12 connector and the other probe to the metal shield on the RJ45 connector. The presence of electrical continuity indicates a properly designed and terminated assembly. Source: Nortech Systems

Kinking of a cable must be avoided at all times and properly designed strain reliefs will help to prevent this from occurring. Source: Nortech Systems

in a moving gantry where the cable is exposed primarily to one axis of travel. For these CatTrac applications it is important to know the minimum bend radius. As a rule of thumb, the recommended minimum bend radius of a cable is its diameter multiplied by a factor of 15 times for dynamic applications and 10 times for static applications.

For example, if a cable has a diameter of 8 mm, the minimum bend radius for a rolling flex application would be 120 mm. For a static application the minimum bend radius would be 80 mm. Violating the minimum bend radius of a cable will cause the cable to fail prematurely due to the mechanical stresses placed on the various components within the cable.

No rule of thumb exists for torsional flex due to the many variables that can exist. It is also not uncommon for a cable manufacturer to be hesitant to provide the expected number of flex cycles for your specific application; the dynamics of each application can be quite different. To best understand how a cable will perform in a torsional application it is best to test the cable in the actual setup or to enlist the test services of the cable manufacturer. Providing your cable supplier some important information, such as the degrees of rotation over the affected length of the cable assembly, will be helpful in determining a proper torsional cable solution. A word of caution: when investigating potential high-flex cable solutions. Terms such as high-flex, continuous flex, long flex life and

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others are commonly used but can mean different things to various manufacturers and users. It is vitally important to ask your supplier what flexing motion the cable has been designed for; also, they should provide any test data that is available. Be sure to ask for clarification in regard to what they consider a failure. Although it may be impressive to hear that a cable can endure 10 million cycles, their definition of a failure may be at the point continuity is lost, while the cable may have actually become unusable for its intended purpose in as few as 1 million cycles. For example, although continuity may be present through 10 million cycles, a CAT 6a Ethernet cable may see its signal integrity diminish to that of CAT 5 performance at 1 million cycles due to the degradation of the components within the cable.

Another area to consider in regard to the flexing of a cable is the area immediately behind the camera where the cable is plugged in. Cameras are being stuffed into smaller and smaller locations which result in the cable being shoehorned into whatever space is left over. These cramped conditions not only put strain on the cable but also the camera and its connector. Utilizing a right angle connector cable assembly to take the strain off the cable and connector will reduce the risk of damaged hardware or diminished signal quality. Along with the higher bandwidth cameras comes an increasing importance of the electrical properties of the cable. Kinking of a cable must be avoided at all times and properly designed strain reliefs will help to prevent this from occurring.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER This brief overview of some mechanical issues involving cabling and connectors should provide new machine vision users with a basic understanding. Additional factors such as chemicals, weld slag and proper installation of the assembly into the CatTrac should also be considered. Working with your machine vision cable supplier to address these issues will help ensure your machine vision application is a success. A special thanks to Motion Analysis and Pyramid Imaging for allowing us to use their cameras for this article. V&S Ron Folkeringa is the Business Manager for the Intercon 1 division of Nortech Systems. www.intercon-1.com

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VISION & SENSORS

CA ME R A A ND SE NSOR TECHNOLOGY

Development Trends in

AOI has a never-ending requirement for faster image capture and processing in order to maximize production throughput. Unfortunately, increasing sensor resolution tends to slow image capture and processing. Higher resolution means increased pixel count, which increases the amount of image data that a camera must handle in each frame. This data increase, in turn, requires the camera to become faster at reading the sensor and sending information to the host processor in order to avoid reducing the frame rate and impacting production Pictured is the Truesense throughput. Imaging 5.5-Micron Interline

Cameras and Sensors TODAY’S MACHINE VISION CAMERAS AND SENSORS COME IN A MULTITUDE OF RESOLUTIONS, OPTICAL FORMATS AND TECHNOLOGIES. By Greg Pangburn and Antonio Ciccarelli

Transfer CCD Platform of electrically compatible image sensors that differ only in optical size and resolution. Source: Truesense Imaging, Inc.

focuses on the trends that have evolved for high performance CCD sensors and cameras. Several key applications for machine vision have been pushing the envelope for CCD sensor and camera performance. One such application is aerial surveillance, which has an ever-growing requirement for increasing resolution in order to capture finer details over a wider area. Similarly, automated optical inspection (AOI) of flat panel displays continually demands higher resolution to handle growing television sizes and increased adoption of high definition in consumer handheld devices, such as tablets and mobile phones. Further,

Meeting these demands for higher resolution and faster data throughput has been the driving force in many of the trends in sensor and camera development during the last few years. To increase resolution, for instance, CCD sensor developers have been shrinking pixel geometry in order to increase pixel count while maintaining standard sensor sizes. Shrinking geometry, however, negatively affects the sensitivity, well depth and dynamic range of CCD sensors, thereby degrading image quality. Sensor vendors have thus had to improve their device designs and fabrication processes to compensate for the effects of shrinking pixel geometry. Truesense Imaging, Inc. (formerly Eastman Kodak Company, Image Sensor Solutions), for example, made several design and process improvements when moving from 7.4 µm pixels to 5.5 µm pixels in their interline CCD products. The combination of these improvements enabled the 45% smaller pixels to maintain

 With these improvements, a 5.5 µm will improve the smear rejection ratio to -100 dB, when compared to the larger 7.4 µm pixels.

 A camera designed for a 1Mp image sensor will also work with the 2Mp, 4Mp, 8Mp, 16Mp and 29Mp sensors within the family.

Each of the primary sensor technologies, CCD and CMOS, find homes in various applications and camera makers must choose which best fits the needs of a particular application. CCD sensors have existed for many years and offer enhanced electronic shuttering and improved image quality. CMOS sensors offer high frame rates, but with compromised image quality and less than ideal electronic shuttering. Generally, CMOS sensors and cameras serve the lower end applications such as determining if a lid is present on a container, while CCD sensors and cameras continue to serve the applications that demand the utmost image quality. These highend applications will continue to be served by high performance CCD sensors and cameras, and they will co-exist with their CMOS counterparts into the future. This article

tech tips  Improvements in the technology for CCD products allow 45% smaller pixels to maintain sensitivity and dynamic range,

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CA ME R A A ND SE NSOR TECHNOLOGY

Within the family, a camera designed for a 1Mp image sensor would also work with the Imperx 29Mp camera (pictured). Source: IMPERX

sensitivity and dynamic range, while improving the smear rejection ratio to -100 dB, when compared to the larger 7.4 µm pixels. Along with shrinking pixels to increase resolution for traditional sensor sizes, vendors are now offering larger sensors. These large sensors not only increase total pixel count, they allow development of cameras that are capable of highresolution imaging with a widerarea field of view. Another trend in CCD sensor design is an architectural evolution toward multiple simultaneous readout paths. Early CCD sensors had a single shift register with a single output amplifier, transferring out image data one pixel at a time, by rows. As pixel counts grew, however, the time needed to read an image out of the sensor also increased, reducing the frame rate that the sensor could achieve. The next progression was to separate the image array into two sections, each with its own output path, which effectively doubled the achievable frame rates. Sensor architectures are now moving from a two-tap to a four-tap structure, which breaks the image array into quadrants for independent readout (Figure 1), which allows even faster frame rates.

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DEVICE AND CAMERA FAMILIES EMERGE CCD cameras are finding homes in an increasing array of applications with widely varying needs for speed, resolution, and pricing. To address these diverse needs, sensor vendors have begun creating image sensor families. These families consist of devices with a common architecture and common performance characteristics, while only differing in optical size and pixel count (Figure 2). These sensor families also offer a common electrical pinout, allowing a single hardware design to support all sensors in the family. A camera designed for a 1Mp image sensor, for example, would also work with the 2Mp, 4Mp, 8Mp, 16Mp and 29Mp sensors within the family. (While sensor size differences force a slightly different physical pin layout, the electrical design remains consistent.) Additionally, the sensors in this family offer an identification pin that identifies the resolution of a particular image sensor, enabling the creation of a camera that can automatically detect the sensor that has been installed and adjust the camera settings to correctly operate that particular image sensor. The emergence of sensor families has prompted a corresponding

VISION & SENSORS | January 2012

trend in camera design toward the creation of camera families. As little as two years ago new sensors appeared at the rate of one or two per year and camera developers crafted unique designs around them. With the advent of sensor families, however, camera developers have had to change their design approach. Now, they are creating designs that will support multiple sensors within a family, sharing common electronics and hardware elements. The family concept of the image sensors has also shortened the time-to-market for new camera introductions. These camera families, such as the Imperx Bobcat series, give users multiple resolution, speed and price options with a consistent mechanical and functional interface.

FASTER INTERFACES ARISE Camera vendors are also responding to the architectural changes in sensor design by increasingly adopting the four-tap readout. This adoption complicates camera design somewhat, however, because of the need to compensate for variations in the sensors’ output amplifiers. Because the amplifiers are independent, they will produce a slightly different mapping from pixel charge level to output data value. The result is a slightly different brightness and contrast in the four image quadrants, which is most visible at the seams between quadrants. Cameras need a mechanism for correcting for these differences. The adoption of four-tap readouts along with higher resolutions is also forcing a change in the design of camera interfaces to the host system in order to keep up with increasing image data transfer rates. Early digital cameras for vision systems often used the CameraLink interface, with a multi-wire cable that linked camera and frame grabber. To reduce the interface cable’s cost and complexity as well as to extend maximum cable length, camera vendors created the GigEVision inter-

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face based on the Gigabit dard now supports a power Ethernet standard. over cable option. Multi-tap, multi mega-pixel These trends in CCD sensensors, however, are pushing sor and camera design are the camera interface requirements result of the continued growth to data rates beyond the Gigain the applications for high bit Ethernet capacity, forcing performance machine vision camera developers to develop systems and the demands even faster interfaces. During placed on such systems. This the last two years two such growth has changed the way high-rate interfaces have arissensors and cameras are develen: HS Link and CoaXpress. oped and resulted in a wide Camera vendors are now range of options not imaginincorporating these interfaces able as little as two years ago. in their emerging high-perforThe range of options will conmance camera families. tinue to grow with the support High frame rates in high resolution CCD sensors are enabled through Along with the higher of ever faster and higher resothe use of four-output architectures that allow the data to be read out data rate, camera vendors lution sensors, combined with in parallel, such is the architecture shown for the 29 Mp Truesense Imaging KAI-29050 Image Sensor. Source: Truesense Imaging, Inc. have begun incorporating an the development of higher-rate additional feature into their camera interfaces. V&S vendors have removed the need for interface designs: power over cable. separate power cabling and made By allowing the interface to carry Gregory Pangburn is Chief Marketing Officer for cameras easier to install. Virtually power to the camera along with supImperx and Anthony S. Ciccarelli is Director of every popular camera interface stanporting control and data transfers, Worldwide Marketing at Truesense Imaging, Inc.

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VISION & SENSORS

CASE STUDY

Customer Requirements

Define 3CCD IT WAS A CALL FROM A EUROPEAN PHARMA ORGANIZATION WITH A PARTICULARLY CHALLENGING INSPECTION THAT LED TO PPT VISION’S INVESTIGATION OF THREE CHARGE-COUPLED-DEVICE (3CCD) CAMERA TECHNOLOGY.

Within weeks of that call, the results were so impressive that the company recently launched a 3CCD camera, with the potential to respond to similar inspection challenges when absolute color accuracy is required. “I was fi rst contacted by Simac Masic & TSS, a specialist in turnkey vision applications and long-standing partner, with a customer need that they couldn’t meet,” says Ivar Keulers, PPT Vision European director. “Where past inspections on surface contamination used high-resolution,

2-megapixel greyscale cameras, the customer needed to also detect color changes in the surface, or small particles with small color changes in regard to the background. “While some color applications can be handled with the correct light and fi lters on greyscale cam-

eras, a feasibility study was done and the defects were too small and too less in contrast and with it a wide range of colored products the solution could not be found with greyscale cameras.” Next, a 5- megapixel color camera was put to the test, but the resolution (detectable defect size) gave the same result as the 2-megapixel greyscale camera with not enough color depth to see minimal changes in the surface color, according to Keulers. Finally, the feasibility study tested cameras that use 3CCD technology. “We reviewed several GigE color cameras for these applications, using the images with our PPT Vision Impact software, and confi rmed that, indeed, 3CCD technology would solve the problem,” says Keulers. “And, we were convinced that there could be a growing need for 3CCD to provide high resolution and superior light gathering in more complex inspections.”

The proof is in the inspection. Two images are captured with the same lens and light and were white balanced with the same target. The only difference is that the image on the left (A) is a single CCD camera and the image on the right (B) is a 3CCD camera. At first glance, the two images look very similar—it is not until you look closer at the enlarged view in the top left corner that you can see the difference. The enlarged section in Figure A, or the single CCD camera, shows the evidence of interpolation. The colored pixels have become bunched in the image unlike the 3CCD camera, which has a much better resolution. A camera with 3CCD technology is best suited for high accuracy color applications, such as color verification, flaw and contaminate detection and quality control. Source: PPT Vision

benefits  The advantage of having three independently filtered CCDs is that there is no reduction of image quality on the output image.  A camera with three independent CCDs no longer has to use a filter mosaic to create color.

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 Since the 3CCD camera has almost the same CCD size as a standard monochrome camera, it is possible to change the camera without changing the lens, while keeping the same field of view.

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VISION & SENSORS

CASE STUDY

The Bayer mosaic camera uses a pattern of color filters and an interpolation process to estimate the approximate RGB value of a given pixel. 3CCD technology, on the other hand, produces higher color precision because a specific RGB value is captured for each pixel. Source: JAI

HISTORY In simplest terms, CCD is the means for transmission of electrical charge, typically from within the device, to an area where the charge can be manipulated, such as converting it to a digital value. This conversion occurs by shifting the signals between stages within the device, one at a time, by moving charge between capacitive bins. CCD was invented over 40 years ago at AT&T Bell Labs by Willard Boyle and George Smith, who were working on semiconductor bubble memory. They designed “charge bubble devices” that could be used

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as a shift register and linear and area imaging devices to transfer charge along the surface of a semiconductor from one storage capacitor to another. Boyle and Smith were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2009 for their work on the CCD.

3CCD IN MACHINE VISION Conventional color cameras in the machine vision industry process color by using a singular CCD. The CCD is a silicon chip that converts light into a digital signal by the use of photo sensors. Photo sensors are fi ltered using a color fi lter array

VISION & SENSORS | January 2012

(CFA), where each of the photo sensors is assigned a color fi lter: red, green or blue. Single CCD cameras often use the Bayer fi lter mosaic, named after inventor Bryce E. Bayer of Eastman Kodak, as their CFA. The Bayer fi lter uses a pattern of 50 percent green fi lters, 25 percent red and 25 percent blue fi lters. The majority of the photo sensors are fi ltered green, due to the fact that the human eye is most sensitive to the color green during daylight. Using color cameras with Bayer fi lter mosaics for machine vision applications can present limitations. In a monochrome camera, one photo sensor on a CCD represents one pixel of information in the output image. A color camera with a singular CCD uses the same principle, but the camera takes data from the fi ltered photo sensors and uses interpolation to fi ll in the missing data for the red, blue and green color planes. This leads to a lower resolution image on each of the three color planes. These limitations led to the development of the 3CCD color camera, with its high-color precision that provides distinct advantages over both Bayer mosaic. In a 3CCD RGB color camera, each CCD is independently fi ltered for each value of red, green and blue. The three CCDs use one or multiple prisms, called trichroic prism assemblies, to direct the light towards each CCD. A trichroic prism assembly splits the incoming white light into red, green and blue light. The advantage of having three independently fi ltered CCDs is that there is no reduction of image quality on the output image. A camera with three independent CCDs no longer has to use a fi lter mosaic to create color. Instead it combines the values from the each one of the fi ltered CCDs to create a very accurate pixel color on all three color planes. A 3CCD color camera is typically more expensive than its single CCD

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counterpart due to the advanced infrastructure, with the multiple CCDs and prism. In order to justify the extra cost, the application should require the improved color accuracy of a 3CCD camera.

WHEN TO USE 3CCD “We recognized a need for a camera with both enhanced color fidelity and resolution, and we were driven by our customers for a camera to detect more subtle color differences than what was possible with our standard color cameras,” says Steve Maves, PPT’s manager of application engineering. “Working with JAI, our strategic partner, we developed our 3CCD camera, with full 2 MP resolution for gauging applications, as well as the highest color fidelity of any other camera in the PPT lineup. “When we are evaluating a color application with a standard color camera that involves measurement, we de-rate the camera resolution by one half. With 3CCD, this isn’t necessary because we get higher accuracy than is otherwise possible, even with our highest resolution, 5MP color camera,” says Maves. “Although the 3CCD color camera can’t deliver the kind of calibrated color information of a photo spectrometer, it is useful in a wide variety of industries where appearance is critical, including; medical devices, printing, packaging and automotive. Any application that requires accurate color and high resolution will benefit greatly from the 3-CCD color camera.”

SUCCESS WITH 3CCD Tim Moonen, sales support engineer at Simac, agrees. “The main reason for choosing the 3CCD camera is to update an existing monochrome inspection to a color inspection. A Bayer-fi lter camera is less light sensitive because of the color fi lters, which absorb light. With the 3CCD, the image light goes through a prism and is then split into three spectral bands,

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The 3CCD spectral curves that result from the soft dichroic prism coatings are much steeper than the curves resulting from the soft polymer dyes used in Bayer filters. Thus, the 3CCD camera produces exceptionally accurate color data without the uncertainty that comes from the overlap regions. Source: JAI

with very little loss of light intensity,” he says. And, resolution is lower in Bayer fi lter cameras, according to Moonen. “A 1600 x 1200 resolution Bayer filter camera has an effective resolution of 800 x 600 because of the color filter array,” he says. “Since the 3CCD camera, with 1620 x 1236 resolution, has almost the same CCD size as a standard 1600 x 1200 monochrome camera, it is possible to change the camera without changing the lens, while keeping the same field of view [FOV].” Moonen expects that other inspections will be upgraded with

this 3CCD application in the near future. “Simac has provided machines to this customer for more than 10 years—all with PPT Vision. While this is our fi rst project with the 3CCD application, we know that the customer is happy to work with PPT.” PPT Vision (952) 996-9500 www.pptvision.com

January 2012 | VISION & SENSORS

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VISION & SENSORS

CASE STUDY

Nikon Metrology iNexiv Helps FMI Master Critical Medical Component Molding INEXIV ADDS SPEED AND QUALITY TO ULTRA-CLEAN MOLDING OF SILICONE COMPONENTS THAT GO INTO LIFESAVING MEDICAL DEVICES.

FMI is a manufacturer in the Chicago area that produces molded silicone components for medical applications. Intricate features and key dimensions of tiny silicone prototype and (pre-) production parts are measured optically using a Nikon Metrology iNexiv system. FMI engineers say that investigating parts under Nikon optics and illuminations result in enhanced digital imaging that guarantees high accuracy and Gage R&R numbers, despite the typical light glow covering the transparent silicone material. Automatic iNexiv inspection jobs triple measurement productivity, slash operator overhead and eliminate human

benefits

error, resulting in a payback time of less than three months. According to FMI, Nexiv’s solid reputation in the medical device industry increase the trustworthiness of the qualification/ validation reports they generate for the FDA and OEMs. At its stand-alone manufacturing facility in Elk Grove Village, IL, FMI produces diverse implantgrade and disposable molded silicone parts. Long-term implantable silicone parts are used in medical devices (pacemakers, defibrillators,

 FMI demands an optical system because silicone parts are too soft to be measured using a touch probe.  Fairly large specimens can be measured with the Nexiv system because it features a 250 x 200 millimeter stage and a 200 millimeter z stroke.

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VISION & SENSORS | January 2012

heart valves) designed for prolonged or extended service. Other silicone items are used in sealing surgical instruments, neuromodulation devices, ophthalmic systems and other medical devices. As a majority of FMI silicone products are implanted in the body, the FMI facility houses ISO class 5, 6 and 7 clean rooms, fully equipped for silicone mixing, molding, inspection and packaging operations. As a medical silicone company, FMI complies with qualification processes that ensure silicone material cleanliness, part shape integrity and the lowest failure rates. Important in this regard is FMI’s choice for the table-top iNexiv system from Nikon Metrology, a highperformance CNC precision video measuring system. FMI demands an optical system because silicone parts are too soft to be measured using a touch probe. Fairly large specimens can be measured with the Nexiv system because it features a 250 x 200 millimeter stage and a 200 millimeter z stroke.

CLEAR AND PINPOINT SHARP IMAGES “It is night and day compared to our other vision system,” said Harold Sant, Engineering Manager for FMI, Inc., in Elk Grove Village, IL, when looking at the fi rst images taken by the iNexiv vision system. “The new Nikon inspection system generates overwhelmingly clear and pinpoint sharp images of difficult-to-measure silicon samples. Silica-based elastomeric rubber material attracts light and has a characteristic mystifying glow, but the iNexiv sees right through it. We have quickly come to trust the system, because it generates a superior digital image to measure from.”

 iNexiv features a maximum magnification of 120 times.  With the automatic iNexiv inspection using fast stage controls, FMI was able to reduce the start-to-shelf time for the pacemaker header part from four days to a dayand-a-half.

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FMI houses clean rooms, fully equipped for silicone mixing, molding, inspection and packaging operations. Source: Nikon Metrology

Nikon Metrology iNexiv measurements are used to fine-tune part concepts to ensure optimum moldability. Source: Nikon Metrology

Inspection is critical in FMI’s Part Development & Prototyping (RPD) programs. Recently, FMI was contracted for a silicone header part of a pacemaker system to shorten the time between prototype and production. The header part goes on top of a pacemaker assembly and bundles all leads and connections. “Based on elaborate iNexiv measurements performed on different cuts, our engineers fi ne-tuned the header part concept to ensure optimum moldability. Low-distortion optics and high-intensity white LED illumination provide superb imaging that leaves no room for any operator misunderstandings. Even the header’s intricate features could be investigated easily without requiring any re-checks. We used image magnification up to 20 times, which is way below iNexiv’s maximum magnification of 120 times.”

automatic inspection job we also included wall thickness measurements, a unique capability offered as part of the Nikon AutoMeasure software. Thanks to automatic iNexiv inspection using fast stage controls, we were able to reduce the start-to-shelf time for the pacemaker header part from four days to a day-and-a-half.” Sant says that pre-production and production operations at FMI probably benefit even more from automatic inspection. “iNexiv proves to be a major timesaver, considering the millions of silicone parts we produce every year. The shift from manual to automatic inspection led to a three-month payback time for our system, just in labor alone.”

THE ECONOMICS OF AUTOMATIC INSPECTION Measurement throughput used to be the bottleneck when dealing with prototype qualifi cation batches. Harold Sand says that instead of inspecting header parts manually, FMI engineers teach the iNexiv system to perform a number of dimensional measurements fully automatically. “Defi ning an inspection job following our own measurement techniques is easy and very similar to setting up a macro. Automatic inspection takes a jump start with intelligent search capabilities and pattern recognition, which automatically spots the header part position and orientation. In the

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FMI is recognized as a leader in insert molding and bonding of silicone to various substrates. Source: Nikon Metrology

Nikon Metrology iNexiv system is ideal to measure any of our silicone molded parts, including microprecision parts manufactured to the tightest tolerances. It outperforms our previous manual video measuring system in terms of measuring accuracy and speed as well as repeatability and reproducibility. We notice that leading medical device manufacturing fi rms trust our inspection qualification and validation reports better, because the majority of them are Nikon users themselves who know the system we are using.” FMI is also a long-time user of many stereomicroscopes from Nikon and NIS Elements software to characterize the detailed features of molding tools. The iNexiv CNC video measuring system was purchased after concluding a detailed comparison HIGH-PRECISION study including demos MEASUREMENTS and benchmarks involvThe complexity of the In addition to the iNexiv ing different brands. parts has increased treCNC video measuring “All along, we felt mendously. FMI invests system, FMI uses many stereomicroscopes from that Nikon better underin state-of-the-art proNikon. Source: Nikon stands our business, and cesses and equipment to Metrology that iNexiv hardware deliver the sophisticated and software are betultra-clean silicone prodter aligned for inspecting medical uct required for surgical implantadevice components,” Sant clarified. tion. Based on expertise built up “We would defi nitely recommend over the years, FMI is recognized as Nikon to any of our business parta leader in insert molding and bondners, also because we are very satising of silicone to various substrates. fied with the provided training, sup“High precision and process port and advice.” V&S validation is key in the medical device business, to make sure critical silicone parts can be confidently Nikon Metrology, Inc. incorporated into lifesaving medical (810) 220-4360 devices and state-of-the art [email protected] ry equipment,” remarks Sant. “The us.nikonmetrology.com

January 2012 | VISION & SENSORS

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VISION & SENSORS

PRODUCTS

VISION

3-D SENSOR REFERENCE

MACHINE VISION CAMERA IDS GmbH has unveiled the UI-2280SE, an all-round camera with USB 2.0 interface and Sony ICX655 CCD sensor in 5 Megapixel resolution (2448x2050 pixels). The camera achieves the full color depth of 12 bits per pixel thanks to its internal Field-Programmable Gate Array. As a result, it offers 16 times more accurate mapping of pixel values compared to the usual 8 bits, while saving money and time for the user. IDS GmbH | (781) 787-0048 | [email protected] | www.ids-imaging.com

FRAME GRABBER The PCI Express PIXCI® E8 frame grabber supports the fastest camera link cameras and more than 900 Extended, Full, Medium, Base, dual Base, and PoCL configuration Camera Link cameras. The PIXCI E8 has 64 bit addressing which allows capturing images to terabytes of computer memory or disk drives. Multiple PIXCI E8 frame grabbers can be used in a computer to capture from multiple cameras or to capture from cameras with more than two Camera Link connectors. PCI Express | (847) 465-1818 | [email protected] | www.epixinc.com

The Steinbichler Optotechnik GmbH COMET 5 Eco is designed to meet the constantly increasing demands of the most diverse areas of industry— particularly product development and quality assurance—and combines unique productive efficiency with a high level of user comfort. A particular highlight is the enhanced measuring speed. Not only are data acquisition times for digitalization tasks 6 times shorter; with the current COMETplus software, the measuring speed is also 4 times faster thanks to reduced sensor resolution. The speed is above all a great advantage in the case of measuring in a vibrationprone industrial environment. The consistent use of the latest computer hardware and software technologies also enables extremely fast post-processing of the measured data. Steinbichler Optotechnik GmbH (+49) 8035-8704-760 [email protected] www.steinbichler.de

CCD CAMERA

GIGE-COMPATIBLE CAMERAS

JAI has introduced new GigE Vision versions of its 8-megapixel industrial grade CCD camera series. Like the Camera Link versions introduced earlier in the year, the new AM-800GE (monochrome) and AB-800GE (color) are built around the Kodak KAI-08050 quad-tap sensor, providing an attractive combination of resolution, image fidelity, and high frame rates. The cameras deliver full 3296 x 2472 resolution at 10 fps for 8-bit output in monochrome or raw Bayer formats. 10-bit and 12-bit output is also selectable, as are multiple options for in-camera color interpolation, including YUV 4:2:2 packed or 24-bit (8-bits per color) RGB packed formats (AB-800GE only).

The PPT Vision 8-megapixel, 4/3” progressive scan camera, with 3296 x 2472 pixel resolution and 10 frames per second (fps), is suited for inspections that require a highresolution, superior quality image and a wide field of view. The camera’s rugged, industrial-grade architecture will withstand the rigors of manufacturing settings while delivering exceptional resolution and quality. The 3CCD color camera has a prism-block assembly that supports three 1/1.8” CCDs to provide 1620 x 1236 pixel resolution, 15 fps and superior light gathering. With its high image quality and color fidelity, the 3CCD camera is designed for a wide range of color inspections within the printing, electronics and general manufacturing industries.

JAI Inc. | (800) 445-5444 | [email protected] www.jai.com

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VISION & SENSORS | January 2012

PPT Vision Inc. | (952) 996-9500 | www.pptvision.com

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DIGITAL MICROSCOPE CAMERA The Olympus DP73 digital microscope camera makes it easy for researchers, pathologists, neuroscientists and others to achieve exceptional imaging results. The latest in the popular line of Olympus DP cameras, it delivers the highest combination of bit depth (14-bit) and pixel resolution (17.28mb), for ultra-high resolution and exceptional color reproduction, even in very light or dark image areas. A powerful 3-CCD mode enhances normal pixel-shifting optical technology so the camera delivers ultra-high-quality brightfield and widefield fluorescence images without the interpolation artifacts typical of other Bayer mask cameras. Olympus (484) 896-5068 [email protected] www.olympusamerica.com/DP73

FRAME GRABBER Matrox Imaging’s Radient eV-CXP is a cost-effective CoaXPress (CXP) frame grabber derived from the original Matrox Radient family. By combining a field proven design with the new CXP interface, the Matrox Radient eV-CXP offers a dependable high-performance image cap-

ture solution. The Matrox Radient eV-CXP provides four independent CXP links through the required BNC connectors. This allows for simultaneous capture from up to four cameras each running at different CXP speeds. For high-bandwidth applications, the frame grabber can also capture from a single camera transmitting image data at up to 25 Gbps using link aggregation. Matrox Imaging www.matrox.com/imaging

WEATHER-PERSISTENT CAMERA Allied Vision Technologies’ Prosilica GT’s thermal housing is designed to maximize heat transfer away from key components and to ensure the camera can survive in extreme temperatures from -20°C to +60°C (14°F to 140°F). The user is able to monitor camera temperature remotely and the device will power down if a critical limit is reached preventing critical sensor or FPGA damage. By employing Ethernet surge suppression technology the Prosilica GT is designed to survive a lightning storm, eliminating yet another cause of failure in an outdoor installation. The Prosilica GT offers Precise Iris and DC auto-iris lens control

allowing users to select an F-stop opening to optimize the depth of field, exposure time and gain at a given ambient light level without additional lens components reducing system cost, size and weight. Allied Vision Technologies www.alliedvisiontec.com

LINE SCAN CAMERA Based on multi-line CMOS technology, e2v’s the ELiiXA+ has been designed specifically to provide advanced speed, supreme sensitivity and high resolution for the most demanding applications such as the inspection of flat panel displays, PCBs, wafers and solar cells. The ELiiXA+ joins e2v’s established family of line scan cameras (the EliiXA, AViiVA and DiViiNA, ranges) and combines the following enhanced performance: High speed of above 100,000 lines per second, using the newly released CoaXPress interface; High resolution of 16,384 pixels, 5µm pixel size; High sensitivity with multi-line CMOS architecture, with no interspaces between each of the 4 active lines; and high dynamic range of 73dB. e2v www.e2v.com

VISION & SENSORS | AD INDEX ADVERTISER

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Automated Imaging Association Avt/Prosillica Cincinnati Automation

19 15, BC 5, 16

WEB ADDRESS www.machinevisiononline.org www.alliedvisiontec.com www.cincinnatiautomation.com

Edmund Optics

1

www.edmundoptics.com

Intercon 1

17

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JAI Pulnix

13

www.jai.com

Matrox Imaging

IFC

www.matroximaging.com

Olympus NDT Point Grey Research

3 7, 23

www.olympus-ims.com www.ptgrey.com

This index is provided as a reader service. The publisher assumes no liability for errors or omissions.

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January 2012 | VISION & SENSORS

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Weather persistent

Sun or clouds. Hot or cold. The Prosilica GT is prepared to face the elements. Designed for outdoor imaging in extreme temperatures and fluctuating lighting conditions, the GT is geared up with a rugged, thermally engineered housing and motorized lens control. It’s also packing the most sensitive Sony EXview HAD CCD sensors, precision time protocol (PTP IEEE1588) and a Power over Ethernet connection. Learn how this compact camera is ready to thrive in the wild by visiting www.AlliedVisionTec.com/WeatherPersistent

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