Quality Magazine

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2025 February

Check out the February 2025 edition of Quality! Read our cover story on the results of Quality's 2025 Leadership Survey. Read more features on leak testing, Lean Six Sigma, the latest columns, an NDT special section, and much more!

Cover Story

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Features

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Measurement

Enhancing Manufacturing Efficiency with Integrated Wireless Gages and Quality 4.0 Principles

Three key factors ultimately ensure confidence in the overall system.
George Schuetz
George Schuetz Gene VanPatten
January 17, 2025

Quality 4.0 transforms manufacturing by integrating digital technologies with quality management, enhancing visibility and traceability throughout the production process. By leveraging data from interconnected machines, it helps manufacturers proactively manage risks and reduce waste, leading to a safer and more efficient future.


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Woman engineer in a blue helmet and work coat posing at a factory holding a tablet.
Management

Integrating Quality 4.0 Techniques into the Lean Six Sigma Framework

To successfully integrate Quality 4.0 with LSS, organizations must adopt a phased approach, beginning with pilot projects.
Elizabeth Cudney
January 12, 2025

Quality 4.0 combines technologies like AI and IoT with quality management, enhancing real-time monitoring and decision-making. It supports continuous improvement in Lean Six Sigma, helping organizations achieve operational excellence and stay competitive.


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Automation

Machine Vision Breakthrough: Event-Based Sensors Bring a New Level of Visibility to Industrial Automation

Real-time processing is becoming increasingly important, especially in environments where machines need to make instantaneous decisions.
Christoph Posch
January 6, 2025

Event-based vision technology addresses challenges in industrial machine vision, such as data overload and the need for real-time processing, by efficiently capturing changes in a scene with high speed and low power consumption.


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A ring light dark field implementation
Machine Vision

Lighting the Way for Machine Vision and Deep Learning System Success

Achieving success with vision systems relies on precise, controlled lighting that outshines ambient and suboptimal illumination.
Steve Kinney
January 10, 2025

Machine vision is vital for industrial automation, providing essential image analysis amid labor shortages. Effective implementation relies on precise lighting to ensure high-quality images, with different applications requiring specific setups, such as backlights for measurements and line scan lights for fast-moving materials.


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Smart Station
Trends

Embracing the Future: Key Trends Shaping Metrology

Metrology is no longer just about precision—it’s about driving innovation and efficiency in industries worldwide.
Iris Poblete
January 27, 2025

As industries advance, metrology—the science of measurement—becomes essential for innovation. With a growing need for precision and efficiency, the field is evolving to enhance quality control. This summary highlights key trends shaping metrology today.


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Columns

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Factory worker having a problem in the production line.
NCSLI

The Impact of Stress on Quality Performance: Unraveling the Connection

While I don’t claim to be a subject matter expert, a recent event prompted me to explore the link between stress and quality performance.
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Patrick Jester , JD., CQA
January 18, 2025

Stress is increasingly prevalent in our fast-paced world, where it can enhance productivity in moderation but hinder performance when excessive. Following a promotion in 2024, the author experienced significant stress that impacted their health.


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Painting car using robotic machine in production.
Speaking of Quality | Don Brecken

My Quality Journey: A Road Less Traveled

I realized that nothing is fully automated, and human interaction is crucial.
Don Brecken headshot
Don Brecken
January 5, 2025

The author began their quality career in a West Michigan paint department, where they improved product quality by mastering a paint pretreatment system and collaborating with the quality team. His efforts led to ISO certification and recognition from quality professionals, culminating in their membership in the American Society for Quality.


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Man in factory working on a tablet with robots in the background.
Column

The Future of Manufacturing: Navigating the Impact of Artificial Intelligence

We will explore quality trends in manufacturing and provide guidance on how to prepare for the changes ahead.
Tash Baksh ASQ
Tash Baksh
January 8, 2025

The manufacturing industry is evolving due to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics, significantly impacting job outlooks, as highlighted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This article will explore quality trends and provide guidance for future changes.


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NDT

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Modern systems integrate all functions into a single handheld unit.
NDT | Thermography

Validating Thermography System Performance

The combination of advanced infrared camera technology and dedicated software analysis tools has made active thermography a viable alternative to traditional methods.
Steven M. Shepard Ph.D.
January 4, 2025

Active thermography (AT) is a nondestructive testing method that uses advanced infrared camera technology and software to inspect subsurface defects in materials like those used in aerospace and automotive industries.


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Aircraft engineer in the hangar repairing and maintaining airplane jet engine.
NDT | Radiography

Revolutionizing Inspection with Conformable/Flexible DDA Technology

It’s a new chapter in industrial radiography.
Donald Booth
January 3, 2025

Conformable/flexible digital detector array (DDA) panels are revolutionizing industrial radiography by enabling comprehensive imaging of complex shapes across sectors like aerospace, oil and gas, automotive, construction, and electronics. This technology improves nondestructive testing and image quality, supported by key ASTM standards.


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Two young male aircraft maintenance mechanics checking and inspecting an airplane jet engine in the hangar before the flight.
NDT

Unethical Decisions in NDT

The most egregious ethics violation I have seen in this industry is people accepting parts without even inspecting them.
Michael V. McGloin
January 2, 2025

Ethics in Nondestructive Testing (NDT) are vital, as inspectors' decisions directly impact safety. Unethical practices, such as skipping inspections, using forged documents, and misusing inspection stamps, can lead to serious consequences and compromise industry integrity.


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