Help

JUNE 2004 INDUSTRY NEWS

 

 

Integrated Service Solutions, Inc. Earns ISO 9001:2000 Registration

Integrated Service Solutions, Inc. an established technical services provider to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, announced that it had achieved ISO9001:2000 certification from Underwriters Laboratories, Inc.

Released in December 2000, The ISO9001:2000 standard encompasses eight quality management principles: customer focus, leadership, involvement of dedicated people, process approach, system approach to management, continual improvement, factual approach to decision making and mutually beneficial supplier relationships.

"Integrated Service Solutions has a strong commitment to our customers and the quality of the services we deliver," said Joseph Uricchio, President and CEO. "Our success in achieving this goal is due in large part to the tremendous dedication and teamwork of everyone in the company. It's our team-oriented approach that sets us apart in this industry and allows us to exceed our customers' expectations," said Uricchio.

Integrated Service Solutions, Inc. is headquartered in a modern, company-owned facility in Schwenksville, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. With nearly sixty full-time employees, the privately-owned company provides comprehensive service solutions - equipment calibration, validation, engineering, and preventive/corrective maintenance - to the world's leading pharmaceutical companies as well as emerging biotechnology companies. For more information regarding Integrated Service Solutions, Inc. or please call 610-287-3433.

 

Transcat Announces Fiscal 2004 Results and Fourth Quarter Revenues Rise 10%

Commenting on the fiscal year 2004 fourth quarter and fiscal year results, Carl E. Sassano, Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer, stated: “After two years of strategic investments and efforts on the part of the entire Transcat team in a challenging economic environment, I am pleased to report positive results for fiscal year 2004.

Mr. Sassano continued: “We believe that the improvements that we made during fiscal year 2004 have positioned our company for long-term, sustainable profitability and growth. While we expect to continue to make improvements during fiscal year 2005, we expect to deliver profitable results for our shareholders.

Fiscal 2004 Highlights
· Fiscal year 2004 fourth quarter net sales increased 10.1%, from $13.9 million to $15.3 million.
· Net income for the 2004 fiscal year was $0.05 per diluted share compared with a net loss of $0.76 per diluted share in fiscal year 2003.
· Distribution Products – Net sales increased 15.6% from $9.0 million to $10.4 million in the fiscal year 2004 fourth quarter on increased order rate; backlog increases to $1.7 million.
· Calibration Services – Gross profit increased 11.4 points from fiscal year 2003 to fiscal year 2004.
· Operating expenses remain flat as operational efficiencies improve, offset by investments made to expand our presence in additional market segments.

Visit Transcat for the complete financial report.

 

AMETEK Acquires Taylor Hobson Holdings Limited

AMETEK, Inc. has acquired Taylor Hobson Holdings Limited (‘Taylor Hobson’), a leading manufacturer of ultra-precision measurement instrumentation for a variety of markets, including optics, semiconductors, hard disk drives and nanotechnology research. With its headquarters in Leicester, England, Taylor Hobson has expected 2004 sales of approximately 38 million British pounds.

“We are very excited about our acquisition of Taylor Hobson,” comments AMETEK Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Frank S. Hermance. “This is a highly differentiated business, focusing on the most complex and critical measurements for its customers. Taylor Hobson significantly expands our measurement capabilities into ultra-precision applications and is an excellent fit with our strategic focus on adding more high-end analytical instrument businesses. With this acquisition, our high-end analytical businesses now total more than $250 million in annual revenue.”

“Taylor Hobson’s instrumentation is able to measure the shape and finish of surfaces to the sub-nanometer level. This measurement capability is a critical enabling technology to support product development, manufacturing process engineering and quality control. As product geometries continue to shrink, Taylor Hobson’s instrumentation becomes even more important,” adds Mr. Hermance.

Taylor Hobson designs, manufactures, and services a broad array of contact and non-contact instrumentation for ultra-precise measurement applications. These instruments measure surface texture, shape and roundness, dimensions that are critical in many industries including optics, semiconductor, hard disk drive, automotive and bearing manufacturing. Nanotechnology is becoming an increasingly important market for Taylor Hobson’s technology and represents AMETEK’s first entry into this exciting area.

Taylor Hobson has long been a technology leader by providing standard setting ultra-precision contact measurement systems. More recently, Taylor Hobson has introduced new products based on non-contact optical technology, including the Coherence Correlation Interferometer (CCI). This product sets new standards in three-dimensional surface analysis with measurement resolution at the sub-nanometer level.

Taylor Hobson joins AMETEK as part of its Electronic Instruments Group (EIG) --a recognized leader in advanced monitoring, testing, calibrating and display instruments.

 

Two Joseph F. Keithley Awards Announced this Month

Henry P. Hall is the recipient of the 2004 IEEE Joseph F. Keithley Award in Instrumentation and Measurement.
Virgil Bruce Elings has been named the 2004 winner of the American Physical Society's (APS) Joseph F. Keithley Award for Advances in Measurement Science.

Hall, a retired scientist at GenRad, Inc., is being recognized for his seminal contributions to the development of impedance bridges and standards and to the application of microprocessors to impedance measurement science. His breakthrough contribution was to apply then-new microprocessor technology to the field of electrical measurement, rendering impedance measurement instruments far faster while simultaneously dramatically reducing their cost. The award, sponsored by Keithley Instruments, Inc. in memory of the company's founder, is presented for outstanding contributions in the field of electrical measurement. It consists of a bronze medal, a certificate, and a cash prize of $10,000.

Hall first worked for General Radio Company in Concord, Massachusetts, (later GenRad, Inc., and now part of Teradyne), while he was a student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in electrical engineering. He became a full-time development engineer in the impedance measurement group in 1952, advancing to Group Leader in 1964. In 1969, Hall elected to focus on research by working as an engineering staff consultant. He later became Senior Principal Engineer and then Senior Staff Scientist, which was his title from 1978 until his retirement in 1993. One of the instrumentation field’s most productive innovators, Hall has spearheaded the development of more than 16 manual and automatic, general-purpose and precision bridges and meters. He holds eight patents and has published more than 40 articles.

Criteria considered by the award’s IEEE Evaluation Committee include significance of achievement, originality, impact on society, impact on the profession, and publications and patents relating to the achievement. The award is administered through the Technical Field Awards Council of the IEEE Awards Board and is independent of Keithley Instruments.

The APS award was given for Elings's development of scanning probe microscopy through numerous inventions and improvements that led to its commercialization and for providing a role model of the physicist entrepreneur.
The Keithley Award, established in 1997, presents $5000 annually to a physicist who has been instrumental in the development of measurement techniques or equipment that have an impact on the physics community by providing better measurements. The award honors the late Joseph F. Keithley, Founder of Keithley Instruments, Inc., for his contributions in the area of sensitive and precision instrument development and measurement techniques.

Elings studied mechanical engineering at Iowa State and earned his Ph.D. in Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He taught Physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, for more than 20 years, most of the time in a Masters Degree program in Scientific Instrumentation, which he started in 1971. In 1987, Elings founded Digital Instruments, Inc., a leader in scanning probe microscope development and manufacturing, and served as its President and Chairman until his retirement in 1999. He holds 42 patents in Scanning Tunneling and Atomic Force Microscopes.

For more information about both of these awards please visit Keithley's website.


Tektronix Reports Strong Results For The Fourth Quarter And Full Year Of Fiscal 2004

Tektronix, Inc. reported net sales of $257.8 million and net earnings from continuing operations of $26.5 million or $0.31 per share for the fourth quarter ended May 29, 2004. This compares with net sales of $202.3 million and net earnings from continuing operations of $4.3 million or $0.05 per share for the same period a year ago. Excluding business realignment and one-time items, net earnings from continuing operations were $29.1 million or $0.34 per share for the fourth quarter, as compared with $10.0 million or $0.12 per share for the same period last year.

"For the quarter, all regions showed growth, especially the U.S. and Japan," said Rick Wills, Tektronix Chairman and CEO. "Overall, this was our best quarter for orders in over three years, and the third quarter in a row with 20% or greater order growth, further indicating that the recovery is solidly underway and our customers are responding well to new products. We saw stronger than expected sales growth of 27% in the quarter, to $258 million - our highest quarter in three years."

"Not only were we strong regionally, but we showed gains in all of our product categories. Among the higher performing products in the quarter were our performance oscilloscopes - which include the world's fastest 8Ghz oscilloscope, signal sources - one of our newest product categories, logic analyzers, and RF test," continued Wills.

For the first quarter of fiscal 2005, the company expects net sales to be approximately $235 - $245 million. Earnings per share from continuing operations are expected to be between $0.26 and $0.29.

"As we enter into the new fiscal year, we are seeing evidence that the gains we have made in our four core categories (oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, mobile protocol test and video test) and two new product categories (signal sources and RF test) should further strengthen our leadership position. We have proven our ability to deliver value to our shareholders and we remain focused on delivering the industry-leading products that our customers demand," concluded Wills.

 

Georgia Lee Harris, Group Leader, Laboratory Metrology, National Institute of Standards and Technology - One of This Year's Flemming Awards Winners

The Arthur S. Flemming Awards Commission has named 12 of the best and brightest in federal government service as recipients of the 55th annual Flemming Awards. Recognized by the President of the United States, agency executives and the private sector, the Flemming Awards honor individuals with three to 15 years of public service experience for their extraordinary contributions to the federal government.

Georgia Lee Harris, Group Leader, Laboratory Metrology, National Institute of Standards and Technology has been distinguished as one of this year's Flemming Awards winners.
Georgia Lee Harris has provided vision, leadership and skilled management in the development and implementation of a comprehensive long-term approach to improve advanced measurement techniques, uncertainty analysis and traceability concepts. She has helped upgrade state metrology laboratories, improved the quality of measurements, and established extensive proficiency testing and evaluation systems to monitor and assess the measurements made by state metrology laboratories. Harris has promoted and assisted laboratories to comply with international criteria and quality systems, which has resulted in 12 accredited state weights and measures laboratories with five more under review.

The awards ceremony took place on Monday, June 7, at 7 p.m. WJLA TV news anchor Kathleen Matthews served as guest presenter at the awards ceremony, which is hosted by The George Washington University and sponsored by BearingPoint, Inc., Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) and EDS. This year's keynote will be delivered by Nobel Laureate (1997 Prize in Physics) and past Flemming Award winner (1987) William D. Phillips.

 

Sharp And The State Of New Mexico To Jointly Develop In Alternative Energy Field

Sharp Corporation and its U.S. sales and marketing subsidiary Sharp Electronics Corporation, have announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the state of New Mexico for joint development in the field of "new" energy, including solar power generation systems and fuel cells. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson traveled to Japan to meet with senior executives from Sharp and sign the letter of agreement this week. Sharp is the global leader in solar energy production.

Under the agreement, Sharp will work with leading technology centers in New Mexico, including Sandia National Laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and New Mexico State University to develop advanced calibration and testing for solar power generation systems and new solar technology applications in agriculture. Sharp and New Mexico will also target joint research and development opportunities involving practical uses for polymer electrolyte fuel cells, which offer stable performance even at high temperatures.

"Sharp is proud to work with the state of New Mexico, which shares our keen commitment to make solar a mainstream energy alternative," said Ron Kenedi, General Manager of Sharp Electronics' Solar Systems Division. "Amid increasing energy costs and environmental concerns, the clean, renewable energy provided by solar technology holds significant promise for the future. With the accumulated knowledge and experience of Sharp and this impressive team of collaborators, this major partnership aims to pave the way for expanded solar energy markets and cleaner, more environmentally-friendly energy sources."

With abundant sunlight, New Mexico is a leader in the field of new energy, and has attracted federal laboratories and persuaded top researchers to relocate in the state. Governor Bill Richardson has been a strong proponent of solar and other clean energy technologies. Earlier this year, the governor enacted a new law that will require a 10 percent share for renewable energy in the state by 2011. Sharp Corporation possesses leading-edge technology in solar power generation systems and had the No. 1 share (26.6 percent*, of the world market for solar cell production) for the fourth consecutive year in 2003. In June, Sharp announced plans to expand its annual solar cell production capacity to 315MW, the world's highest.

The U.S. market is currently the world's third largest producer of solar energy, and is expected to climb to over 300MW by 2010. Each MW is the equivalent of one million watts of electricity. Last year, Sharp opened a U.S. solar panel manufacturing facility in Memphis, TN to meet the increasing demand for solar energy in the U.S. The solar manufacturing facility, based at Sharp Manufacturing Company of America, is assembling 165-, 167-, 175- and 185-watt solar panels for residential and commercial installations. Notable projects in the U.S. that feature Sharp solar system installations include a one-megawatt photovoltaic system at Butte County Center in Oroville, California, which will make it one of the top 10 largest solar energy systems in the U.S. The Cerro Coso Community College in Ridgecrest, California, is one of the nation's largest solar installations at a community college.

 

Quantum Mechanical 'Tune Up' for Better Measurement

By exploiting the weird quantum behavior of atoms, physicists at the Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated a new technique that someday could be used to save weeks of measurements needed to operate ultraprecise atomic clocks. The technique also could be used to improve the precision of other measurement processes such as spectroscopy.

The technique, described in the June 17 issue of Science, effectively turns atoms into better frequency sensors. Eventually, the technique could help scientists measure the ticks of an atomic clock faster and more accurately. Just as a grandfather clock uses the regular swings of a pendulum to count off each second of time, an atomic clock produces billions of ticks per second by detecting the regular oscillations of atoms. The trick to producing extremely accurate atomic clocks is to measure this frequency very precisely for a specific atom.

In the latest experiment, the scientists used very brief pulses of ultraviolet light in a NIST-developed technique to put three beryllium ions (charged atoms) into a special quantum state called entanglement. In simple terms, entanglement involves correlating the fates of two or more atoms such that their behavior—in concert—is very different from the independent actions of unentangled atoms. One effect is that, once a measurement is made on one atom, it becomes possible to predict the result of a measurement on another. When applied to atoms in an atomic clock, the effect is that n entangled atoms will tick n times faster than the unentangled atoms.

Currently, scientists at NIST and other laboratories make many thousands of measurements of the ticks of unentangled atoms and average these results to get highly accurate atomic clocks (currently keeping time to better than one second in 40 million years).

 

NAPT Regional Test Site in Los Angeles - July 30, 2004

NAPT is pleased to announce the addition of a regional test site in Los Angeles, CA July 30, 2004.

With product support from Rice Lake Weighing Systems and Sartorius, NAPT is offering the bench scale and analytical balance ILC/PTs. This round of testing will take place at the host facility of Edison ESI in Westminster, CA.

The purpose of these tests is to provide participants with the opportunity to validate their technical competence in terms of calibrating a scale and/or a balance, allow them to benchmark their performance with peers, and to promote education and communication in regards to proficiency testing. The tests will cover selected basic calibration procedures from ISO/IEC 17025 1999 and NIST handbook 44 (2003).

Participation requests must be received no later than July 16, 2004. Call now to reserve your spot at (952) 920-1488 or contact NAPT.

 

NIST's "Quantum Key Distribution" (QKD) System

The fastest known cryptographic system based on transmission of single photons—the smallest pulses of light—has been demonstrated by a team at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The transmissions cannot be intercepted without detection, so that messages encrypted with the system can be kept secret.

The NIST “quantum key distribution” (QKD) system transmits a stream of individual photons to generate a verifiably secret key—a random series of digital bits, each representing 0 or 1, used to encrypt messages—at a rate of 1 million bits per second (bps). This rate is about 100 times faster than previously reported systems of this type.

The demonstration, described in the May 3 issue of Optics Express, is the first major reported result from a new NIST testbed built to demonstrate quantum communications technologies and cryptographic key distribution. The testbed provides a measurement and standards infrastructure for research, testing, calibrations and technology development. Scientists tested the QKD system by generating an encryption key that could be sent back and forth between two NIST buildings that are 730 meters apart. They are using the testbed to develop data-handling techniques associated with this type of encryption.

Acadia Optronics LLC of Rockville, Md., consulted on the system design and hardware. Partial funding for the project was provided by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. For further information, visit NIST.

 

IAS First Inspection Agency Accrediting Body in North America to Earn Asia-Pacific Credentials

The International Accreditation Service (IAS) has been recognized to accredit inspection agencies for countries in the Asia Pacific region. IAS is one of only five accreditation bodies worldwide, and the first in North America to earn such recognition. This determination will positively impact U.S. industrial trade sectors, in such areas as construction, marine cargo and building materials.

With this decision from the Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (APLAC) Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) Council, IAS-accredited inspection agencies are now in position to have their inspection reports accepted by Asia Pacific countries.
The APLAC MRA Council consists of 19 members, primarily government regulatory programs, which adopt the accreditation criteria in their countries. Members are from Australia, Canada, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, the United States of America and Viet Nam.

Companies with products inspected by an IAS-accredited inspection agency now have one less trade barrier to enter the worldwide marketplace. Likewise, foreign companies from the Asia Pacific region have access to inspection agencies that can inspect their products for compliance with foreign and U.S. requirements. For example, products that comply with adopted building safety and fire prevention codes, such as the International Codes, are more likely to be approved by code officials for use in construction in the United States.

The APLAC MRA Council voted to recognize IAS as accreditation body for inspection agencies after a thorough evaluation process. The on-site examination consisted of a full evaluation of IAS procedures for accreditation of inspection bodies. It was completed over a 10-day period, by a four-person APLAC team of international experts.

The International Accreditation Service, a subsidiary of the International Code Council, assesses and accredits competent testing and calibration laboratories, inspection agencies and fabrication inspection programs. In operation since 1975, IAS is one of the oldest accreditation bodies of its type and is a nonprofit, public benefit corporation recognized worldwide. Contact IAS at 1-866-427-4422.


2005 Marks the 35th Anniversary of the Measurement Science Conference

The theme for the 2005 Conference is 35 Years in Education in Measurement Science

The Measurement Science Conference was founded in 1970 to promote education and professionalism in measurement science and related disciplines. The Conference has grown and matured to meet the needs of dynamic measurement technologies as well as to address pertinent national and global measurement issues. Based in California, the MSC has attracted experts from around the world as speakers, exhibitors and attendees.

Exhibiting at the Measurement Science Conference (MSC) is an opportunity to reach a cross section of the metrology, test and precision measurement communities. MSC was founded in 1970 to promote education and professionalism in measurement science and related disciplines and has grown to meet the needs of its attendees, addressing changing measurement technologies as well as pertinent national and global measurement issues. Technical and managerial experts in the measurement sciences are invited to lead sessions, panel discussions, and to present papers or workshops on topics of importance to the global measurement community. Participants range from corporate executives to bench technicians and come from diverse industries to learn and share the most up to date information. Exhibitors at MSC receive a complete listing of all conference participants.

There is still booth space available for the 2005 event scheduled for January 20 - 21 in Anaheim, CA. For information on exhibiting at this dynamic event, contact Kara Harmon (949) 263-2222 ext. 257; karah@geotestinc.com

 

New Standard to Help Diagnose Heart Attacks

Diagnosing heart attacks will become a more precise science thanks to the first of a new series of clinical standards just issued by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Standard Reference Material (SRM) 2921 (human cardiac troponin complex) will help manufacturers develop and calibrate assays that measure specific protein concentrations in patient blood samples to determine whether a heart attack has occurred.

The SRM is a solution containing certified concentrations of three related proteins, including cardiac troponin I, purified from human heart tissue from cadavers. Users can calibrate their assays by analyzing the SRM and comparing the results to the NIST-certified value for troponin I. The standard is expected to help reduce variations in clinical test results from as much as 50-fold on the same sample to just twofold. “It’s a big first step toward getting the system under control,” says Michael Welch, leader of the NIST development team.

NIST already produces more than 60 SRMs for the clinical diagnostics community, but this is the first one designed to help measure concentrations of large, protein-based health status markers. Troponin I is difficult to measure because it can exist in low concentrations and in different chemical forms, sometimes attached to other related proteins. NIST is developing additional standards and methods for measuring other health status indicators of this type, including hormones used to assess thyroid function, and other markers for heart attack risk such as homocysteine and C-reactive protein.

SRM 2921 is intended to help U.S. makers of in vitro diagnostic (IVD) medical devices sell their products in Europe. A European Union directive requires that such devices be calibrated with standards that are traceable to internationally recognized certified reference materials or procedures. SRM 2921 has been nominated for inclusion on the international list of higher order reference materials. The list currently contains approximately 150 entries for 96 health status markers; NIST SRMs provide traceability for 72 of these.

 

Rice Lake Weighing Systems Acquires Alabama-Based Powell All-Steel Scales

Rice Lake Weighing Systems announces the purchase of assets of Powell All-Steel Scales of Jasper, Alabama. Since 1959 Powell All-Steel Scales has been a premier manufacturer of heavy-capacity scale equipment with a reputation for outstanding quality and service. Both Powell and Rice Lake are committed to customer service and quality products. Because of these parallel business philosophies, both companies expect the addition of Powell Scale to the Rice Lake family will be seamless.

With this acquisition, Rice Lake Weighing Systems has expanded their regional manufacturing presence within the southeastern United States. Rice Lake will now manufacture and distribute Powell's full line of livestock, truck and railroad track scales throughout the world. Powell customers will receive the same quality and service that Powell has always provided.

Rice Lake plans to invest in plant equipment for the Alabama plant site to greatly increase the productive capacity of that facility.

 

ANSI to Host U.S. Leaders in ISO and IEC Committees at Conference December 1-2, 2004

The American National Standards Institute will host a specialized conference to facilitate collaboration among U.S. leaders and activists in committees of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) where they can discuss key international standardization issues and related U.S. strategies and tactics. Scheduled for December 1-2, 2004 at the Hilton Scottsdale Resort in Arizona, the conference will welcome U.S. officers of ISO and IEC technical committees and subcommittees, along with U.S. technical advisory group (TAG) officers, and U.S. heads of delegations to ISO and IEC meetings.

“By sharing common concerns, best practices and practical tactics at this conference, we hope to formulate a coordinated U.S. approach to strategic activism in both ISO and IEC at the technical level,” said ANSI president and CEO Dr. Mark W. Hurwitz.

The conference will provide an opportunity for U.S. representatives in differing sectors of ISO and IEC to consider tactical approaches as articulated in the U.S. National Standards Strategy, in ANSI’s contribution to the ISO Horizon 2010 strategic planning initiative, and in the U.S. National Committee's (USNC) strategic objectives working document.

Presentations and panels may discuss subjects such as global relevance, involvement of developing countries and other stakeholders, time to market, ISO/CEN and IEC/CENELEC relationships, cooperative relationships between ISO/IEC and other SDOs, and more. The conference program will be designed to provide ample time for open discussion, questions and answers, and networking opportunities.

Program and registration information will be announced soon. For more information, please contact Steven Cornish, ANSI international policy program director (scornish@ansi.org; 212-642-4969).

 

Recent Process Analytical Technology (PAT) Initiative Presentations

Two new items posted on FDA’s CDER PAT Initiative page may be of interest to those following the PAT Initiative.

Two recent presentations by FDA officials are available for viewing at http://www.fda.gov.cder/OPS/PAT.htm#other
Process Analytical Technology (PAT): What’s in a name?
D. Christopher Watts, Ph.D, Office of Pharmaceutical Science, CDER, FDA. Presented on April 9, 2004 at the Science Seminar Sseries for the Office of Commissioner
Available for viewing in HTML or PowerPoint (Posted 5/14/2004)
The Process Analytical Technology Initiative: PAT and the Pharmacopeias
Ajaz S. Hussain, Ph.D., Deputy Director, Office of Pharmaceutical Science, CDER, FDA
Presented on May 3-4, 2004 at the EDQM Spring Conference
Available for viewing in HTML or PowerPoint (Posted 5/5/2004)

 

PCB Now Offers Primary Calibration Services

The Vibration Division of PCB Piezotronics, Inc. is now offering Primary Calibration Services for accelerometers. A state-of-the-art laser interferometer offers accurate magnitude and phase response over a frequency range from 5 Hz to 15 kHz and a measurement uncertainty of ± 0.2% at 100 Hz.

Our ISO 9001:2000 certified laboratory with A2LA accreditation to ISO 17025 provides a typical turnaround of 2 to 3 weeks with expedited services available upon request. PCB® provides the most comprehensive calibration and testing services in the industry, as well as the manufacture of custom-designed test systems. All calibration services and equipment are backed by a no risk policy that guarantees satisfaction or your money refunded.

For additional information on calibration services, contact the Vibration Division of PCB Piezotronics, Inc.

 

FARO Gauge Heats up Market With Summer 'Concert Tour'

FARO Technologies, Inc. announced it is ramping up production of the FARO Gage in order to meet increasing demand. The effort coincides with the Company's Gage "concert tour," a country-wide effort to show manufacturing facilities the immediate and lasting positive impact the device can have on productivity and profitability -- especially compared to the hand-held measurement devices widely used today.

FARO CEO and President Simon Raab made this comparison: "Would someone produce an annual report using a typewriter, then correcting mistakes with Wite-Out(TM)? Of course not. That method was replaced by the PC, which made those errors unacceptable. It's the same with manufacturing measurement. The FARO Gage replaces the outdated, two-dimensional hand-tool method, so the goal of our 'concert tour' is to provide a fun forum in which to educate manufacturers how it is the cost-effective way to meet the industry's growing demand for quality and accountability."

Members of the media, machinists and QC managers who attend one of the events on the tour receive Gage-themed concert t-shirts, demo DVDs, a chance to win $100 credit on TicketMaster for the concert of their choosing, and more. Local classic rock radio stations will hold live remote broadcasts of some events, and attendees can bring actual parts from their facilities to measure with the Gage, then e-mail the reports.

The .0002"-accurate FARO Gage represents the culmination of two decades of R&D with more than 10 new pending patents for innovations in accuracy, reliability and ease of use. It was created specifically to be convenient, fast and intuitive enough for machinists and other shop-floor personnel to use. Its magnetic mount (a vacuum mount is optional) allows machinists to measure parts and assemblies directly on the machinery producing them, and is also accurate and powerful enough for advanced measurement and statistical analysis like GD&T and SPC.

"One of the capabilities we'll demonstrate during the tour is how other gages restrict the user to single directions, but the FARO Gage's 3-D Caliper feature enables users to quickly perform offset checks in three dimensions from the original measurement point," said FARO Hardware Product Manager Shaun Mymudes. "That brings GD&T capability to the shop floor, which is unheard of for such an inexpensive portable CMM."

In addition, the FARO Gage automatically records all of the user's measurements and creates comprehensive reports. It is internally counterbalanced for "neutral buoyancy" and fatigue-free usage. Overload sensors prevent users from stressing the arm and help ensure precise measurement, making it "the only arm with feeling."

Manufacturers can call 800-736-0234 to see if the Gage tour is coming to their area. Tour cities and dates will be continually updated on http://www.faro.com as of May 31, 2004.

 

IAS to Require Technician Certification for Calibration Laboratories

The International Accreditation Service (IAS) will require calibration laboratories to have certified technicians as part of accreditation by December 2009. Professional certification will be accepted as evidence of training and knowledge of the facilities’ metrology professionals. IAS accredits calibration laboratories by verifying technical competence and assessing their quality systems.

The new requirement will affect calibration laboratories already accredited by IAS, as well as applicants seeking accreditation. IAS is the first accreditation body in North America to include certification of calibration technicians as part of its evaluation.

"Certification raises the bar on professionalism in the calibration community because it requires a higher, continuous evidence of professional qualifications," said IAS President Chuck Ramani.

Certifications accepted by IAS include the Certified Calibration Technician certification from the American Society of Quality (ASQ), the PROCERH certification administered by CENAM of Mexico, the Measurement NVQ/SVQ Partnership Programme administered by NPL of the United Kingdom, National Certificate in Industrial Measurement and Control administered by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority, or an equivalent certification.

IAS accredits calibration laboratories to ISO/IEC standard 17025, an internationally accepted standard for laboratory accreditation. The new requirement for technician certification fulfills the training and education components of the standard for verification of personnel competency.

"The staff of calibration labs will now be able to demonstrate the same level of professionalism that is currently required by those who work for testing laboratories and in code enforcement," said Ramani.

The International Accreditation Service, a subsidiary of the International Code Council, assesses and accredits competent testing and calibration laboratories, inspection agencies and fabricator inspection programs. In operation since 1975, IAS is one of the oldest accreditation bodies of its type and is a nonprofit, public benefit corporation recognized worldwide. To learn more about IAS and its programs in the fields of testing, inspection and conformity assessment, please visit www.iasonline.org, call 1-866-427-4422, or e-mail info@iasonline.org.

ARCHIVED NEWS

2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000

 


eCalibration.com
PO Box 830 ~ State College, PA 16804
P: 800-982-2388 ~ P: 814-234-2417 ~ F: 814-234-7077
editor@ecalibration.com
News ~ Events ~ Directories ~ Careers ~ Resources ~ Global ~ Life Sciences ~ Home
Terms of Use ~ Privacy Statement
© Blue Mountain Quality Resources
eCalibration and The Premier Calibration Resource are Trademarks of Blue Mountain Quality Resources