Learn & Share: Quality and Reliability Assurance

The goal of quality and reliability assurance (QA) is the continuous improvement of reliability, performance, efficiency, and ease-of-use of a product or service in order to render it more cost-effective and beneficial for the customer or user. A key part of QA is quality control (QC) – the acquisition and analysis of quantitative observations made during the process of production for a product or of implementation for a service. QC allows a process to be continuously monitored and maintained to meet the desired specifications (stable process in statistical control) or ultimately rapidly diagnosed and remedied if problems arise and the results deviate from those expected.
Each production process and product has its own unique attributes and may require specific methods of observation for the carrying out of QC. Generally, the production of electronic, microelectronic, and mechanical devices, as well as materials and compounds, require QC measurements using a technique involving microscopic analysis, often optical microscopy.
Keeping Particulate Contamination Under Control in Pharmaceutical Products
This article describes how a 2-methods-in-1 solution combining optical microscopy and laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) can be utilized for identification of particulate contaminants in the…Read articleFast Visual and Chemical Analysis of Contamination and Underlying Layers
Visual and chemical analysis of contamination on materials with a 2-methods-in-1 solution leading to an efficient, more complete analysis workflow is described in this report. A 2-in-1 solution,…Read articleHow does an Automated Rating Solution for Steel Inclusions Work?
The rating of non-metallic inclusions (NMIs) to determine steel quality is critical for many industrial applications. For an efficient and cost-effective steel quality evaluation, an automated NMI…Read articleHow to Conduct Standard-Compliant Analysis of Non-Metallic Inclusions in Steel
This webinar will provide an overview of the significance of non-metallic inclusions in steel and outline the important global standards for rating the quality of steel and difficulties that arise in…Read articleKey Factors to Consider When Selecting a Stereo Microscope
Stereo microscopes are often nicknamed the “workhorse” of the lab or production site. Users spend many hours looking through the eyepieces inspecting, observing, documenting, or dissecting samples.…Read articleChallenges Faced When Manually Rating Non-Metallic Inclusions (NMIs) to Determine Steel Quality
Rapid, accurate, and reliable rating of non-metallic inclusions (NMIs) is instrumental for the determination of steel quality. This article describes the challenges that arise from manual NMI rating,…Read articleCriteria to Consider When Choosing a Digital Solution for Steel Quality Rating
For the efficient and fast rating of non-metallic inclusions to determine steel quality, deciding which digital rating solution to use can be a challenge. This article discusses the important criteria…Read articleReasons Why There is Growing Need for Fast and Reliable Steel Quality Rating Solutions
Steel quality is critical for the manufacturing of high-quality components and products. Fast, reliable, and accurate detection and classification of inclusions has become essential for both component…Read articleInverted Microscopes for Grain Size Analysis: Three Factors to Consider
Microscopic steel grain size analysis is useful in determining the quality of steel alloys for a given purpose such as building bridges vs railroad rails. This webinar will describe the preparation of…Read articleDepth Profiling and Layer Analysis for Inspection of Materials with a 2-In-1 Solution Combining Optical Microscopy and Laser Spectroscopy
In addition to simultaneous visual and chemical inspection, a 2-methods-in-1 materials analysis solution, which combines optical microscopy and laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), can also be…Read articleTop Issues Related to Standards for Rating Non-Metallic Inclusions in Steel
Supplying components and products made of steel to users worldwide can require that a single batch be compliant with multiple steel quality standards. This user demand creates significant challenges…Read articleAnalyzing non-metallic inclusions in steel
Oftentimes we find ourselves caught up in tedious analyses by reticle and comparison chart, time-consuming double-evaluation according to several standards or subjective inspection results with a bias…Read articlePerforming Elemental Analysis down to the Micro Scale
If you work in electronic component analysis, you will be familiar with the many challenges posed. Whether you are identifying metallic particles or checking product authenticity, it’s important to…Read articleVisual and Chemical Analysis of Steel Microstructure: Faster Rating of Steel Quality
Simultaneous visual and chemical analysis of steel non-metallic inclusions with a 2-methods-in-1 solution, using optical microscopy and laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), is described in…Read articleRate the Quality of Your Steel: Free Webinar and Report
This webinar and report describe optimal microscopy solutions for rating steel quality in terms of non-metallic inclusions and reviews the various international and regional standards concerning…Read articleKey Factors for Efficient Cleanliness Analysis
In the automobile industry, even the smallest particles on single components can cause malfunctioning. Fuel, lubricant and urea filter systems are particularly vulnerable. Component cleanliness has…Read articlePolarizing Microscope Image Gallery
Polarized light microscopy (also known as polarizing microscopy) is an important method used in different fields, including research and quality assurance. It goes beyond just producing images at high…Read articleMetallography – an Introduction
This article gives an overview of metallography and metallic alloy characterization. Different microscopy techniques are used to study the alloy microstructure, i.e., microscale structure of grains,…Read articleBrief Introduction to Surface Metrology
This report briefly discusses several important metrology techniques and standard definitions commonly used to assess the topography of surfaces, also known as surface texture or surface finish. With…Read article3-Dimensional Imaging of Macroscopic Defects in Aluminum Alloys
The investigation of macroscale defects in aluminum (Al) alloys with a rapid 3-dimensional (3D) imaging approach is described in this report. Aluminum (Al) alloys play an important role in the…Read articleCleanliness Analysis with a 2-methods-in-1 solution
This report explains how a 2-in-1 materials analysis solution, combining optical microscopy and chemical analysis by laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), leads to an overall more efficient and…Read articleHow to create EDOF (Extended Depth of Focus) images
Watch this video to see how you can rapidly record sharp optical microscope images of samples with a large height variation. This is done with the optional Extended Depth of Focus (EDOF) function of…Read articleAutomated topographic analysis with the Leica Map software
Watch this video to learn how you can save time when doing topographic analysis using the Leica Map software. The software allows you to go quickly from automated analysis of multiple sets of acquired…Read articleSee the Structure with Microscopy - Know the Composition with Laser Spectroscopy
The advantages of a 2-in-1 materials analysis solution combining optical microscopy and laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) for simultaneous visual and chemical inspection are described in…Read articleCleanliness Workflow from Leica and Pall
Obtaining cleanliness results rapidly, accurately, and reliably is a significant advantage for manufacturers and component suppliers. For this reason, Pall Corporation and Leica Microsystems have…Read articleBasics in Component Cleanliness Analysis
For automotive manufacturers and auto parts suppliers, obtaining component cleanliness results rapidly, accurately, and reproducibly over the entire workflow is a significant advantage. Pall and Leica…Read articleDigital Microscopy with Versatile Illumination and Various Contrast Methods for More Efficient Inspection and Quality Control
State-of-the-art digital microscopes utilizing a versatile illumination system capable of achieving multiple contrast methods, such as the Leica DVM6, are very useful for inspection, quality control,…Read articleInspection of Multilayer Coating in the Automotive Industry
Today’s automotive industry use a variety of decorative and functional treatment to improve the vehicles surfaces. Traditional quality control methods to inspect these multilayer samples have proven…Read articleDigital Microscopy Used in Microelectronics and Electronics Quality Control
Quality Control in the electronics and microelectronics industry is confronted with many challenges: A variety of different materials in a sample, some of them metallic and reflective, some matt; a…Read articleInspecting and Analyzing Printed Circuit Boards Quickly and Reliably with a Digital Microscope
For the past several years, digital microscopy has been shown to be useful for inspection, quality control and assurance (QC/QA), and failure analysis (FA) in the microelectronics industry, especially…Read article
Useful Links
Journals
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1099-1786The Quality Assurance Journal
http://asq.org/qualityprogress/index.htmlQP – Quality Progress magazine
www.igi-global.com/journal/international-journal-quality-assurance-engineering/41026International Journal of Quality Assurance in Engineering and Technology Education (IJQAETE)
Web Sources
www.iso.org/iso/iso_technical_committee?commid=53882ISO/TC 176 – Quality management and quality assurance
www.intechopen.com/books/quality-assurance-and-managementQuality assurance and management
http://asq.org/learn-about-quality/statistical-process-control/overview/overview.htmlStatistical process control (by ASQ)
http://onquality.blogspot.de/2013/06/what-does-quality-assurance-engineer-do.htmlWhat does a quality assurance engineer do?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=z56Zfpqf748Professional Quality Assurance Plan Templates as per ISO 9000
https://www.sqa.org/Society of Quality Assurance – Promoting quality in the regulated research community
http://asq.org/index.aspxASQ is a global community of people passionate about quality
www.qaac.org/QAAC – The Quality Assurance Association of Connecticut
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