March 2014  |  Craftsman’s Cribsheet #19

 

SARA Title III Section 313 (part of the community right-to-know regulations) is the legal authority requiring manufacturers to inventory their use of “Toxic Chemicals” during the calendar year and report on “releases” of those chemicals if the reporting thresholds for that chemical are exceeded.

 

VIEW/DOWNLOAD

 

February 2014  |  Craftsman’s Cribsheet #18

 

An improperly defined Repeatability and Reproducibility (R&R) program can drain a company of resources and reduce the effectiveness of the shop. ISO/TS16949:2009 states that variation studies “shall apply to measurement systems referenced in the control plan.” Here is a suggested approach to applying logic to the requirement.

 

VIEW/DOWNLOAD

 

October 2013  |  Craftsman’s Cribsheet #14

The parts that we produce in our precision machining shops are usually embedded into other products
which are sold. Seldom are the products of our shops sold as a final product. Typically we look at
markets (automotive, aerospace, fluid power, off road) when we think about where our products are
used. While this marketing focus has its commercial merit, a look at the forces driving demand can
help us all better understand our role in the evolving world and what demands for our products and
processes are likely to look like in the years ahead.

 

VIEW/DOWNLOAD