ptguru's podcast

Sometimes we have a measurement that is not as simple as we wish it were. In today's PodCast, we discuss this conundrum and some ways to tackle the problem.

Testing and calibration are alive and well in our Amazon fueled retail world of today. Want to sell a product on Amazon, find out about what they are going to require before you do.

With the holiday season upon us, it seemed like the perfect time of year to answer the question, why am I cold? You have the thermostat set at 68 or 70ºF and yet you are freezing. Here's a hint, it has to do with the energy in the air, which has more to do with it than just temperature. 

Turkey, in a calibration PodCast? Yep, it is that time of year and time to share a little measurement science about the big ol' bird we all love to feast on.

Had a fun little PID tuning event this week, so I figured I'd share my experience with everyone.

IR temperature guns are being used everywhere today, and for a good reason. They are inexpensive and eliminate errors associated with measuring surfaces. Unfortunately, they also introduce errors that need to be understood by the end user to ensure quality measurements.

The field of metrology, like all scientific fields, is loaded with constants. These are important to be aware of, and it is also to be aware that constants aren't always, so, well, constant.

Calibration jobs are out there everywhere. The problem is that we don't have near enough folks to fill the positions that are available. If you're interested in all of the things we talk about and your not a technician, this just might be the podcast for you!!

Math is pure and beautiful. Statistics is a branch of math that can be a little fuzzy but are completely necessary to understand measurement concepts. The study of statistics is a core competency of measurement science, and nothing irks me then why the fine folks out there in journalism get a hold of numbers and find ways to try to make sure you don't sleep at night.

With the transition to the ISO calibration standard 17025 moving to its newest revision, how will customers of calibration services be impacted? 

Sometimes we don't have the budget to buy the newest calibration toy for a given situation and we need to improvise. I want you to get creative when the need arises, and today I give you a couple of suggestions about how to do exactly that. 

I know this one might sound crazy, but why do we pronounce the "meter" in the word thermometer differently than we do in the word multimeter? Well, it's all about the "O."

Recently, I purchased some RTDs for a project only to receive them in bags marked thermocouples. So many people use the term thermocouple when they mean temperature probe, and this can lead to a lot of confusion for us control type folks.

Everywhere I turn I see more and more calibration happening. It's a function of our modern world of outsourcing and suppliers and it is not going away. In fact, it just seems to be growing at an exponential pace. How did it evolve this way, and why? 

On a recent trip to Alexandria, VA is really managed to have my eyes opened to the amazing amount of testing that happens out there in ISO 17025 world. I've always thought of the standard as one that revolves around calibration, but there is so much more.

We all know that miles to "E" thingy on our dashboard lies to us, but by how much. Today, I share my experience with an experiment I did a while back on this topic.

Process improvement is super critical, but are you losing the forest because you are focused on the trees? This is where risk management really comes into play. Assessing risk is a key part of process improvement, and together they work as a synergistic pair to make amazing things happen.

Accreditation bodies need a standard to work within too. That standard is ISO 17011, and guess what it has been recently revised like so many of the other 170xx standards that we handle these days. What's new? Listen and find out more.

Every wonder why we measure time like we do? How did clocks develop? Why are there 12, 60 minute hours?

Want the best possible education is what is really required for your field, get accredited. When you call in the experts to look over what you do and ask them to give you that certificate that says they have confidence that you know what you are doing, you are going to go through a process that raises your game to a whole new level.

Quality Toolkit Thursday, how about a great way to prioritize your plans, try on a decision matrix for size.

I've told you to calibrate your kitchen thermometer more than once, today I tell you how. Join me for a quick method to provide yourself with the peace of mind that your kitchen thermometer is reading properly.

Good decision making in the world of quality revolves around understanding risk tolerance because, without it, risk management is meaningless.            

Living on the operations side of calibration is a daunting task. One part tactician and two parts scheduling ninja are entry requirements. Today, I share a few tips to help you with your process flow.

Sometimes Gage R&R can be a bit of a mystery to some folks. What is it? What is it all about? For this Quality Toolkit Thursday, we take a look at the importance of repeatability and reproducibility to any measurement system.

Sometimes something like accreditation sounds like a good idea on the surface, but the truth is you want it for the wrong reasons. If you want to be an accredited laboratory, you should make sure you are doing it for the right reasons. 

I've had some questions from folks after they've seen the CCT (Certified Calibration Technician) video about a certification they don't have to wait as long to get. Well, look no further than the CQI, or Certified Quality Inspector program. This will get you an ASQ certification after only two years experience and is a great stepping stone to understanding what it takes to get certified, and eventually become a CCT.

Calibration is not a rotisserie chicken, unfortunately, you can just set it and forget it. There are a number of pieces to the puzzle and they all need to fit together for the system to work the way it was intended.

Measuring wind speed is a challenge at best. Measuring it accurately is an absolute feat. When the measurement itself is a disturbance to the system, things get tricky.

Bet you've been looking for that turn-key, all-in-one, calibration software package. Guess what you're not likely to find it unless you have a pretty narrow scope of activities. There are a large number of calibration software packages out there, serving various needs. Today we talk about some of those.   

With the transition to ISO 9001:2015 and all of the other standards that surround it, it seemed like a good time to remind everyone that calibration is an ideal example of risk management.

The single most prestigious award you can obtain for quality in the US is the Malcolm Baldrige. What exactly goes into this award and what is the framework to even attempt to participate?

I've received a number of questions lately about what I mean when I say testing as it relates to calibration and ISO 17025. This is a great question and I thought today was a perfect day to elaborate on the subject.

The metrology of cops and robbers is as old as time. How does a simple little device that emits a harmless radio wave strike fear in the hearts of grown men? It's called the Doppler effect, even if you don't know it by name, I promise you, you've seen it in action.

Why is it cold inside in the winter and hot inside in the summer when we have the thermostat set for the same temperature? The answer is humidity, but not like you probably think.

I've fielded a number of questions lately about what is actually supposed to be on a calibration certificate. Unfortunately, there is no absolutely clear answer to this question. However, we can have a look at the ISO standard for calibration, and see what it calls the minimum requirement for calibration certificates.

I've been in love with learning since I was a child, and think you should be too. Learning is the key to growth professionally and personally. In this weekend edition of the podcast I talk about just how important learning is for everyone.

In the world of measurement, things aren't as black and white as you probably think they are. Every measurement is surrounded by a grey area. So what happens when that grey area overlaps a specification or tolerance?

One of the key parts of any improvement process is coming up with ideas to make things better. Brainstorming is a major part of the process, but have you ever really put any thought into going about it. Most people have a tendency to let their filters take over and block what could be some of the best ideas they have. 

I can't stress the fact that calibration and adjustment are two completely different things. Calibration itself is about establishing metrological traceability. Today, we talk about what the two terms actually mean.

Spoons into cups, what kind of spoon? How many little spoons in a big spoon? We dive into some measurements in the kitchen once again and look at where all these crazy things come from and why they are the way they are.

Why do we use all of these different words to represent multipliers for units? Why not just use the base unit with a few extra zeros? Because we would need a lot more than a few extra zeros.

Where does calibration even come from? You'd likely be amazed to think back to a time when measurements weren't standardized. The length of a foot in your village might be different than a foot in the next town over. Let's look at how we arrived at where we are today.

Sometimes I'm known to get a little too heavy into things. I thought it might be fun to really build some of the groundwork for the foundation of a solid understanding of calibration. If you're a noob or think you know whats going on in metrology, this one is a good place to start. This will build your calibration foundation or possibly fill in a few cracks in your existing structure.

Waste is present in any process or project. The question then becomes, how much waste is too much waste? Six Sigma gives us a framework to look at and identify waste in a process. Today we look at the classification of waste into 7 different categories and even an eighth that is sometimes used.

Sports and metrology really do go hand in hand. There is no better place to look to ensure a level playing field for fair competition. This is where metrology comes in and with the World Cup in full swing, seems like a great time to talk about metrology in soccer.

I can barely believe it has been 100 episodes already. Are you ready for this? This is the 100th episode of the PT Guru PodCast!!

We've all been there, new equipment purchase time. So what do we choose? How do we choose it? We definitely have some decisions to make. In this special weekend edition of the podcast on video, I share some of my tips on making these decisions.

You may have seen 3D printing in the consumer space, but that's not all its good for. 3D printing has proven revolutionary in the manufacturing space an is getting better every day. 

Quality Toolkit Thursday!! 5S is a great way to organize any space, step outside the box and think about what you use and why you have the things you never use sitting there. Word of caution here though, maintenance is key, and the one place where 5S programs typically fall apart. 

Fun one for an equipment Wednesday, breathalyzers. Calibration, accuracy, whats under the hood.