Process improvement

News and Updates

A Lab-to-Market Tale: Icemaker Invention

April 7, 2020

Dr. David Yashar was always interested in finding ways to use practical application of science to improve real systems, so he studied mechanical engineering at

An electron micrograph showing many blue-colored nanoscale (billionth of a meter) particles of varying sizes and shapes scattered atop a silicon wafer.

Connecting the (Nano) Dots: NIST Says Big-Picture Thinking Can Advance Nanoparticle Manufacturing

August 22, 2018

Nanoparticle manufacturing, the production of material units less than 100 nanometers in size (100,000 times smaller than a marble), is proving the adage that

Projects and Programs

Smart Manufacturing Systems Design and Analysis Program

Deliver measurement science, standards and protocols, and tools needed to design and analyze SMS based on a cyber-physical infrastructure for digital and

Metrology for Multi-Physics AM Model Validation

Multi-physics models are necessary to simulate, study, and optimize metal additive manufacturing (AM) processes, such as powder bed fusion (PBF) and directed

Multiscale structure and dynamics in advanced technological materials

This project develops and applies metrologies and standards for characterizing microstructure and dynamics in advanced functional materials of technological

Metrology for Real-Time Monitoring of Additive Manufacturing

Part quality in additive manufacturing (AM) is highly variable due to inadequate dimensional tolerances, surface roughness, and defects, thereby limiting its

Publications

Annual Report on U.S. Manufacturing Industry Statistics: 2020

October 28, 2020

Author(s)

Douglas S. Thomas

This report provides a statistical review of the U.S. manufacturing industry. There are three aspects of U.S. manufacturing that are considered: (1) how the U.S

Prognostics and Health Management to Improve Resilient Manufacturing

October 23, 2020

Author(s)

Michael P. Brundage, Brian A. Weiss

Manufacturers need to be resilient to effectively mitigate substantial disruptions to manufacturing operations so they may remain competitive. Disruptions

Economics of Manufacturing Machinery Maintenance: A Survey and Analysis of U.S. Costs and Benefits

June 2, 2020

Author(s)

Douglas S. Thomas, Brian A. Weiss

This report examines U.S. costs of machinery maintenance along with losses due to inadequate maintenance strategies in discrete manufacturing (NAICS 321-339

Using Text Analytics Solutions with Small to Medium Sized Manufacturers: Lessons Learned

April 30, 2020

Author(s)

Michael P. Brundage, Radu Pavel

As Smart Manufacturing becomes more prevalent throughout industry, manufacturers are continuing to look for ways to more efficiently apply advanced data

Software

Unit Manufacturing Process (UMP) Builder

January 26, 2018

The Unit Manufacturing Process (UMP) Builder allows researchers to record their UMP models according to the ASTM E3012-16 standard . One of the main drivers