Manufacturing Wire

ZEISS has launched the Crossbeam 750, a focused ion beam scanning electron microscope (FIB-SEM) system featuring new Gemini 4 optics that enable real-time milling feedback during sample preparation. The system is designed to support transmission electron microscopy (TEM) lamella preparation, 3D structural analysis, and tomography workflows. The instrument targets advanced materials characterization and failure analysis applications in research and industrial settings.

Hexagon has released an update to its PULSE system, designed to monitor environmental conditions in CMM (coordinate measuring machine) inspection environments. The system tracks five critical parameters: temperature, humidity, vibration, shock, and probe deflection on the shop floor. This targets a longstanding challenge in precision metrology, where ambient conditions directly affect dimensional measurement accuracy.

Plant Engineering examines the financial and operational risks that valve corrosion poses to industrial facilities, noting that corrosion-related failures often catch plant operators off guard with significant unplanned costs. The article addresses proactive strategies for identifying corrosion risk before it translates into downtime or component replacement. Proper material selection, inspection intervals, and process chemistry awareness are central to avoiding reactive maintenance scenarios.

A piece from Robotics & Automation News examines the specific requirements robotics teams have when selecting 3D printing service partners, arguing that lead time alone is an insufficient selection criterion. The article identifies common failure modes including incorrect material selection, improper build orientation, missed drawing notes, and dimensional inconsistencies that surface during assembly or functional testing rather than incoming inspection. The core argument is that print quality, process communication, and application understanding are more operationally critical than raw throughput.

Robert Bosch GmbH has published a technical paper introducing an error propagation framework integrated into the FMEDA methodology for automotive ASIC functional safety verification. The approach quantifies uncertainty in key safety metrics including Single Point Fault Metric (SPFM) and Latent Fault Metric (LFM), addressing limitations in traditional FMEDA analysis. The work targets ISO 26262 compliance verification for semiconductor components used in safety-critical automotive systems.

Pazmac Enterprises Ltd. has achieved AS9100D certification, the aerospace and defense quality management system standard that builds on ISO 9001 with additional requirements specific to aviation, space, and defense manufacturing. The certification positions Pazmac as a qualified supplier to OEMs operating in those regulated sectors. AS9100D compliance requires documented process controls, risk management, and traceability protocols throughout the production system.

Hexagon has introduced APOLLO, a metrology asset monitoring platform that tracks coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) and machine tools for condition and performance data. The system supports both cloud and on-premises deployment, giving manufacturers flexibility based on their IT infrastructure and data governance requirements. A key capability is predictive fault detection, with Hexagon claiming the platform can identify potential equipment issues up to 90 days before failure.

Semiconductor Engineering covers methodology for using on-chip sensors and functional monitoring to detect, diagnose, and debug issues within semiconductor power delivery networks. The approach correlates physical measurements from the power domain with functional chip behavior to identify root causes of failures. This targets the growing complexity of detecting transient faults and systematic defects in modern semiconductor manufacturing and validation.

InnovMetric has entered a partnership with Aberlink to integrate PolyWorks|Inspector software with Aberlink CMM hardware and Deva machine controls. The agreement is designed to streamline inspection workflow setup and measurement data analysis for shops running Aberlink coordinate measuring machines. This gives Aberlink users direct access to PolyWorks|Inspector's dimensional analysis and reporting capabilities within their existing CMM environment.