Novastar Blog

Livonia, MI, April 17, 2019 – Novastar Solutions announced today that it has expanded its scope of accreditation to accommodate growing demand for test instrument calibrations. Completion of the new ISO/IEC 17025-2017 guidelines assessment, achieving A2LA accreditation, and the acquisition of additional equipment have expanded the capabilities of the Novastar team to include calibrations of:

• Tri-Bore Micrometers
• Angle Blocks
• Gage Blocks up to 8 inches
• Threaded Plug Gages
• Thread Rings
• Gage Balls
• Ring Gages
• Foils and Thickness Gages
• Linear Scales
• Durometers

“With a strong focus on customer service, Novastar’s Calibration Services continue to grow. We have added several technicians and started a second shift to maintain our standard calibration turn-around time of one week.  We tailor our service based on customers’ needs to provide calibrations both on-site at our customer’s facility or in our lab in Livonia, MI. Our customer portal, a world-class asset management tool, enables our customers to access calibration certificates, manage preventative maintenance programs, receive automated recall notices, and review equipment status in real time. These collective efforts have culminated in Novastar’s ability to continuously provide exceptional customer service” reports Guy Howe, Director of Novastar Calibration Services.

A2LA Accreditation demonstrates Novastar’s commitment to deliver reliable, high quality calibrations that are internationally recognized. The non-profit and internationally recognized organization requires strict adherence to guarantee quality and competency of the provided calibrations.

About NovaStar Solutions

Headquartered in Livonia, MI, Novastar Solutions has been supporting customers in design, analysis, prototyping, testing and manufacturing for over 20 years. Organizations in need of IT life cycle management, design hardware and software, 3D printing, and test equipment calibrations turn to Novastar.

When HP announced their revolutionary end-to-end 3D printing solution in 2016 there were high hopes and equal amounts of skepticism. After all, HP’s dream is to completely reinvent the way we design and print functional parts, and establishing its place in modern manufacturing requires serious disruption.

Historically, 3D printing hasn’t offered the application or economics (profitability) to be a sustainable manufacturing solution. But through its Open Platform Approach, HP has been able to successfully collaborate with various partners to lay a foundation for additive manufacturing’s next industrial revolution.

HPs Open Platform Approach

The HP Open Platform certifies partners for collaboration on materials innovation and new applications for its 3D printing technology. By working together to reduce costs, facilitate adoption, and create an open-source platform for certified 3D materials, the company has fostered the right environment to spur innovation.

In opening its platform to their growing partner ecosystem, HP has accelerated its ability as a solutions provider to offer new materials, software, and services and it does not plan on losing momentum.

HP Has Been Working Extensive With Materials Producers

In manufacturing, parts and end products require specific material properties: color, texture, strength, durability, etc.. While MJF technology allows for voxel level control (and with it, the ability to control material properties), improving material availability is a key factor in broadening the solution’s usage.

To empower their partners, HP invested in a 3D Open Materials and Applications Lab – a 3,500 square-foot space accessible to materials partners – for product development, testing new materials and collaborating in real-time. This also includes a suite of research tools to develop materials under the HP brand that go beyond the range of currently available materials.

These currently available materials already boast the industry’s leading reusability and HP already announced its next material suite: HP 3D High Reusability PA 11, PA 12 (glass beads), and HP 3D High Reusability Polypropylene.

Material innovation should only pick up as HP has already secured partnerships with some of the world’s leading materials companies who are helping to co-develop new materials and refine the certification for future partners who join the program.

HP already announced their plan launch color parts followed by an effort for metal in 2018.

Establishing Multi Jet Fusion Printing as a Business Solution

While HP’s traditional printers have a solid footprint in modern businesses, helping industrial clients improve their ability to manufacture products is uncharted territory.

To ensure their end-to-end solution meets the needs of industrial manufacturers, the company teamed up with Deloitte who has deep experience in the space.

“We are making big investments in terms of capabilities, in terms of personnel, that will be focused on going to market with HP and the ability to deliver.“ – Deloitte CEO Punit Renjen.

The technology already produces superior quality parts at impressive speeds and costs and by partnering with Deloitte, HP can more effectively penetrate the industrial ecosystem.

Facilitating Large-Scale Adoption of Multi Jet Fusion 3D Printing Technology

To facilitate adoption HP 3D is working with select distribution partners to make the technology more accessible in specific markets and industry sectors.

The company has established several HP 3D Printing Reference and Experience Centers where guests can engage with the product firsthand. By making sample parts available on-demand and creating an immersive environment, end-users can understand how the disruptive technology can improve workflows and fit into their business model.

Many companies are already selling printed parts in large quantities and the introduction of new materials will prove to increase usage. The latest upgrade presented an inflection point in cost modeling and as the surrounding ecosystem continues to progress, the product and economics will improve further.

Through it’s Open Platform Approach, HP has successfully fostered an ecosystem to advance the solution and its adoption. First-year progress has been promising and future innovation and partnerships will continue to increase the speed of adoption.

Understanding ITAM:IT Asset Management

What do you do when you manage 100’s or 1000’s of computers for your organization and they get replaced with shiny new ones? You could try to sell the old computers on your own, but how do you know what they are worth? What if they are broken or have some dents and dings? Is it safe to throw them away (No!)? How much will transportation and storage cost?

The best way to aproach it is to find a company that specializes in IT asset disposition (ITAD). That’s a fancy way of saying they take care of computer fleet when they are no longer useful to you. There may be substantial residual value in your retired computers that can be optimized by having them refurbished and resold or donated to a non-profit. Perhaps you’re better off harvesting the useful parts and selling them individually. Either way, you need to be certain that no one gets access to the data on the disk drives – you’ll also need to ensure that they do not become an environmental hazard.

Businesses, financial institutions, schools and government agencies come to Novastar to recover value from their aging IT assets.  Novastar’s experts access the value of retired PCs, tablets, copiers, enterprise equipment, etc., wipe or destroy the disks, refurbish the devices and re-sell them for your organization through direct sales and online ecommerce websites.   What cannot be sold is broken down for parts or environmentally correctly recycled. Every device is tracked and reported on.

Don’t miss out on the value of your retired assets by painstakingly selling your equipment online, let NovaStar be the Solution to your asset disposition problems.

NovaStar’s  Rick Storch and Ben Baumgarten witnessed HP’s grand entrance into the additive manufacturing industry at RAPID 2016, the industry trade show held in Orlando, Florida May 16-19, 2016.

The RAPID conference is the longest-running and most respected additive manufacturing event in North America, attracting buyers, sellers, and end consumers of 3D technology. With 4500 square feet of exhibit space, Hewlett Packard outdid industry veterans including 3D Systems and Stratasys.

Introducing the HP Jet Fusion 3D Printers

HP revealed its new line of Multi-Jet Fusion 3D printers with a plan to initially launch two printers: the Jet Fusion 3D 3200 and the Jet Fusion 3D 4200. “The HP 3D printer announcement was a big hit at the show,” says Rick Storch. With a starting price of $130,000, these 3D printers will be some of the lowest-priced devices in their segment in the industry, intended to cut additive manufacturing costs in half.

The Multi-Jet Fusion 3D devices print at 10X the speed of other large-scale 3D printers, without sacrificing detail. The HP Multi Jet Fusion technology is able to fabricate parts at the level of an individual voxel (3D pixel). The printers will use stereolithography, an additive manufacturing process which uses an ultraviolet laser beam to create 3D objects with a layer-by-layer approach.

HP’s Jet Fusion 3D Printers are Being Adopted Nationally

HP Jet Fusion 3D Printer featured at RAPID 2016

The 3200 & 4200 series are expected to launch January 2017. At RAPID HP highlighted a few beta sites where these printers are being used, including Nike, BMW, and Johnson & Johnson. HP has partnered with Johnson & Johnson to find new ways to use 3D technology to develop better and cheaper healthcare device solutions. 3D printing will allow Johnson & Johnson to create devices catered to individuals’ specific needs.

HP continues to advance its 3D technology. “This was a good first reveal,” says Ben Baumgarten. “HP will have a lot to offer in future generations with features such as multiple materials and integrated circuits directly baked into a print.”

The Benefits of an Instrument Calibration Management Tool

Periodic calibration of test instruments is required for accurate measurement and testing, but it can be an involved process. How many instruments do you have that need what kind of calibration?

What is the calibration history of each instrument? How do you set schedules for multiple instrument calibrations without disrupting your test and design productivity?  Should you do the calibration in house? Hire a company to send technicians to your site?  Or send your equipment to a lab either by shipping or pick-up and delivery? When as audit is required – how do you get all the relevant information is a useful format all in one place?

The logistics of staying on top of equipment calibration can be time-consuming and distracting from your primary purpose – design, testing, building prototypes, and the like. A Calibration Asset Management Tool makes the process easier, faster and more accurate which results in saving you time and money.

Instrument Calibration Software Saves Time and Money Spent on Managing Assets.

Typically, tracking test instrument calibration status and schedules has been done in a spreadsheet where the individual performing the operation must manually look at each line item and independently verify if its status is correct – functioning in tolerance and/or in need of calibration. This task may take a lot of time, and therefore money, away from a manager or technicians who could be spending the time on the core business. A Calibration Asset Management tool automatically tracks the process and prevents a technical resource from list-checking.

Asset management software is available to purchase – but that requires you to put on an IT manager’s hat and sort through the pros and cons of each option and then pay a lot to purchase and pay to maintain that software – and require your staff be trained. Often these packages are not specific to instrument calibration so they require extensive re-work.

The Best Calibration Labs Have the Asset Management Tools & Software You Need

If you hire an external lab to conduct your instrument calibrations, first and foremost they need to perform the work accurately, on time and at a fair price – and often they must be accredited by an external organization like A2LA. Beyond the basics, however, the best labs offer the service of asset management tools – at no additional cost to you.

Our next blog will explore the components that make up a leading edge Calibration Asset Management Tool. Some of these are: Trace-ability of the Asset throughout the process; automatic notifications with calls to action; search, import and export features; scheduling and creating shippers; requesting quotes and more.

When the topic of technology centers in the U. S. comes up, discussions focus on Silicon Valley, the “Route 128 Belt” in Massachusetts, Research Triangle Park in North Carolina, as well as centers in Texas and Seattle. But one of the fastest growing technology centers is often overlooked – Southeastern Michigan. The area is sometimes discounted because of the well-publicized struggles of the auto industry. A recent report, however, shows that the region is in fact one of the leading tech centers in the country and compares favorably with other more heralded technology hotbeds.

Technology Advancements in Southeast Michigan

Part of this growth is being driven by rapid advances in computer aided design/computer aided engineering (CAD/CAE) that allows engineers in many of the region’s 7,000 technology companies to develop innovative manufacturing solutions. The 2015 Technology Industry Report from Automation Alley shows Southeast Michigan as home to some of the nation’s top technical talent, a leader in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) academic disciplines, and a key driver of automotive industry innovation.

Automation Alley is a technology business association and business accelerator dedicated to growing the economy of Southeast Michigan and enhancing the region’s reputation around the world. Their report outlines where Southeast Michigan ranks compared to other U. S. technology centers, details the importance of technology to their region, highlights their STEM education trends, and projects the innovation potential for the area.

How Southeast Michigan Stacks Up with Tech Giants

The report analyzed data for 15 tech centers in the U. S. and rated them by various criteria. Southeast Michigan ranked in the top half of the regions analyzed in size, and first in a number of advanced automotive establishments. They employed almost a quarter of a million people working in technology businesses, more than 10 of the 14 regions analyzed. Most jobs were in the advanced automotive industry followed by information technology, advanced manufacturing, life sciences, and chemical and material. All of these industries are heavily reliant on CAD/CAE.

A Resurgence of Technology Jobs in Southeast Michigan

After a downturn from 2006 to 2010 in Southeast Michigan, the number of technology jobs began a growth spurt of 4.5% between 2012 and 2013 and a 3.6% increase from 2013 to 2014. Southeast Michigan’s growth of tech jobs is projected to be 1.9% into 2015 with the biggest gains expected in IT, Life Sciences, and Advanced Manufacturing.

An Increased Focus in the Leading Sector for STEM Education

A key driver of growth in the Tech sector is the strength of the STEM education pipeline. Southeast Michigan ranks third nationally in the number of STEM degrees earned making highly skilled workers available to fuel the region’s growth. STEM degrees make up almost 19% of the degrees earned in the area compared to less than 14% nationwide, showing the region’s increased focused on technology education.

Engineering and engineering-related fields – both industries heavily dependent on CAD/CAE – ranked first and second in terms of field of study.

Innovation Leadership is Fueling Economic Growth

The strength of the technology industry is leading to a burst of innovation from the Southeast Michigan area. The region ranks second in the Midwest in the number of utility patents issues – a key indicator of innovation.

CAD/CAE technology and expertise is critical to the economic growth of not only the Southeast Michigan area but also the entire country. Pioneering efforts in robotics, advanced materials, life sciences, and alternative energy, among others, would not be possible without advanced CAD/CAE technology. The Automation Alley report demonstrates that Southeast Michigan is doing its part to help make technology a leading driver of the U. S. economy.

In our modern society, it is important that the devices we use to measure the physical quantities around us are accurate. From the weather to the medical field, from the automotive industry to agriculture, obtaining accurate measurements is essential to making decisions and performing tasks.

These measurement devices need to be verified that they give correct data to enable us to make good decisions. Calibration, the process of verifying the readings of an instrument match that of a standard, does just that. If a device is not within a specified tolerance, it is adjusted so that it is within the bounds of the specification.

Laboratories in particular use calibration to verify that the measurements that they perform are consistent; it would be difficult to attempt to repeat a process with the same conditions if the tools used to make the measurements are inconsistent. Here are a few reasons detailing why calibration is important.

Instrument Calibration Keeps Processes Safe

When measuring any parameter, such as force or electric current, it is important that the quantities being measured are accurate to maintain product safety. This could pose a safety hazard if they are not. If a component on a vehicle were to fail at a certain measured force, but that measurement was performed with an instrument that was not calibrated to ensure accuracy, a valid failure analysis couldn’t be performed.

Another example where this would be important is measuring the temperature of cooked or stored food. If a thermometer on a refrigerator is not accurate in reporting temperature, spoiled food could be served to patrons. Undercooked food could also pose a risk if the instrument reading its temperature was not accurate.

Machine Calibration Can Help to Reduce Costs from Manufacturing Errors

In manufacturing, a production process resulting in defects can be very costly. Small errors in measurement, such as in the temperature of a molded plastic part causing it to set improperly or the position of a drilled hole preventing two parts from being coupled, can propagate over time if not monitored properly. A process will then need to be stopped, restarted, and have parts remade. This is expensive in both time and resources, or worse yet – defective parts could be delivered to your client.

To help reduce the potential for manufacturing defects from occurring, the sensors monitoring these processes should be accurate. Calibrating gauges and instrumentation will reduce the possibility of production defects.

Calibration Maintains Certification

When a test lab would like to make use of a calibration laboratory, they need to know that they can trust the service provider is going to perform the calibration in a proficient manner. In order to do this, they need to be able to independently verify that whom they approach is reliable. Therefore, maintaining certification through calibration ensures that a laboratory can consistently perform requested analyses.

To obtain an official accreditation by a regulatory body, calibration laboratories must undergo a rigorous inspection. An independent accrediting organization like the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA) audits the equipment, technicians, processes, and quality systems for the calibration lab.

Using an accredited calibration laboratory is important; this ensures that equipment sent to it will come back calibrated properly. An accredited laboratory like NovaStar is a prime example that puts the customer first in terms of quality assurance, tracking of assets, and turnaround time. Is calibration important to your business?