According to a recent article in Business Week, China has been growing at 9.5% each year and it is estimated that this manufacturing giant will continue to grow at 7%-8% in decades to come. What’s more, Global Insight reports that by 2010 merchandise exports from China will be estimated at $1.6 trillion of U.S. dollars¹.

Although manufacturing outsourcing continues to move to countries like China that possess cheaper labor, it’s not too late for U.S. manufacturers to take steps to increase efficiency and productivity, lower overhead costs and continue to produce quality products.

• Update Manual Test Instruments:
Consider incorporating an automated hipot tester such as the Guardian 1030S that can perform AC, DC & IR tests on multiple points to eliminate 1 or more testers from a test cell and drastically reduce test time. The time saved in testing product, repairing old testers and operator interaction will increase product throughput and provide a swift return on investment (ROI). To learn more, read Choosing a Hipot Tester - For Current & Future Requirements.

• Solve The Human Factor:
A fully programmable tester such as the Guardian 6000 Plus gives the test engineer control over the test setup. First, the engineer programs the test (which can later be recalled), then connects the DUT and presses [START]. No other parameters can be tampered with or accidentally changed maintaining the integrity of the test setup.

• Employ Software & Capitalize on Data Collection:
Once the integrity of the test setup is ensured, the accuracy of the test data should be addressed. Automation software such as CaptivATE is a powerful tool to capture all elements of the test providing a global database with unlimited analysis potential for corrective and preventative action. The result: paperless testing with electronic records for compliance with Regulatory Agencies.

Using fully automated equipment, consolidating test procedures and utilizing automation software are a sound investment in keeping manufacturing lean and viable in the U.S. Proactive production means streamlining the process before equipment is outdated and paper quality records are a thing of the past.

¹Engardio, Pete. "A New World Economy." Business Week 22/29 Aug. 2005 52+  

Question:
How can testing Hipot & Ground Bond simultaneously benefit our manufacturing process?

Answer:
Revolutionary Twin-Port technology in QuadTech's Guardian 6000 Plus provides simultaneous hipot and ground bond testing capability reducing manufacturing test time and increasing overall throughput.

In addition, combining Hipot and Ground Bond assures the DUT is properly grounded during Hipot. This ground is the path of least resistance, in other words the current will flow this path and not through the operator if for some reason they were to come in contact with the DUT during test.

Using this technology, a large PC Contract Manufacturer in the IT industry increased their overall throughput by 30% and reduced their testing time by 50%. Click here to see the other benefits this organization achieved.

A manufacturer of cables and harnesses for the aerospace industry came to QuadTech in search of an automated testing solution that would increase their production efficiency, while providing cost and time savings.

See how the Fusion Cable & Wire Analyzer reduced their test time by 65%, eliminated the use of a 3^rd party testing house and increased their overall throughput.

Fusion, a fully integrated high voltage cable analyzer and multi-point hipot tester, is the newest edition to QuadTech's cable tester family. For detailed information on Fusion, click here.

Underwriters Laboratories Workshops Designed For You

When public workshops do not fully meet your corporate training requirements, consider private or customized training specialized for your company's needs.

Incorporating some of the content from UL's public offerings, private and customized training offers much more including:

	Information focused on the special certification needs of your product line,
	Expanded treatment of the topics of special interest or concern to you,
	Discussion for managers that highlights both technical and business issues, and
	Specifics about where you want to market your products

Customized workshops range from 1-3 days and cover many topics including: UL 60950, IEC 61010, IEC 60601-1, IEC 60601-1-2, IEC 60601-1-4, ISO 14971 and ISO 13485.  For more information click here.

QuadTech's Guardian 6000 Plus Electrical Safety Analyzer with revolutionary Twin-Port Technology combined CaptivATE Automation Software is an ideal solution to automating Electrical Safety Testing on the production line.

Perform 5 major electrical safety tests with the push of 1 button and create a global database to archive data and print test reports on demand.

	Test Multi-Point Devices with High Voltage/High Current Scanner Options
	Increase Test Time with Simultaneous Hipot and Ground Bond Testing
	Archive Test Setups, Data and Results with CaptivATE
	Achieve Paperless Testing and Create Electronic Signatures for Compliance with Regulatory Agencies.
	Ensure Test Setup Integrity with Internal Store/Recall, Keylock and Fail Lock Functions

For complete details, click here or contact a QuadTech sales rep today for more information.

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