Celebrating the Work of Female Employees at Verus Metrology on International Women in Engineering Day

June 22, 2022

Celebrating the Work of Female Employees at Verus Metrology on International Women in Engineering Day

June 22, 2022

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As today is International Women in Engineering Day, we thought we would celebrate some of the women on the Verus Metrology team. Each of them has a unique story to tell.

We also asked them to reflect on the fact the field of metrology, the wider medical device industry, and the general engineering sector are all still male-dominated.

There is also interesting advice for girls and young women considering a future career path, as well as views on the opportunities there are in metrology and engineering.

Farragh McDonagh, Engineering Apprentice

“I did my leaving cert in 2020 when everything shut down because of Covid. I got my predicted grades and was initially planning to study engineering at UL. I decided not to go straight into that as none of the classes were going to be in-person. I wanted to take a year out and get a job. That’s how I ended up at Verus.

“I initially got a job working as a technician. It was only going to be a summer job, but then I got speaking to Andrew about taking on an engineering apprenticeship. I haven’t looked back since.

“In my course, you do three months in ATU in Sligo, then back to Verus for an industry block. I really like the mix of the theory side you get in college and then the practical side at Verus. Part of the apprenticeship is you do a block in each department. At the moment, I’m on the manufacturing floor with all the lads!

“Being with the lads was a bit daunting when it started, but they all treat me the exact same.

“In school, I really liked subjects like woodwork even though I was the only girl in the class. I also had a really good career guidance teacher who showed me all the engineering courses available across the country.

“I think sometimes when you go into a male-dominated industry, it takes an initial bit of courage to do it, but once you are in there, you don’t even think it is male-dominated.

“It is a rewarding industry to work in. It is an industry that is always changing. There is always going to be a better way of doing something, and it is nice to be a part of that.”

Mihaela Healy, Metrology Applications Technician

“My job involves running and operating various types of metrology machines. We work with five different types of machines here and they all have different software and techniques and approaches. I’m also training to program the machines to complete the measurements.

“As for engineering and metrology, I got into it a bit by accident. I worked in hospitality previously and was on a degree course in computer science, but neither was for me. I then saw a job advertised at Verus. I thought it looked interesting but, to be honest, I didn’t know anything about metrology or the medical device industry.

“I was right, though, it is interesting. I love what I do now, and I’m really excited about the training I’m doing and my future career.

“There could be other young women like me who also don’t know much about the various fields in engineering, so we should be telling people in secondary school. I went to an all-girls secondary school and there was very little focus on engineering or technology. If engineering and technology were more available, girls in secondary school would be able to see if they have an interest.

“My advice to girls and young women is to embrace any interest that you have and trust yourself. I wasn’t sure I would be capable of this job, but I am capable. Trust in yourself that you are able to do more than you think. Also, don’t be discouraged because you are not following the mainstream, and don’t let traditions get in the way of anything.”

Anke Rooney, Client Account Lead, Verus Metrology

“I work in the sales department, so I am responsible for looking after all the needs of our customers. I am the main point of contact for customers all over the world, and I’m the connection between the customer and all the teams in Verus – accounts, manufacturing, engineering, etc.

“I didn’t start out in sales, though, as I was initially the shipping and logistics coordinator. Michael (Nugent, Verus COO) and Andrew (Hodson, Verus CEO) felt I would be a good fit for the new role.

“Working in a male-dominated industry is not a huge change for me as I have a lot of experience working as a bouncer in nightclubs. I do think there is a bit of a cultural problem here in Ireland, as attitudes can be behind the rest of Europe. There is still a stigma about some careers, that they are female careers or male careers. I’m from Germany, and you don’t have those attitudes in Germany.

“For me, the fact it is a male-dominated industry is not that big a deal. You will get out of it what you put in. Most of the people I work with are male and most of the customers I speak to are male, but there are no negative attitudes.

“I think the industry needs to advertise that fact more to women, that engineering is an option, and you could be interested in it. You might have to work on confidence things like posture and tone of voice, but even that’s not a big issue. What I have found in engineering, is that it is what you make of it.”

Yvette Haughey, Finance Director

“I wasn’t drawn to work in engineering. Before I joined Verus, I was a self-employed bookkeeper with a number of clients in a range of industries. Verus was one of them – Michael and Andrew came to me about six weeks after they launched.

“As Verus grew, the need for my services grew. I started working part-time and that became full-time. I thought if I didn’t do it, I would regret it. I was giving up some things, but I believed in them as a company. The company was organic, homegrown, local guys doing their thing, and there was a pride in being a part of that.

“It wasn’t the industry; it was the people that attracted me into the organisation.

“Sometimes for finance people, the numbers are the numbers. But as my involvement in the business grew, I needed to understand the business more.

“It is male dominated, so you do need to be able to get on with the men, but I think women in the organisation is good for the organisation as a whole. Everything is improved in the workplace when there are more women. We help men raise their game.

“The men we have employed have no problem treating women equally. That is led from the top down. It’s a real joy to see new engineers coming in who are female. They are holding their own and they enjoy what they are doing.

“I think the industry has to communicate more effectively. At Verus, for example, it is a safe place to work. Even though it is male dominated, it is okay, as the parameters are in place to have the same enjoyment, the same opportunities for career development, the same support for training and building expertise.

“Also, critically, it is totally acceptable if you become pregnant while employed at Verus, and we have great supports in place for our female staff.  Women sometimes look at organisations where it is acceptable to go on maternity leave, and don’t think engineering companies fall into that category. We have got to get past that. The legislation is there, so it is okay to be a woman, a mother, and have a career in this male-dominated world. “The traditional engineering milk round would have focused on boys’ schools. Girls’ schools were a box-ticking exercise, but we have got to do more than that. We have to communicate the positive messages about a career in engineering to girls.”

Introduction 

As 2024 unfolds, the field of metrology is witnessing transformative changes. At Verus Metrology, we recognize the importance of keeping pace with technological advancements and new trends in the science of measurement. In this rapidly evolving landscape, innovations in metrology are not just about achieving precision; they are about meeting the evolving challenges of industries like medical devices, where accuracy is critical for ensuring safety and quality. This article explores the emerging trends and technological breakthroughs shaping metrology’s future. 

As 2024 unfolds, the field of metrology is witnessing transformative changes. At Verus Metrology, we recognize the importance of keeping pace with technological advancements and new trends in the science of measurement. In this rapidly evolving landscape, innovations in metrology are not just about achieving precision; they are about meeting the evolving challenges of industries like medical devices, where accuracy is critical for ensuring safety and quality. This article explores the emerging trends and technological breakthroughs shaping metrology’s future. 

Metrology Fixture Types – What’s Available, and Which is Best?

9 February 2023

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Fixture type and use cases

Metrology fixturing technologies continue to develop at a rapid pace, offering manufacturers in the medical device industry new and innovative solutions. Those solutions don’t just meet inspection and quality process requirements, but they also deliver efficiency savings and productivity gains. How do you know what metrology fixture types are available and which is best for your application? In this blog, we’ll outline the main options, their underlying technologies, and the use cases they are best suited for. 

However, it is also important to point out that the fixture types described in this blog represent broad categories. Within those categories, there is an infinite number of ways that a fixturing solution can be developed to meet your specific needs, reduce risk, and take advantage of opportunity

While there are metrology fixture types that we can explore, every fixture solution that we develop here at Verus Metrology is completely unique. In other words, fully customised for the product or component being measured, as well as the inspection machine, quality department workflows, production processes, and any other influencing factor. 

Metrology Fixture Types 

There are six main metrology fixture types: 

  • Auto rotational 
  • Manual rotator 
  • Multi-station
  • Proof of Principle (POP) 
  • Vision system 
  • Docking station 

 

Auto-Rotational Fixtures

Isometric view of an auto rotational metrology checking fixture, the automatic part of the fixture is the turning of the rail by a motor. The fixture has white plastic components held in place using brown clips

 

At a fundamental level, the job of a metrology fixture is to hold a product or component securely in place so it can be effectively inspected and measured. However, there are situations where the inspection process requires the part to be presented at different orientations to enable all the relevant measurements to be taken. This requirement for measurement in multiple orientations is increasing as medical device products become more complex and intricate. 

Auto-rotational fixtures enable the inspection of products and components in multiple orientations with minimal operator intervention. An auto-rotational fixture can be a single-station set-up, but they more commonly come in multi-station designs to minimise the time it takes to achieve your required sample rate. 

The most important feature of an auto-rotational fixture is that you can measure multiple components in multiple orientations in a single setup. 

Manual Rotator Fixtures

Manual Rotator Metrology Fixtures by Verus Metrology

Manual rotator fixtures offer similar benefits to auto-rotational fixtures. The obvious main difference is that operators manually rotate components once they are loaded into the fixture. 

Manual rotator fixtures can be multi-station. They are also designed so that all measurements in all orientations can be taken in one set-up. So, while the operator will need to manually control the rotation mechanism, there is no requirement to touch or adjust the components as the fixture holds them securely in place during rotation. 

The benefits of manual rotator fixtures include: 

  • Significantly reduced operator intervention 
  • Improved measurement accuracy 
  • Elimination of errors 
  • Faster and more efficient metrology processes 

Furthermore, we can design your manual rotator fixture so it can be loaded with components away from your CMM. This improves CMM availability as the machine doesn’t have to sit idle while components are being loaded onto the fixture. 

Multi-Station Fixtures 

multi station rotator

According to FDA regulations and ISO 13485, it is essential that you can statistically justify sampling rates in your quality procedures using a risk-based approach. The operational part of this requirement isn’t covered in the guidelines, but it is an important business consideration. How do you efficiently, accurately, and cost-effectively inspect the number of products or components that are required to hit your sampling rate target? 

Multi-station fixtures are a common solution. We can design multi-station fixtures in any configuration. This could be a large cavity multi-station fixture, a fixture to inspect very small and complex medical devices, or solutions for products or components of any size, geometry, or characteristic. 

The benefits of multi-station fixtures include: 

  • Operator intervention is greatly reduced 
  • Fixtures only need to be loaded once before full inspection routines can take place on multiple products at the same time 
  • Reduce human error 
  • Speed up inspection processes while achieving your sampling rate target 
  • Reducing the cost of inspections 

 

Proof of Principle Multi-station Prototype Fixtures 

proof of principle

 

In many product development and process change situations, it is beneficial to have a POP fixture that can be used for verification and validation purposes. The approach we typically take at Verus Metrology is to design a multi-station fixture to deliver on your requirements. 

However, before this multi-station fixture design goes into manufacturing, we design and produce a single-station POP prototype fixture. This POP prototype can be manufactured quickly in our advanced manufacturing facility. We’ll then put it through a gage R&R study to give you confidence in its repeatability and reproducibility, before sending it to you for evaluation and testing. 

POP prototype fixtures offer a range of benefits: 

  • Facilitates design for inspection during the product development process 
  • Minimises delays in process verification 
  • Enhances and speeds up the design transfer process 
  • Reduces time to market in line with regulatory requirements 

 

Vision System Solutions

We also design and manufacture fixturing solutions for vision systems in addition to the fixtures we design for use on CMMs. Fixturing solutions that are optimised for vision systems have a number of specific and differentiating features, including ensuring there is a clean and clear view of the part. 

Vision system solutions can also allow for backlighting where necessary. Furthermore, a single set-up is all that is required for the full inspection routine to take place, with parts securely held with as little force as possible. 

 

Docking Systems 

Docking System Verus Metrolody

Docking systems enhance the efficiency of quality departments that use multiple fixtures and/or have high sampling rates. Docking systems are securely fixed to CMMs to make it quick and easy for technicians to load fixtures that are fully set up with components ready for inspection. Once the inspection routine for a fixture is complete, it can be quickly and easily removed from the docking system ready for the next fixture to be loaded. 

With a custom-designed docking system, you can have confidence that each changeover results in precisely secured fixtures for repeatable and reproduceable inspections. 

Choosing the Right Fixture for Your Requirements

There are many factors to consider when choosing the best type of metrology fixture for your requirements. Your budget is an important consideration, as are your ROI goals, quality processes, quality resources, and future requirements. 

The best approach is to speak to a fixture design expert to explore the options and get an understanding of what is possible. Contact us today to find out more. 

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About Verus Metrology Partners

Verus is committed to the enhancement of our client’s metrology laboratories, machine efficiencies, and inspection processes. Since our beginning, our expert metrology engineering team has partnered with some of the world’s largest MedTech multinationals.

 

We specialize in high quantity, difficult to measure, yet critically important, medical device parts. As well as working in the MedTech, Pharmaceutical and Personal Care industry, we also work with metrology departments in the FMCG and Aerospace industry.