2025 Monday Tutorials

Striving for productive and efficiently run labs is an expected ambition. Since much of the skill development happens from on-the-job training, it is necessary to consider the ways in we teach and learn. Underperformance or slow development can be a result of a disconnect in teaching and learning, not a byproduct of limited capacity. Therefore, this tutorial will provide information about learning styles and teaching modalities that can be implemented on the job. Bridging the disconnect will ultimately lead to progressive development and efficiency in technicians and laboratories. 

This tutorial provides an overview of industry best practice calibration process management solutions that are tailored towards optimizing compliance while reducing costs and providing significant competitive advantage. Several examples of innovative calibration process improvements will be described. The course will provide a thorough review of fundamental calibration concepts and regulatory requirements.  Consideration for optimizing cGMP calibration service provider qualification and approval will be provided as well. 

Many industrial customers require suppliers to provide objective evidence on the capabilities of their processes to consistently meet their customers’ requirements.  This tutorial will cover how to perform a MSA, SPC, and Process Capability Study.  

The topics and subtopics are based on the ASQ Certified Quality Engineer Body on Knowledge topics associated with the control and improvement of product and service processes.  It is also based on the AIAG APQP (Advanced Product Quality & Planning). 

Concepts to be Presented  

Thermal buffering helps effectively simulate the thermal properties of the items stored in the refrigerator, providing a more realistic measurement of the temperature conditions experienced by the stored products. This knowledge empowers you to make informed decisions in your daily tasks. 

When specifying the thermal buffer for stored goods, the specimens’ number, size, and physical nature should be considered. Monitoring the specimens’ storage environment to ensure quality and long-term efficacy is the best practice for improved patient outcomes.  

One should not compare the response of a thermal buffer that may be 5, 10, or 20 times greater in volume than the one stored in the unit. Thermal buffers are unavailable in every storage unit volume; however, an average volume should be chosen for general measurement purposes when using a physical buffer. Alternatively, one could choose a buffer volume representing the most minor stored materials. Accurate buffer sizing is critical when simulating the measured temperature with the stored good.  

Understanding the geometry of stored materials is also crucial. Without this understanding, the extent and effect of a temperature excursion cannot be accurately measured, leaving us to speculate. This knowledge empowers us to make informed decisions and ensures the safety and efficacy of our storage practices. Unleashing the ingenuity of virtual thermal buffering using a virtual sensor removes unknown temperature variables and implements the best practices to help ensure material efficacy.  

As the requirement to buffer became more pervasive, an approach to address the problem holistically sought the optimum solution. From these observations, the development of the Virtual Temperature Buffering™ (VTB) concept. VTB is an algorithm-based tool with an input of air temperature and constants representing the stored goods; a representative temperature of the stored goods is produced. This application has near infinite possibilities in that each volume and content can be characterized and temperature represented based on a single air temperature, instilling a sense of reassurance and confidence in its thorough development process.  

With VTB, the volume and buffer material used are no longer concerns. This method empowers consumers to standardize a virtual buffer tailored for each application. Standard constants can be generated for the general case, and specific constants can represent specialty materials. This flexibility puts the control in the hands of the user, allowing them to customize their buffering needs as per their specific requirements, instilling a sense of empowerment and control. 

This tutorial aims to teach practical internal auditing skills to individuals familiar with the activities of an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratory. We will examine auditing principles and techniques and practice internal auditing skills. While the tutorial is based on internationally recognized approaches to conducting internal audits, we will also draw on attendees’ practical laboratory experience, as well as ensure that the requirements of ISO/IEC 17025:2017 for an internal audit are understood. The course includes easy-to-implement methods for risk-based thinking, continual improvement, and closing out findings through the analysis of root causes aimed at their elimination. 

DOWNLOAD BADGE

This course is an introduction to the design, construction, theory of operation, practical use, and common errors associated with deadweight pressure testers. The course will start by explaining the theory of the operation of deadweight pressure testers. It will include details on piston gauges and ball type testers. The material will include deadweight tester use, best practices, set up, care, misuses, and common issues experienced while using deadweight testers including a section on site corrections with examples. The course will finish with hands-on activities with a deadweight pressure tester. 

Learning Objectives: 

1. Understand the theory behind a deadweight tester.
2. Gain an awareness of the design and basic operation of a deadweight pressure tester and appreciate best practices.
3. Recognize issues with deadweight tester performance.
4. Understand site corrections and learn how to calculate and apply them to deadweight pressure tester output.
5. Understand proper calibration of a deadweight pressure tester.

This comprehensive 4-hour course is designed for individuals seeking to enhance their ability to design and deliver effective training programs. Tailored for trainers, managers, and professionals in technical and non-technical fields, this session will provide participants with the tools to analyze training needs, understand adult learning principles, and create impactful training plans.

Course Objectives:

• Define the Role and Responsibilities of a Trainer: In the first segment, participants will gain clarity on the multifaceted role of a trainer, including how to inspire learning, facilitate knowledge transfer, and foster skill development in diverse audiences.
• Understand Key Principles of Adult Learning: Building on established methodologies, participants will explore how adult learners acquire knowledge and how to adapt their training strategies to accommodate different learning styles and preferences.
• Conduct Effective Training Needs Analysis (TNA): The heart of this course focuses on identifying skill gaps and training requirements. Participants will learn to:
  • Gather and interpret data through surveys, interviews, and performance metrics.
  • Assess competencies and align them with organizational goals.
• Design and Develop Tailored Training Programs: In the final section, participants will apply their insights to design structured training plans
  that resonate with their audience. This includes:
  • Creating detailed course outlines and engaging materials.
  • Aligning content with organizational objectives and industry standards.

Who Should Attend:

This course is ideal for trainers, team leaders, human resource professionals, and organizational managers who are responsible for workforce development and performance improvement.

Takeaways: By the end of this course, participants will:

• Have a solid foundation in training principles and adult learning.
• Be equipped to identify training needs and design effective programs.
• Develop confidence in creating and delivering impactful training
  materials.

This hands-on, interactive session promises to empower participants with the knowledge and skills necessary to transform their training initiatives and drive measurable outcomes.

DOWNLOAD BADGE

The modern understanding of mass metrology has matured. The traditional approach of treating weighing in the same way as less nuanced disciplines of metrology has changed.  

Authorities are recognizing that the roll-off of the components of electronic weighing sensors is such that many “Established” testing methods are inappropriate, and involve over-testing to achieve very little usable data, with a significant number of methods not actually achieving their metrological goal! 

National and International standards are being updated to reflect and recognize these facts. The US and Internationally recognized standards such as EURAMET cg-18 offers much insight into this, as does the current USP general Chapter 41 and others such as the new ASTM E.898.  

For example, many companies are not aware of basic tenets of bench weighing metrology. For example, balance or scale calibration is incomplete without a correctly calculated, corresponding statement of measurement uncertainty. Just as importantly, that weighing measurement uncertainty is almost wholly independent of loaded mass.  

A high majority of weighing inaccuracies occur outside of the balance, but can be attributed to a variety of influences within the control of the user or his/her organization.  

It is a fact that most calibration regimes are either almost completely dependent upon, or contain strong elements of, legacy calibration techniques that have been passed directly down from mechanical weighing instruments, even though the components of measurement uncertainty exhibit themselves differently, for an electronic weight sensor.  

The main concern is that many organizations or companies “Over-test” without actually generating much meaningful metrology. 

During this session, we will break down how measurement uncertainty exhibits itself across the capacity of an electronic balance or scale sensor. We will cover how to correctly assess and assign a Measurement Uncertainty budget for an electronic balance or scale, and discuss modern, robust, risk-based approaches to the assesment and estimation of significant, contributing uncertainty components, in order to build a thorough, yet scientifically-sound risk-based metrology program for bench or floor weighing instruments. 

We will also discuss phenomena that affect the accuracy of weighing, to illustrate how easy it is to create poor weight data!  To contrast this, you will learn how to overcome these potential sources of error, and optimize a balance metrology regime.

This course focuses on:  

• Factors influencing Measurement Uncertainty  
• Balance location and set up 
• User testing 
• Personal weighing technique
• Increasing productivity from your weighing equipment 

ISO/IEC 17025:2017, General requirements for the competence, impartiality, and consistent operation of laboratories, requires laboratories to employ a risk-based approach to identify and mitigate risks to laboratory activities, as well as to identify and implement opportunities for continuous improvement.  Both serve to increase confidence in the performance of a testing or calibration laboratory and in providing adequate technical information.   

Factors impacting the operations and competency of a laboratory from a two-dimensional perspective encompassing risk management and process improvement will be discussed during the session. 

This tutorial will provide the attendee with: 

• — Methodology for identification, monitoring and mitigating the risks 
• — Quality improvement methodologies and strategies