Introduction to Quality Control

1 What is quality control?.- 1.1 What is Quality Control?.- 1.1.1 The Definition of Quality Control.- 1.1.2 Some Misunderstandings about Quality Control and Total Quality Control.- 1.1.3 The Benefits of Companywide Quality Control.- 1.2 The History and Current Status of Quality Control.- 1.3 Advances in Quality Assurance.- 1.4 What is Quality?.- 1.4.1 Quality to Satisfy the Consumer.- 1.4.2 True Quality Characteristics and Substitute Characteristics; Product Research.- 1.4.3 Quality Analysis and Product Research.- 1.4.4 Clarifying Definitions Concerning Quality.- 1.4.5 What are Good Quality and Good Products?.- 1.5 What is Control?.- 1.5.1 The Old-Fashioned Approach to Control.- 1.5.2 Control Methods and Philosophy.- 1.5.3 Action for Recurrence Prevention ("Permanent Fix").- 1.6 Controlling Quality.- 1.6.1 The Basis of Quality Control and Quality Assurance.- 1.6.2 The Quality Assurance System.- 1.6.3 Control of Raw Materials and Subcontracting (Materials).- 1.6.4 Equipment Control (Machines).- 1.6.5 Working Methods and Standardization (Methods).- 1.6.6 Measurement Control (Measurement).- 1.6.7 Personnel (Man) and Education.- 1.7 Quality and Process Improvement.- 1.7.1 Philosophy and Basic Conditions of Control and Improvement.- 1.7.2 The Steps in Improvement.- 1.7.3 Investigation and Analysis for Revealing Problems.- 1.7.4 Deciding Problems, Targets, and Deadlines.- 1.8 Statistical Quality Control, Total Quality Control and Technology.- 1.9 The Ends and Means of Business Management.- 1.10 QC Circle Activities.- 1.11 The Introduction and Promotion of TQC.- 1.12 Methods of Promoting TQC in Individual Departments.- 1.13 Quality Diagnosis and TQC Diagnosis.- 1.14 The Role of Executives in TQC 85 Some Quality Control Maxims.- 2 The Statistical Approach, With Some Simple Statistical Tools.- 2.1 Statistical Methods Used in Quality Control.- 2.2 The Statistical Approach.- 2.2.1 The Statistical Approach.- 2.2.2 Precautions from the Control Viewpoint.- 2.3 The Different Types of Data.- 2.4 Expressing Distributions Quantitatively.- 2.5 Interpreting and Using Frequency Distributions.- 2.6 Pareto Diagrams and Pareto Curves.- 2.7 Check Sheets.- 2.8 Process Capability Diagrams.- 2.9 Scatter Diagrams (Correlation Diagrams).- 2.10 What is Error?.- 2A.1 Preparing Frequency Distributions.- 2A.2 Methods of Calculating Statistics.- 2A.3 Distribution of Statistics.- 3 The Preparation And Use Of Control Charts.- 3.1 What are Control Charts?.- 3.2 Types of Control Chart.- 3.3 Preparing Average and Range $$(bar x - R)$$Control Charts.- 3.4 Preparing Control Charts for Fraction Defective (p).- 3.5 Preparing Control Charts for Number of Defectives (pn).- 3.6 Preparing Control Charts for Number of Defects per Unit (u).- 3.7 Preparing Control Charts for Number of Defects (c).- 3.8 Interpreting Control Charts.- 3.9 Using Control Charts.- 3.9.1 Applications.- 3.9.2 Using Control Charts for Analysis.- 3.9.3 Using Control Charts for Control.- 3A.1 The Median ($$tilde x$$) and Range Control Chart.- 3A.2 Control Charts for Individual Data Points.- 3A.2.1 Preparing the x Control Chart.- 3A.2.2 Using the x Control Chart.- 3A.3 The Statistical Interpretation of Control Charts.- 3A.4 Methods of Testing Differences in Averages from Control Charts.- 4 Process Analysis and Improvement.- 4.1 Process Improvement and Control.- 4.2 Improvement Types and Procedures.- 4.2.1 Types of Improvement.- 4.2.2 Obstacles to Improvement.- 4.2.3 The Basic Conditions for Improvement.- 4.2.4 Process Analysis and Improvement Procedures.- 4.3 Problem-Finding Investigations.- 4.3.1 General Hints.- 4.3.2 How to Stratify.- 4.3.3 Graphs.- 4.3.4 Exposing Hidden Defectives and Latent Complaints.- 4.4 Deciding What Problems to Tackle.- 4.5 Organization for Process Analysis and Improvement.- 4.5.1 Process Analysis and Improvement through the Standing Organization.- 4.5.2 Process Analysis and Improvement through QC Circle Activities.- 4.5.3 QC Team Activities.- 4.5.4 Engineer-in-Charge and Manager-in-Charge Systems.- 4.6 Analyzing Problems and Preparing Improvement Plans.- 4.6.1 Basic Attacking Attitude.- 4.6.2 Items to be Specified in Improvement Plans; Standardization and Control Methods.- 4.7 Examining Process Analysis and Improvement Methods.- 4.7.1 Analysis and Improvement Using Proprietary Technology.- 4.7.2 Analysis and Improvement Using Pooled Knowledge.- 4.7.3 Creativity and Suggestion Schemes.- 4.7.4 Cause-and-Effect Diagrams.- 4.7.5 QC Process Charts.- 4.7.6 Analysis and Improvement with Simultaneous Use of Statistical Methods.- 4.7.7 Process Capability Studies.- 4.8 Some General Hints on Analysis.- 4.9 General Procedures for Statistical Analysis.- 4.10 Performing Factory Experiments.- 4.11 Process Analysis with Scant Data.- 4.12 Preparing and Implementing Improvement Plans.- 4.13 Checking Results: Control and Further Improvement.- 4.14 Preparing Reports.- 4A.1 Investigating Measurement Methods.- 4A.2 Investigating Sampling Methods.- 4A.3 The Concept of Statistical Testing.- 4A.4 The Concept of Statistical Estimation.- 4A.5 Difference in Means of Two Sets of Corresponding Continuous Data-Simple Method.- 4A.6 Difference in Fractions Defective of Two Sets of Data-Method Using Binomial Probability Paper.- 4A.7 Difference in Means of Two Sets of Data (Variables) When There is No Correspondence.- 4A.8 Relation between Corresponding Sets of Data-Correlation.- 4A.9 Additivity of Variances.- 5 Process Control.- 5.1 What is Process Control?.- 5.2 Quality Design and Process Design.- 5.2.1 Quality Standards.- 5.2.2 Process Design, Process Analysis, and Preparation of Quality Control Process Charts.- 5.3 Action.- 5.3.1 Types of Action.- 5.3.2 Adjustment Graphs.- 5.3.3 Control Charts Aimed Mainly at Taking Prompt Action.- 5.3.4 Control Charts Focusing on Recurrence Prevention.- 5.3.5 Process Abnormality Reports.- 5.4 Work Standards and Technical Standards.- 5.4.1 What are Work Standards and Technical Standards?.- 5.4.2 Quality Characteristics, Control Characteristics, and Work Standards.- 5.4.3 Purposes and Types of Work Standard.- 5.4.4 Conditions to be Included in Work Standards.- 5.4.5 Preparing Work Standards.- 5.4.6 Implementing and Controlling Work Standards.- 5.5 Control Levels.- 5.5.1 Selecting Control Items.- 5.5.2 Setting Control Levels.- 5.5.3 Control and Revision of Control Levels.- 5.6 Causes of Abnormalities and Control Standards.- 5.6.1 Causes of Abnormalities.- 5.6.2 Control Standards.- 5.7 How to Check Whether Good Process Control is Being Implemented.- 5.8 The Benefits of Control Charts and the Controlled State.- 5.9 Setting Adjustment Criteria.- 6 Quality Assurance and Inspection.- 6.1 What is Quality Assurance?.- 6.2 The Principles of Quality Assurance.- 6.3 Quality Assurance Methods and Systems.- 6.4 Why are Defectives Produced? Some Suitable Countermeasures.- 6.5 Reliability.- 6.6 Quality Assurance and Social Responsibility (Product Liability and Environmental Disruption by Product).- 6.7 What is Inspection?.- 6.8 Inspection Type.- 6.9 What is Sampling Inspection?.- 6.9.1 Sampling Errors.- 6.9.2 OC Curves.- 6.9.3 Average Outgoing Quality (AOQ).- 6.9.4 Types of Sampling Inspection.- 6.9.5 Quality Level and Disposition of Lot after Inspection.- 6.10 100% Inspection or Sampling Inspection?.- 6.11 Process Control or Inspection?.- 6.12 The Inspection Department.- 6.12.1 The Duties of the Inspection Department.- 6.12.2 Errors to which Inspection and the Inspection Department are Susceptible.- 6.13 Inspection Standards and How to Set them.- 6.14 Complaints Handling and Special Acceptance.- 6.14.1 What are Complaints?.- 6.14.2 Complaints Handling.- 6.14.3 Special Acceptance.- 6.15 Conclusions.- 7 The Systematic Implementation of Total Quality Control.- 7.1 Total Quality Control.- 7.2 The TQC Organization.- 7.3 TQC Promotion Programs.- 7.4 Design Control.- 7.5 Raw Material Control, Subcontractor Control, and TQC for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises.- 7.6 Equipment Control, Jig and Tool Control, and Measurement Control.- 7.7 TQC in Marketing, Sales, and Service.- 7.8 TQC and Distribution Organization.- 7.9 Research and Development Control.- 7.10 Quality Audits.- 7.11 Quality Control Audits and TQC Audits.- 7.12 Policy Management.- 7.13 Conclusion.