This book explains in detail the most common statistical process control tools. Filled with illustrative examples from high-volume production, the book is a comprehensive look at process control. The book aims to make elements of high-volume production process control simpler and easier to understand, and it uses many constructive examples to do so. Although there are many software packages to perform statistical process control, these software packages tend to act like secret boxes. Users enter data blindly into the software and get results without understanding the actual statistical process control process. Anyone dealing with high-volume production as an operator, line supervisor, inspector, process engineer, quality engineer, manufacturing manager, plant manager all the way up to the president of the company has to understand and absorb statistical process control basics that are outlined in this book in order to be successful. A manufacturing plant in high-volume production should have strict procedures in place as to what to do and how to deal with out-of-specification parts and out-of-control process conditions, including shutting down production and calling emergency meetings. These procedures and their controls involve people at every level of a manufacturing organization.

Beginning with an introduction to product specifications, critical parameters, and measurement standards, the book explains both short-term and long-term gage capability evaluation for variables, as well as gage capability for attribute data. Once product specifications, critical parameters, measurement standards, and capable gages are in place, statistical process controls for variables and for attributes are examined. This is followed by an in-depth discussion of correlation of gages from different production lines. The book concludes with Six Sigma process capabilities. Book jacket.