Objective

o To understand Statistical Process Control

o To be able to distinguish between assignable and

random causes

o To be able to recognise and use Run Charts, Mean

Charts and Range Charts

o To be able to interpret mean and range charts

o To be able to understand process capability

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 Why use Statistical Process Control (SPC) 1

o SPC is based on the idea that measuring process variability will

indicate if a process is in control or not.

o Processes can be brought into control and then improved by

progressively reducing process variability. The result is that
individuals and organisations learn about the process at an
increasingly detailed level.

o This learning means that process knowledge is continually improved.

o An increased knowledge about process capability is especially

difficult for competitors to copy. It only comes from the time and the
effort invested in understanding the process. It is knowledge that
cannot be bought off the shelf and can lead to market advantage.

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 Why use SPC 2

o Gives live information

o Is easy to draw
o Can be operator used
o Identifies:- Special causes Random causes
o Shows when to:-
~ Shut a process down. Adjust a process. Leave a process alone.
o Indicates a predictable process, so both supplier and customer can rely
on consistent standards and stable costs
o Reduces scrap and therefore reduces rework and cost.
o Encourages employee involvement
o Provides a common language for communicating information on
process conditions and capability along the customer supply chain and
the product value chain
o Increases productivity by improving conformance

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 Measuring the Process by Measuring the Product

Measurement of

Variable Attribute

measures everything
measures samples measures everything
always binary
pass – fail
yes – no
accept – reject
mean and range median and range present – not present
go – no go

a definable risk of error

run chart The number of defectives in a sample (np chart)

mean chart The proportion of defectives in a sample (p chart)
median chart The number of defects in a sample (c chart)
range chart The proportion of defects in a sample (u chart)

typically used only in manufacturing used in manufacturing and services

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 Measuring the process means that you ....

o know when causes are random

o can show the accumulation of random causes and their

effect

o can recognise when a process moves away from random

to assignable

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 Random & Assignable

Exactly stable processes never exist (Deming – Out of the Crisis 1982)

Variation is the cause of dispersion about the mean

o Random Variation o Assignable Variation

Draughts Differences between:
Atmospheric temperature Equipment (one machine and
Atmospheric pressure another)
Passing traffic One service encounter and another
Equipment vibration Processes
Electrical fluctuations Operator skills
Humidity fluctuations Information (source & interpretation)
Operator performance Materials

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 Run - Mean and Range Charts

o A run chart records individual samples.

o A mean chart records the average of a sample set.

o A range chart records the difference between the

maximum and the minimum (measurement e.g. weight
volume etc) of a sample set.

DATA COLLECTION:- CHARACTERISTIC

SAMPLE SIZE
FREQUENCY
SPECIFICATION

NO INSPECTION OR MEASUREMENT WITHOUT PROPER RECORDING

NO RECORDING WITHOUT ANALYSIS
NO ANALYSIS WITHOUT ACTION
NO ANYTHING WITHOUT A SPECIFICATION

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 Run Chart

1 417 e415g Conformance as Quality 330mle

2 413
3 414
4 415 Run Chart
5 416
6 415 418
7 416
Weight in grams

417
8 417 416 The working
9 415 415 range for the
10 414 414 product
11 417 413
12 415 412
13 413 411
14 416 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
15 415 Sample Number
16 414
17 416
18 415
19 413
20 414 Target = An average of 415 grams / can
415 Allowed Range = plus or minus 2 grams, 413 to 417 grams = 4grams.
Average
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 Mean Chart

Time Sample Set Data Average Range

08:15 1 417 416 414 413 416 415.2 4
08:30 2 413 417 417 415 414 415.2 4
08:45 3 414 415 415 416 417 415.4 3
09:00 4 415 414 416 415 415 415 2
09:15 5 416 417 417 417 414 416.2 3
09:30 6 415 415 415 413 414 414.4 2
09:45 7 416 415 417 414 415 415.4 3
10:00 8 417 416 413 416 417 415.8 4
10:15 9 415 415 414 417 413 414.8 4
10:30 10 414 413 415 415 414 414.2 2
10:45 11 417 416 416 414 415 415.6 3
11:00 12 415 415 417 416 416 415.8 2
11:15 13 413 414 413 413 415 413.6 2
11:30 14 416 416 414 416 416 415.6 2
11:45 15 415 414 415 415 417 415.2 3
12:00 16 414 417 416 417 415 415.8 3
12:15 17 416 415 415 417 416 415.8 2
12:30 18 415 417 413 414 413 414.4 barX 4
12:45 19 413 413 416 417 416 415 4
13:00 20 414 414 415 415 415 414.6 1
415.15 2.85
2barX
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 Mean and Range Charts

Mean Chart

416.5
416
415.5
Weight in grams

415
414.5
414
413.5
413
412.5
412
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Sample Set (Mean)

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 Sample Set Range

Range Chart

4.5
4
Weight in grams

3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Range from each sample set

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 Central Limit Theorem

1 If the population of individuals is normally distributed, the

samples that are selected from the population will also be
normally distributed, regardless of sample size.

2 If the population is not normally distributed then the mean of the

samples ( x ) drawn from the population will be normally
distributed.

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 Mean and Range

Spread of range
417
416
415
414
413

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

417
416
415
414
413

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

413 415 417

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 Histograms and SPC 2
Demonstrating the spread of data
415.1
413
414.4
415.6 160
412.5 - 412.9 20
415.7 140
413.0 - 413.4 40
415.6 120
415.8
413.5 - 413.9 80
414.0 - 414.4 120 100
415.1
417 414.5 - 414.9 160 80

415.3 415.0 - 415.4 140 60

413.1 415.5 - 415.9 70 40
415.4 416.0 - 416.4 50 20
414.8
416.5 - 416.9 30 0
414.4
416.3
417.0 - 417.4 20
415.2
415
414.3
414
414.6
415.3
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 Histograms and SPC 3 Measuring the spread of data

2% 14% 34% 34% 14% 2%

σ
−3σ − 2σ −1σ X 1σ 2σ 3σ

68.26%

95.44%

99.73%

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 Technique

o Define data collection parameters

o Collect data
o Find the mean for each sample set
o Find the range for each sample set
o Find the overall mean of the sample sets
o Find the mean of the ranges
Change to ISO 9000
o Plot the results
series requirements

Plot upper action line UAL

Plot upper warning line UWL
Plot lower warning line LWL
Plot lower action line LAL

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 Distribution σ & SPC Charts

Calculated as:

UCL
−3σ −2σ −1σ X 1σ 2σ 3σ

UCLM = X +(A2R)

UWL UWL = X + (2/3A2R)

LWL = X - (2/3A2R)

X LCLM = X - (A2R)
A2 = 0.577 For a sample set of 5

LWL

LCL

Range is calculated as UCLR and is RD4

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 Interpretation Points Outside Control Limits

UCL

X
LCL

Must establish the special cause and remove

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 Interpretation Runs

7 Or More Consecutive Points On One Side Of The Centre Line

UCL

LCL

Mean Chart Range Chart

Change in material Faulty measuring equipment

Change in method Change in material – supplier - operator

Change in operator Inadequate Maintenance

Faulty measuring equipment

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 Interpretation Cycles

A cycle is a repeated pattern of change over

equal intervals of time.

UCL

LCL
Mean Chart Range Chart

Temperature – Humidity Scheduled maintenance

Operator fatigue Operator fatigue

Regular rotation of machine or Tool wear and replacement

operator

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 Interpretation Trends

A trend is 7 or more consecutive intervals that are continually increasing

or decreasing

UCL

LCL
Mean Chart Range Chart
Deterioration in machine Change in operator skill
Operator fatigue Operator fatigue
Tool wear Tool wear
Environmental conditions Change in material

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 Interpretation Hugging (Centre) Line

For a distribution to be considered random about 2/3rds of the points should

be within the middle third of the region. i.e. plus or minus one standard
deviation

UCL

LCL

Mean Chart Range Chart

Improvement in process Samples from different processes
Data edited! Improvement since control limits
were last calculated

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 Interpretation Hugging Control Limits

UCL

LCL

Mean Chart Range Chart

Over control Materials of different quality

Large differences in material Different workers using the same chart

quality
Different processes being recorded
Two or more processes

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 Process Capability (cp and cpk)

o Is a process capable?

o The cp index gives a measure of capability for a process

which is centred on the required design value

o The cpk index gives a measure of capability for a process

which is not centred on the required design value

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 Calculating Cp

o Cp =T/6σ

o Where T = (USL -LSL)

o Where σ = R/dn

o Therefore 6σ = 6R/dn

o Therefore Cp = T/2.58R

nb1 dn Is the statistical constant (set of tables)

For a sample size of 5 and is 2.326

nb2 USL = Upper Specification Limit

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 Calculating Cpk

o Cpk = USL - X or X - LSL

3σ 3σ
Whichever is the less

o Both cp and cpk must be greater than 1 for a process to be

said to be in control. The minimum acceptable standard is
< 1.33. Most organisations will not accept less than 2. Six
Sigma organisations not less than 3

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 We Covered

o The 'other two' of the seven tools of quality management

o Attributes and Variables

o Histograms and the s p r e a d of data

o Measuring the spread of data

o Recording the spread of data

o Interpreting the results

o A quick look at process capability

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 Correction Tables for Sample Sizes (A ) for Mean 2

Sample Correction Sample Correction

Size Factor Size Factor

2 1.880 11 0.285
3 1.023 12 0.266
4 0.729 13 0.249
5 0.577 14 0.235
6 0.483 15 0.223
7 0.419 16 0.212
8 0.373 17 0.203
9 0.337 18 0.194
10 0.308 19 0.187

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 Correction Tables for Sample Sizes for Range

Correction Factor

Sample
Size Dn D3 D4

2 1.128 0 3.267
3 1.693 0 2.575
4 2.059 0 2.282
5 2.326 0 2.115
6 2.534 0 2.004
7 2.704 0.076 1.924
8 2.847 0.136 1.864
9 2.970 0.184 1.816
10 3.078 0.223 1.777
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 Some of the Symbols and Terminology used in SPC

o X = barX = Mean
o X = 2barX = Average of the means
o R = Range
o R = Mean of the ranges
o UCLM = Upper Control Limit aka UALM or Upper Action Line for mean charts
o LCLR = Lower Control Limit aka LALM or Lower Action Line for mean charts
o UCLR = Upper Control Limit aka UALR or Upper Action Line for range charts
o LCLR = Lower Control Limit aka LALR or lower Action Line for range charts
ο σ Is the symbol for standard deviation of the mean
o A2 is the title of a correction table for UCLM and LCLM for mean charts
o Dn is the title of a correction table for assessing sd from R
o D3 is the title of a correction table for the LCLR of range charts
o D4 is the title of a correction table for the UCLR of range charts
o UCLM is calculated as X +(A2R)
o LCLM is calculated as X - (A2R)
o UCLR is calculated as RD4

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