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Metal Cutting Corporation > Knowledge Center > Quality Control > The Sampling Plan in Quality
Control

The Sampling Plan in

Quality Control
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Posted: July 27, 2017 By Barbara Osborne

Updated: July 18, 2022

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7/25/22, 10:53 AM The Sampling Plan in Quality Control

Saving Time
METAL And
CUTTING JOINSCost In Small
CHAMFR.COM Visit the marketplace for quantities of

Metal Parts Inspection

stock parts, available immediately.

We often talk about how important inspections are to the

manufacture of small metal parts, helping to ensure the quality
of components that make up thousands, if not millions, of
products.

Yet, 100% inspection eats up significant time and cost — plus it

still does not guarantee 100% compliance. That is why
manufacturers and their customers rely on a sampling plan in
quality control (QC).

Good Reasons To Use Sampling

Plans For Inspection
Visual inspections — whether with the naked eye or using
sophisticated optical tools — are done to detect a variety of
surface finish issues in metal parts, from corrosion and
contamination to cracks and surface irregularities.

But given the large quantities that most manufacturers work

with, it is impractical to spend the amount of time and
significant money required to look at 100% of the parts in every
lot. For example, here at Metal Cutting Corporation, we
routinely produce lots consisting of 100,000 parts.

Inspecting such a large lot, it is also easy to make an error. Put

a part in the wrong bin, have a micrometer placed slightly off
when measuring, or just blink — any of these can mean missing
some defect that would have an impact on end product NEXT CONTENT

performance.

In addition, even with a range of very precise tools available for

inspecting parts, it is impossible to examine every tiny segment

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7/25/22, 10:53 AM The Sampling Plan in Quality Control

of a part’s surface.
METAL That means
CUTTING JOINSeven if you do 100%
CHAMFR.COM inspection,
Visit the marketplace for quantities of
it is not precisely 100%. stock parts, available immediately.

By definition, a sampling plan is a statistical method of

determining whether to accept or reject a lot of material that is
being produced. With a QC sampling plan, a relatively small
number of pieces from the lot are inspected to determine if the
entire lot will be accepted or rejected based on the number of
defective pieces in the sample.

AQL In Quality Control Sampling

At Metal Cutting, experience has shown us that inspecting a
small portion of the parts in a lot is not only faster and more
cost-effective — it also allows us to pay closer attention to the
inspection process. With every piece in the sample being more
carefully inspected, the likelihood of errors or of simply missing
something is reduced.

Best of all, a quality sampling plan provides statistically valid

results and high confidence that if the sample is defect-free, the
entire lot will meet the customer’s requirements for
an Acceptable Quality Level (AQL).

Statistically, AQL is a measure of the maximum number of

defective goods that would be considered acceptable in a
particular sample size. It corresponds to the percentage of a
production run that can be rejected before some corrective
action must be taken.

The higher the AQL, the fewer the number of parts that will be
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inspected. This means with a lot size of 100,000 pieces, for
example, 123 pieces would be inspected at AQL 0.4, but only 29
pieces would be inspected at AQL 4.0.

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7/25/22, 10:53 AM The Sampling Plan in Quality Control

The Standards ForCHAMFR.COM

METAL CUTTING JOINS Sampling Visit the marketplace for quantities of

Plans stock parts, available immediately.

In sampling plans, the number of pieces to be inspected and

the acceptable number of defective pieces in a sample are
usually based on AQLs and index values included in published
standards such as ANSI/ASQ Z1.4-2008, from the American
National Standards Institute (ANSI)/American Society for
Quality (ASQ).

You can also find lot and sampling size values and other
technical information in the book Zero Acceptance Number
Sampling Plans, Fifth Edition, by Nicholas L. Squeglia.

Here at Metal Cutting, we prefer to inspect metal parts using

the standard AQL 1.0 c=0, which is a zero acceptance
sampling plan from Squeglia’s book. This plan dictates how
many randomly selected parts we will inspect, depending on
the lot size, to statistically assure that all parts are of acceptable
quality.

Using The Zero Acceptance AQL

1.0 C=0 Sampling Plan
Statistically speaking, N is the population of total parts, n is the
sample size, and c is the amount of bad parts that will be
allowed. So, a c=0 sampling plan simply means that if one
defect is found among the sample size (n), the entire lot (N) is
either rejected or subject to 100% inspection.

The associated AQL determines how many randomly selected NEXT CONTENT

parts will be inspected, based on the total lot size. For example,
employing an AQL index value of 1.0 as our standard, we would
inspect:

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7/25/22, 10:53 AM The Sampling Plan in Quality Control

A random
METAL sampling
CUTTING JOINS of CHAMFR.COM
50 parts in a lot size
Visitof
the5,000
marketplace for quantities of
small metal parts stock parts, available immediately.
A random sampling of 74 parts In a lot size of
100,000 pieces

Using our preferred zero acceptance sampling plan AQL 1.0

c=0, if just one randomly selected part in the sample fails
inspection, then the entire lot is rejected or 100% inspection
must be performed for the failed characteristic. If the entire
sample passes inspection, then the entire lot is accepted

When To Use A Sampling Plan In

Quality Control
At Metal Cutting, where we produce thousands of small metal
parts every day, we like to say that inspecting parts for quality
is part of our DNA. So, we typically begin every project with a
sampling plan that spells out the specifics of metal parts
inspection, including the associated AQL and index values.

By providing this level of detail, with strict guidelines for parts

inspection, we find that sampling plans help us ensure
acceptable quality levels and cost-effectiveness.

Because of our quality commitment, we don’t just inspect final

parts at the end of manufacturing, prior to packaging and
delivery. Rather, our process includes QC sampling at various Get a
stages.
Customiz
This includes receiving, where we take in and inspect not just ed quote,
our raw material but also any customer-supplied materials that today!
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we will be using to make a part. We also do QC sampling at a
designated step (or steps) during production — and of course,
at the end.

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7/25/22, 10:53 AM The Sampling Plan in Quality Control
Quote
This enables
METALus CUTTING
to be sure JOINS
that quality is tightly Visit the marketplace for quantities of
CHAMFR.COM
controlled throughout the process.
stock parts, available immediately.

Other Statistical Tools For QC

Of course, sampling plans are not perfect either, so there may
be one or two imperfect parts in a lot of 100,000. That’s where
other statistical tools can be brought into the process.

For example, a customer might ask for a Cpk value of 1.33 or

better, to ensure that (statistically speaking) the parts are close
to the nominal value rather than the upper or lower limits of
the specifications for tolerance.

If the customer has very tight tolerances and is using the

maximum capabilities of a machine, then Cpk is not the best
option. That’s because the entire tolerance range will need to
be used to meet the tight specification.

However, with a looser tolerance range, the Cpk statistic can be

used to show conforming processes and outcomes.

Why We Prefer The AQL 1.0 C=1

Sampling Plan
Sometimes customers request a different AQL level, such as 0.4
(vs. 1.0), which will increase the number of sample parts to be
inspected and, in turn, add to the cost of inspection.

In addition, customers might request different types of

sampling plans, such as one based on standards created by
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ANSI, which requires larger sample sizes but allows for some
parts to be out of spec. For example, an ANSI/AQL Z1.4–2008
chart specifies that in a normal sampling plan with a lot size of
5,000 pieces, an AQL of 1.0, and inspection level II:

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7/25/22, 10:53 AM The Sampling Plan in Quality Control

The random
METAL CUTTING sample
JOINSsize would be 200 Visit
CHAMFR.COM pieces
the marketplace for quantities of
The lot could be accepted withavailable
stock parts, up to fiveimmediately.
sampled
parts out of spec
The lot would be rejected and subject to 100%
inspection only if six or more parts were out of spec

However, we find that our preferred standard, AQL 1.0 c=0, is a

more efficient and cost-effective sampling plan. By allowing us
to inspect fewer parts without increasing the statistical
probability of rejectable parts, AQL 1.0 c=0 helps us provide a
high level of quality assurance while reducing inspection costs.

In addition, shipping a lot that we know will include bad parts

runs counter to our quality goal, which is to have ZERO
inspected parts out of spec. That makes a zero acceptance
sampling plan the best fit for both our business and our
customers’ needs.

Statistical Validity Wins The Day

In the end, with a statistically valid sampling plan, we can
inspect a smaller number of pieces more carefully and give
customers a high level of confidence that if the sample is
acceptable, the entire lot is acceptable.

Again, you can find lot and sampling size values and other
technical information about QC sampling plans — as well as
documentation about the validity of AQL c = 0, the sampling
plan that Metal Cutting highly recommends — in Squeglia’s
book (cited above).

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But whatever inspection methods and sampling plans you
decide to use, it is important to include this information in your
specifications and your request for a project estimate. That
way, your manufacturing partner can make recommendations

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7/25/22, 10:53 AM The Sampling Plan in Quality Control

and provide
METALan accurate
CUTTINGand timely
JOINS quote — one that
CHAMFR.COM Visitincludes
the marketplace for quantities of
inspection in the total cost of your
stockmetal
parts,parts.
available immediately.

You can learn more about specifying your requirements for

parts inspection, as well as for metal parts cutting and finishing
for your small metal parts application, by downloading a free
copy of our comprehensive guide, How to Fine-Tune Your
Quote Request to Your Maximum Advantage: Frequently Asked
Questions in Small Parts Sourcing.

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