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Taguchi Techniques Workbook

Proven Taguchi Technique for Quality, Speed, and Accuracy

in Process/Product Development

CAPSULE-1: TAGUCHI LOSS FUNCTION

SFGE INDIA
Transforming Lives
 Table of Contents
Session-1: Understanding Economics of Variation - .............. 4
Meaning of Quality ........................................... 4
Goalpost Philosophy .......................................... 5
Taguchi Loss Function ........................................ 6
Goalpost and Taguchi Loss Function Example .................... 6
Goalpost View ............................................... 7
Taguchi Loss Function View .................................. 8
Case Study: Polyethylene Film ............................... 8
Cost-Oriented Approach to Quality Control .................. 10
Frequency/Probability Distribution ......................... 10
Normal Distribution ........................................ 11
Case Study: Tool Wear ...................................... 11
Determining Average Per Part Cost Using Loss Function ........ 13
Determining Average Cost/Part-Taguchi Loss Cost Function ..... 14
Distribution Due to Tool Wear – Traditional QC Thinking .... 15
Distribution Due to Tool Wear – Loss Function .............. 16
Cost Comparison ............................................. 17
Contradiction Between Goalpost and Loss Function Approach .... 19
Factory Tolerances .......................................... 19
Other Loss Functions ........................................ 20
Other Loss Functions – LOWER-IS-BETTER SITUATION ........... 21
Other Loss Functions – HIGHER-IS-BETTER SITUATION .......... 21
Types of Loss Functions ..................................... 22
General Loss Function for NOMINAL-IS-BEST Situation .......... 22
Session-2: Learning Application Practice ...................... 23
Problem-2.1 – BEVERAGE CONTAINER ............................ 23

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Problem-2.2: AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FRICTION CLUTCH PLATES ... 23
Problem-2.3: AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FRICTION CLUTCH PLATES ... 24
Problem-2.4: CONCLUSION CONCERNING VARIATION ................. 25
Problem-2.5: WINDSHIELD WIPER RUBBER LIFE CYCLE .............. 25
Problem-2.6: WINDSHIELD WIPER RUBBER LIFE CYCLE .............. 26
Problem-2.7: ENGINE CRANKSHAFT ECCENTRICITY .................. 26
Problem-2.8: ENGINE CRANKSHAFT ECCENTRICITY .................. 27

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TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................................................................... 1
FIGURE-1.1: THE CIRCLE OF QUALITY.............................................................................................................................. 5
FIGURE-1.2: GOALPOST SYNDROME ............................................................................................................................... 7
FIGURE-1.3: TAGUCHI LOSS FUNCTION ........................................................................................................................... 8
FIGURE-1.4: COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH GREENHOUSE FILM .................................................................................................. 9
FIGURE-1.7: OUTER DIAMETER HISTOGRAM .................................................................................................................. 12
FIGURE-1.8: OUTER DIAMETER LOSS FUNCTION.............................................................................................................. 13
FIGURE-1.9: COST OF PARTS VERSUS OUTER DIAMETER.................................................................................................... 13
FIGURE-1.10: HISTOGRAM OF OUTER DIAMETER ............................................................................................................ 14
FIGURE-1.11: DISTRIBUTION DUE TO TOOL WEAR .......................................................................................................... 15
FIGURE-1.12: COST COMPARISON ............................................................................................................................... 18
FIGURE-1.13: ADJUSTMENT INTERVAL CALCULATION ....................................................................................................... 18
FIGURE-1.14: OTHER LOSS FUNCTIONS – LOWER-IS-BETTER ......................................................................................... 21
FIGURE-1.14: OTHER LOSS FUNCTIONS – LOWER-IS-BETTER ......................................................................................... 21
FIGURE-1.15: TYPES OF LOSS FUNCTIONS ...................................................................................................................... 22
FIGURE-2.1: THICKNESS DISTRIBUTION ......................................................................................................................... 24

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Session-1: Understanding Economics of Variation -
Meaning of Quality
 Products have characteristics that describe their performance
relative to customer requirements/expectations
 Quality of a product is measured in terms of these
characteristics
 Quality is related to the loss to society caused by a product
during its life cycle
 Truly high-quality product will have a minimal loss to
society as it goes through this life cycle
 Loss a customer sustains takes many forms, generally a loss
of product function/properties
 Other losses are time, pollution, noise etc.
 If product doesn’t perform as expected, customer senses loss
 After product is shipped, it is point at which producer can
do nothing to product
 After shipment commitment is made to for product expense
during remainder of its life
 Quality has one true evaluator: Customer
 Customer is judge, jury, and executioner in this model
 Customers vote with their wallets to products meeting their
requirements including quality and price
 Designer takes information from customer(market) to define
customer wants, needs, and expectations from product

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 Figure-1.1: The Circle of Quality
 Designer must take customer’s wants, needs, and expectations
and translate them into product specifications
 Makers use this information, along with prescribed machinery
to fabricate product
 Product is then delivered via marketing channels to customer
 To satisfy customer, product must arrive in right quantities,
at right time, at right place, and right functions for right
period
 Must be available to customer at right price also
 Simplest definition of quality is happy customer
 Customer feedback to designers and makers comes in terms of
number of products sold and warranty, repair, and complaint
rate
 Increasing sales and market share with low warranty, repair
or complaint rates translates to happy customers
Goalpost Philosophy

 Position that a product made according to print, within

permitted tolerance, is of high quality
 This strict viewpoint embraces only designers and makers
 This is “GOALPOST” syndrome
 Missing from this is the customer’s requirements

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  A product may meet print specifications, but if print does
not meet customer requirements, then true quality cannot be
present
 Customers want products close to nominal all the time
 Producers want to allow product to vary to the limit of
specifications
 How can these incongruent ideas be brought to harmony?
Taguchi Loss Function
 Taguchi loss function recognizes customer’s desire to have
products that are more consistent, part to part, and
producers' desire to make a low-cost product
 Loss to society is composed of costs incurred in production
process and costs encounters during customer use (repair,
lost business etc.)
 To minimize loss to society is strategy that will encourage
uniform products and reduce costs at point of production and
at consumption
Goalpost and Taguchi Loss Function Example
 When hood of a typical vehicle is opened, a mechanism
may be in place which automatically holds hood in open
position
 Force required to close hood from this position is
important to customer
 If amount of force required is too high, then a weaker
individual may have difficulty in opening the hood and
ask for mechanism to be adjusted
 If amount of force required is too low, then hood may
come down when a gust of wind hits it, and again
customer will ask for adjustment
 Range must be used: a lower limit (LL) and upper limit
(UL) are specified

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