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Acceptance Sampling
Dec 10, 2008

Presented by:
Girish Harsha
AIM, Jodhpur
Management Trainee
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Dec 10, 2008

• Statistical quality control technique, where a random

sample is taken from a lot, and upon the results of the
sample taken the lot will either be rejected or accepted

• Acceptance sampling is a quality control procedure

used when a decision on the acceptability of a batch
has to be made from tests done on a sample of items
from the batch

• The main purpose of acceptance sampling is to decide

whether or not the lot is likely to be acceptable, not to
estimate the quality of the lot.
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Dec 10, 2008

• Accept Lot – Ready for customers

• Reject Lot – Not suitable for customers
• Statistical Process Control (SPC)
– Sample and determine if in acceptable limits
• Purposes
Determine the quality level of an incoming shipment
or, at the end production – Ensure that the quality
level is within the level that has been predetermined
• Inspection
• The observation and measurement of inputs and
outputs
Accept without inspection
100% inspection
Acceptance sampling
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Advantages and Disadvantages of Dec 10, 2008

Acceptance sampling
Advantages Disadvantages

• It is usually less expensive • Risks of accepting “bad” lots

because there is less inspection and rejecting “good” lots.
(less personal, less inspection • Less information is generated
time, less inspection error) • Need planning and
• There is less handling of product, documentation
hence reduced damage
• Rejection of entire lots as
opposed to the simple return of
defectives often provides a
stronger motivation to the
vendor for quality improvement.
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Sampling Plan Dec 10, 2008

• A plan for acceptance sampling specifying the

number of units to sample and the number of sample
units that must conform to specifications if the
shipment is to be accepted
• Type of sampling plan
▫ Single sampling plan
The lot disposition is determined by one single sample.
▫ Double-sampling plan
The decision from the first sample is to (1) accept the lot,
(2) reject the lot, (3) take second sample.
If we need to take the second sample, the lot disposition is
determined by both the first and the second sample.
▫ Multiple-sampling plan
It is an extension of double-sampling plan.
Acceptance sampling based on many small samples.
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Acceptance Number
Dec 10, 2008

• The number of sample units specified in a sampling

plan that must conform to specifications if the
shipment is to be accepted
• sample size n and acceptance number c

• Single sampling
If the lot size is N=10000, then the sampling plan n=89, c=2
means that from a lot of size 10000 a random sample of
n=89 units is inspected and the number of nonconforming or
defective items d observed. If d is less or equal to c = 2, the lot
will be accepted. If d is larger than 2, the lot will be rejected

Rule: If d ≤ c , accept lot, else reject the lot

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Type of Risks Dec 10, 2008

• Producer’s Risk
▫ Type I Error (α )
▫ The risk or probability of incorrectly concluding
that the conversion process is out of control
▫ Reduced by using wide control limits
▫ Increased by using narrow control limits
• Consumer’s Risk
▫ Type II Error (β )
▫ The risk or probability of incorrectly concluding
that the conversion process is in control
▫ Increased by using wide control limits
▫ Decreased by using narrow control limits
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Operating characteristic curve

Dec 10, 2008

• The graph of probability of accepting a shipment

as a function of the quality of the shipment ,for a
given sampling plan
▫ If a shipment is of high quality (low % defective),
good sampling yields a high probability of
accepting the shipment
▫ If a shipment is of poor quality (high % defective),
the plan yields a low probability of accepting the
shipment
• Helps to keep the high cost of inspection down
• Aids in selection of plans that are effective in
reducing risk
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Dec 10, 2008

Ideal OC curve

1.0
Accept all lots 1.5%
defective or less, and reject
all lots having quality level
Pa more than 1.5%

0
p 1.5%
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OC for Single sampling Dec 10, 2008

alpha

Beta
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How to get OC curve? Dec 10, 2008

n!
P{d defectives} = f ( d ) = p d (1 − p ) n −d
d ! ( n − d )!

c
n!
Pa = p{d ≤ c} = ∑ p d (1 − p ) n −d
d =0 d ! ( n − d )!

Larger the sample size the steeper the graph. i.e. the larger the
sample size, better the plan discriminates b/w good batches and
bad batches.

Note: Provided the batch should be large enough

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Double sampling Dec 10, 2008

• Application of double sampling requires that a first sample of size

n1 is taken at random from the (large) lot. The number of
defectives is then counted and compared to the first sample's
acceptance number c1and rejection number r1. Denote the
number of defectives in sample 1 by d1 and in sample 2 by d2,
then:
▫ If d1≤ c1, the lot is accepted.
▫ If d1 ≥r1, the lot is rejected.
▫ If c1 < d1 < r1, a second sample is taken.

• If a second sample of size n2 is taken, the number of defectives,

d2, is counted.

• The total number of defectives is D2 = d1 + d2. Now this is

compared to the acceptance number c2 and the rejection number
r2 of sample 2. In double sampling, r2 = c2 + 1 to ensure a
decision on the sample.
▫ If D2 ≤c2, the lot is accepted.
▫ If D2 ≥r2, the lot is rejected.
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Multiple sampling Dec 10, 2008

• It involves inspection of 1 to k successive samples as

required to reach an ultimate decision
• The procedure commences with taking a random
sample of size n1 from a large lot of size N and
counting the number of defectives, d1.
if d1≤ c1 the lot is accepted.
if d1≥ r1 the lot is rejected.
if c1 < d1 < r1, another sample is taken
• If subsequent samples are required, the first sample
procedure is repeated sample by sample. For each
sample, the total number of defectives found at any
stage, say stage i,
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Contd.. Dec 10, 2008

• Acceptable Quality Level (AQL)

▫ The AQL is a percent defective that is the base line
requirement for the quality of the producer's product.
The producer would like to design a sampling plan
such that there is a high probability of accepting a lot
that has a defect level less than or equal to the AQL

• Lot Tolerance Percent Defective (LTPD)

▫ The LTPD is a designated high defect level that would
be unacceptable to the consumer. The consumer
would like the sampling plan to have a low
probability of accepting a lot with a defect level as
high as the LTPD , also known as Rejection Quality
Level
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Contd.. Dec 10, 2008

• Average Outgoing Quality (AOQ)

▫ In this case, all rejected lots are made perfect and the only
defects left are those in lots that were accepted. AOQ's
refer to the long term defect level for this combined LASP
and 100% inspection of rejected lots process. If all lots
come in with a defect level of exactly p, and the OC curve
for the chosen (n ,c) LASP indicates a probability pa of
accepting such a lot, over the long run the AOQ can easily
be shown to be:
AOQ=pap(N-n)/N
• Average Outgoing Quality Level (AOQL)
▫ A plot of the AOQ (Y-axis) versus the incoming lot p (X-
axis) will start at 0 for p = 0, and return to 0 for p = 1
(where every lot is 100% inspected and rectified). In
between, it will rise to a maximum. This maximum,
which is the worst possible long term AOQ, is called the
AOQL
*LASP- Lot Acceptance Sampling Plans
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Contd. Dec 10, 2008

• Average Total Inspection (ATI)

▫ When rejected lots are 100% inspected, it is easy to calculate
the ATI if lots come consistently with a defect level of p. For
a LASP (n , c) with a probability pa of accepting a lot with
defect level p,
ATI = n + (1 - pa) (N - n)
where N is the lot size

• Average Sample Number (ASN)

▫ ASN refers to comparisons b/w average numbers of items
inspected in sampling where other characteristics of the
plans ,such as their OC curves
▫ A plot of the ASN, versus the incoming defect level p,
describes the sampling efficiency of a given LASP scheme
ASN= [pa(n1)+pr(n1)]n1 +[pa(n2)+pr(n2)](n1+n2)
= n1 + [pa(n2) +pr(n2)]n2
= n1 + n2 p(n2)
where p(n2)= probability of drawing n2
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Examples Dec 10, 2008

• A single sampling plan uses a size of 12 and

acceptance number 1. what is probability of
acceptance of lots having size=40 and defective 2%
Solution:
• Given , N=40, n=12, c=1 and p= 1/40 =0.025
• Number of defective items= 40 * 0.025=1
• Number of non defective items= 40-1 =39
• Po=39C12/40C12 =0.7
• P1=39C11/40C12 =0.3
• Hence total probability of acceptance=Po + P1=1.0