UNIT 6

INSPECTION AND STATISTICAL QUALITY CONTROL (SQC)

Contents

Part – A – inspection and quality control

 Functions of inspection, types
 Objectives and benefits
 Quality control principles
 Concepts of quality circles
 Quality assurance
 Quality audit
 Total quality management
 Basic concepts of ISO 9000, ISO 14000 and QS 9000
 Six sigma:
1. Concept
2. Principle
3. Methodology
4. Scope
5. Advantage and limitations

Part – B – statistical quality control (sqc)

 SQC Concept
 Variable and attributes
 Normal distribution curves and its property charts for variable and attributes
and their application and interpretation (analysis) process capability
 Acceptance sampling
 Sampling plans
 OC curves and AOQ curves
 PART – A INSPECTION AND QUALITY CONTROL

Introduction to Inspection

“Inspection is the art of comparing products or performances with established standards. Quality
Control is Systematic control of those variables encountered in a manufacturing process which which
affect the excellence of the product. So inspection forms a part of quality control, it limits itself to
degregation of good from bad may be component, parts or assemblies whereas quality control aims
at prevention of defective at the very source and relies on effective feedback system and corrective
action.” Thus, Inspection is the manufacturing function which judges production against established
standards.

Definition

In words of Kimball, “Inspection is the art of comparing materials, products, or performance

with established standards.”

According to Alford and Beatly “Inspection is the art of applying tests preferably by the aid
of measuring appliances to observe whether a given item of product is within the specified
limits of variability.”

According to Spigel and Lansburg “Inspection is the process of measuring the qualities of a
product or services in terms of established standards.”

Whenever products are manufactured some of them may be in the limits of error and some
may be outside. The allowances provided with the help of inspection on such products are
selected which satisfy the conditions of work. Thus inspection is an important aspects of
production control.

Objectives and Benefits

Fundamental objectives of inspection are:

1. To sort out errors in the manufacturing system which tend towards poor quality and
report to concerned department in order to stop the production of defective
products below the acceptable quality level.
2. To protect the consumer from receiving a product of sub standard quality by
adopting inspection at various levels of manufacturing.
3. To help the engineering and other departments concerned with production by
compiling information regarding the performance of the product with specifications.
4. The reduction in the risk and possibility of products not accepted by consumer saves
the manufacturers as well as customers from losses and decreases the production
cost.
5. To help the firm in increasing its reputation by maintaining standards through sorting
out poor quality manufactured products.

Functions of Inspection

The following are some of the important functions of inspection:

1.1 Inspection of Incoming / Raw Materials
Whenever any raw material, semi-finished items or other purchased components parts
enter the industry, a proper inspection should be carried out to ensure that the
items/materials are in accordance with prescribed specifications.
1.2 Inspection During Manufacturing
The purpose of this activity is to determine if the products are manufacture as per
specifications and these must fulfil the following aspects:
a) To avoid unnecessary manual labour during assembly.
b) To stop further work on spoiled parts.
c) To prevent the transfer of any part/component from one process to another without
inspection.
d) To detect the imperfections if any in machines or processes and lack of skill at any
stage.
e) To adhere to consistent level of quality.
1.3 Mechanical and Metallurgical Inspection
In order to ensure that the input materials possess required mechanical and
metallurgical characteristics e.g. hardness, metallurgical structure and composition etc.
1.4 Tool Inspection
In order ensure that all tools being used in various work stations are as per design
specifications. Sometimes cutting tools, jigs and fixtures are subjected to performance
testing before they are sent to production shops/departments since the product quality
depends on the quality of tooling.
1.5 Purchased Parts Production
The components/parts manufactured by the ancillary units of the industry or purchased
from the market are subjected to inspection to determine the quality and ensure they
are confirming to specifications laid down.
1.6 Finished Goods Inspection
This final inspection of the manufactured products is carried out to ensure that the
products reaching the consumer are of specified quality levels.

Types of Inspection

Depending upon the method of production and location of the work the most important
Kinds of inspection are as follows:
(A) Method based types of Inspection
i) Trial Run Inspection
In this type of inspection which is also called tool inspection, the tools, jigs,
fixtures and machines are checked in advance according to specifications before
the commencement of operation. A trial run is attempted with a single piece and
if the said piece conforms with the specifications then the production is allowed
to be carried out otherwise remedial steps are taken.
ii) First Off Inspection
The products manufactured in the first production run are inspected and
checked with respect to specifications thoroughly. This technique is normally
followed in case where automatic machines are employed for production and if
the first production run is found satisfactory, it is assumed that afterwards
production will also be up to the mark.
 iii) In Process Inspection
This type of inspection is also known as working inspection and i this inspection
products should be inspected while they are in process to see that they are being
produced according to specifications.
iv) Operation inspection
This type of inspection is employed at the completion of a operation before the
item/component to next operation/machine or department.
v) Sampling Inspection
From the inspection results of a certain percentage from a lot, the entire lot can
be judged.
vi) Final Inspection
This type of inspection is employed when the manufacturing process is complete
and the article is to be sent to store.
vii) Pilot Piece Inspection
This kind of inspection is applicable for product type of layout. The product in
this case shall pass through entire sequence of operations on a series of
machines installed for the production purposes. When the first piece
manufactured on inspection is found according to specifications, the production
line is allowed to work for actual production.
viii) Key Operation Inspection
There are certain operations in the manufacturing of a product which are costly
and difficult and operators often commit mistake in those operations. Such
operations are known as key operations. If inspection is done prior to and
immediately after these key operations, it is called key operation inspection.
ix) Final Assembly Inspection
It is also known as Functional Inspection and it is carried out after the completion
of the product assembly to check the accuracy of the assembly and its
functioning.
x) Endurance Inspection
This type of inspection is meant for determining how much time an assembly
withstand while working.
(B) Location based types of Inspection
i) Centralized or Crib Inspection
Under this scheme there can be single inspection room for the whole plant or
each section can have an inspection unit to inspect the products produced by its
unit. The products/items to be checked inspected are moved to special rooms
where precision measuring devices are located. The inspection staffs in such
situation are likely to be more experienced and skilled in their work.
Centralised inspection does not mean inspection in one room but a number of
cribs may be installed each located centrally with respect to machines. Generally
the inspection cribs are placed with the flow of work through machines in the
shop.

Advantages of Centralized Inspection

(1) No chance of collision between inspection and production.
(2) Machine shops are free from work awaiting inspection so more freedom for
movement to workmen.
 (3) Inspection priorities may be planned according to loads on production
sections.
(4) Mass inspections at lower cost are possible with the help of automatic
inspection devices.
(5) In view of better working conditions inspections can check products with
higher speed.
(6) Less number of gauges and instruments are required.

Disadvantages of Centralized Inspection

(1) Material handling is more.
(2) Delay at inspection cribs causes wastage of time.
(3) Due to non-detection of errors during machining in time, there may be more
spoilage of material/work.
(4) The work of production planning and control department is increased as the
routing, scheduling and dispatching include inspection cribs.
(5) Workers will come to know their mistakes much after the completion of jobs.

ii) Decentralized/Floor Inspection

In this type of inspection the semi-finished items are inspected either on the
machine or in the production line. So in case inspection work ranges from mere
patrolling supervision in keeping an eye on work at machine to careful testing
and measurement of products by means of measuring appliances at its place of
manufacture.

Advantages of Centralized Inspection

(1) Production delays, scrap and defectives may be reduced.
(2) Less material handling is required thus indirect labour cost is less.
(3) Product layout and thus mass production can be well achieved.
(4) Suitable for large and heavy jobs like big boilers, ships etc.
(5) Ensures better utilization of productive capacity due to decrease in process
inventories.
Disadvantages of Centralized Inspection
(1) Advanced and latest inspection equipment cannot be used.
(2) Keeping a track of good and bad products becomes difficult.
(3) Highly skilled inspectors are required.
(4) Inspectors may be influenced by workers.
(5) Sufficient space not available for inspection work.
(6) Work in process is scattered which may result in inspection difficulties.
(7) Dust, noise and vibrations due to working of machines are not suitable for
close inspection.

Quality Control

Quality of a product is dependent upon five Ms i.e. Men, Machines, Material, Manufacturing
techniques and Money. So systematic control of these factors may be termed as quality
control.
The term quality control has variety of meanings:
 (1) It is a systematic control of various factors that affect the quality of the product. It
depends on: material, tools, machines, type of labour, working conditions,
measuring instruments, etc.
(2) Quality control can be defined as the entire collection of activities which ensures
that the operation will produce at minimum cost.
(3) It can also be defined as the tools, devices or skills through which quality activities
are carried out.
(4) It is the name of the department which devotes itself full time to quality functions.
(5) It is a system, plan or method of approach to the solution of quality problems.

Difference between Inspection and Quality Control

Inspection is the art of determining conformity of the product to the specifications laid
down for it. So it forms a part of quality control and it limits itself to segregation of
acceptable from non-acceptable products/components/parts, whereas quality control aims
at prevention of defectives at the very source i.e. during production since it depends on
effective feedback system and corrective action. The word control is n the term quality
control means planned cycle of activities by means of which we achieve the intended goal of
quality.
For example acceptance of products/items/goods after subjecting them to inspection on
receipt is the inspection concept. As far as the quality control is concerned, it is to take early
steps to ensure that the products/items to be supplied are going to be manufactured as per
the consumer/plant requirements so as to eliminate inspection on receipt or at least
rejection on receipt of the products/goods.

Objectives of Quality Control

The fundamental purpose of quality control is to maintain the quality standard of the
manufactured items/products at optimum cost. However, some important quality control
objectives are as follows:
(1) To decide about the standards of quality those are readily acceptable to the
consumers and economical to achieve and maintain.
(2) To carefully observe and analyse the extent of quality deviation in
product/part/component from the predetermined standards of quality of the
product during manufacture and to determine the causes of such deviation, when it
cannot be attributed to chances of causes.
(3) To apply corrective measures to achieve the real goal of quality control.
(4) To avoid as far as possible items reaching the customer which are of lower quality
standard then considered acceptable.
(5) To take different measures to improve the product quality or checking the quality
from dropping below the designed level during manufacture.

Quality Control Principles

The principles of quality control which govern the manufacturing system are as follows:
(1) Under the present competitive manufacturing conditions quality of the goods being
manufactured is a variable having upward trend.
 (2) The quality control increases the sales volume and decreases the cost of production,
distribution and hence makes mass production economical.
(3) The conformance of finished products to the pre-decided standards and
specifications should be accomplished by using preventive measures instead of
following corrective ones.

Principles of Quality Management

Principles of quality control refer to the various concepts that make up an organization's
quality assurance program. Quality assurance programs provide managers and staff with the
philosophy, structure and strategies necessary to improve service and product delivery.
Many businesses follow established concepts as outlined by quality organizations, such as
Six Sigma, Total Quality Management or International Organization for Standardization.

Principle – 1 Customer Focus

Customers represent the lifeblood of any organization. They choose a company based on
the organization's ability to meet their needs for products or services. Businesses must
continually strive to understand the desires of customers. Companies employ customer
focus strategies to enhance customers' perceptions, grow market share and increase
revenues. Firms employ various tools to accomplish these objectives, such as customer
satisfaction surveys or focus groups. They analyze data and execute actions that make
effective use of limited resources to obtain desired results.

Principle – 2 Leadership

Successful quality assurance programs have strong leadership that inspires trust and
confidence. A commitment to quality starts at the top and permeates all levels of an
organization -- owners, directors, managers, team leaders and line staff. Company leaders
demonstrate unanimity concerning the vision, course of action and quality target. Managers
and team leaders understand the need to create a workplace for workers to become
involved in the quality process; effective leaders successfully communicate this to staff.

Principle – 3 Employees

Often, employees possess the creativity to generate ideas that solve problems, improve
processes and save companies money. Line staff must buy into quality improvement and
not feel threatened by the process. Getting employees involved at the ground level has
proven an effective technique for receiving their commitment. Effective companies
understand the advantages and make it a top priority to communicate the importance of
staff contributions to their quality assurance programs. In addition, the companies provide
staff with the training, resources to ensure they have the required skills and abilities to take
responsibility for their roles and move toward quality improvement objectives.

Principle – 4 Process Approach

The process approach entails managing activities and company resources as a process,
which leads to greater efficiency and effectiveness. This method focuses on how a particular
standard works; the department or attributes of the process does not matter. It starts with
identifying the process processes, defining the internal and external customers it affects and
ascertaining the sequence and flow of the process. Staff must possess the skills, resources
and information necessary to support the process. Steps are taken to measure, evaluate and
make modifications as part of the continual improvement philosophy.

Principle – 5 System Management

Interconnected processes require a comprehensive and orderly management approach. This

method enhances effectiveness and efficiency as the organization moves toward its quality
improvement goals. In addition, managers, supervisors and staff concentrate on primary
objectives and promote consistency to accomplish desired results. Companies also obtain a
better understanding of their capabilities and identify resource limitations.

Principle – 6 Continual Improvement

Continual improvement means having policies and procedures in place to assure an ongoing
assessment of company activities and performance. Processes, systems, products and
services undergo constant evaluation. Every department and employee become part of the
continual process of assessment. Once an an organization establishes its goals and
objectives, managers put in place the tools to monitor, measure and track progress.

Principle – 7 Factual approaches to decision making

Organizations succeed when they have established an evidence-based decision making

process that entails gathering input from multiple sources, identifying facts, objectively
analyzing data, examining cause/effect, and considering potential consequences.

Principle – 8 Mutually beneficial supplier relationships

Organizations that carefully manage their relationships with suppliers and partners can
nurture positive and productive involvement, support and feedback from those entities.

Quality Assurance

The American Society for Quality (ASQ) provides the following quality assurance
definition...
“The planned and systematic activities implemented in a quality system so that quality
requirements for a product or service will be fulfilled.”

Quality Assurance Tools & Techniques

There are many tools and techniques that form the basis of the key quality assurance principles.
Some of these include...

 Cost-Benefit Analysis
 Cost of Quality (COQ)
  Control Charts
 Benchmarking
 Design of Experiments (DOE)
 Statistical Sampling
 Flow Charting
 Quality Management Methodologies (i.e. Six Sigma, CMMI, etc)
 Cause and Effect Diagrams (i.e. Fishbone Diagram)
 Histogram
 Pareto Chart
 Run Chart
 Scatter Diagram
 Inspection

Quality Assurance v/s Quality Control

Quality assurance and quality control are sometimes confused with each other. One of the key
quality assurance principles that differentiate it from quality control is that quality assurance is
performed during the project to help make sure the product meets the quality standards. For
example, creating a Project Quality Management Plan, following a quality assurance process, and
performing audits.

Quality control, on the other hand, evaluates whether the resulting product produced by the project
met the quality standards. Quality control activities are performed after a product has been created
to determine if it meets the quality requirements. The results of the quality control process are used
by the quality assurance process to determine if any changes are needed to the quality assurance
process.

Refrences

www.ehow.com
www.isoconsultantpune.com
www.project-management-skills.com