STATISTIC

AL
QUALITY
CONTROL

Submitted to: Sir. Hakeem

Submitted by: Ms. Madiha
Nabi
Roll No. 15

7 th
Semester
 PROCESS CAPABILITY
In process improvement efforts, the process capability index or process
capability ratio is a statistical measure of process capability: The ability of a
process to produce output within specification limits.[1] The concept of process
capability only holds meaning for processes that are in a state of statistical
control.

If the upper and lower specifications of the process are USL and LSL, the target
process mean is T, the estimated mean of the process is and the estimated
variability of the process (expressed as a standard deviation) is , then commonly-
accepted process capability indices include:

Inde
Description
x

Estimates what the process would be capable of producing if the process

could be centered. Assumes process output is approximately normally
distributed.

Estimates process capability for specifications that consist of a lower limit

only (for example, strength). Assumes process output is approximately
normally distributed.

Estimates process capability for specifications that consist of an upper limit

only (for example, concentration). Assumes process output is
approximately normally distributed.

Estimates what the process is capable of producing if the process target is

centered between the specification limits. If the process mean is not
centered, overestimates process capability. if the process mean falls
outside of the specification limits. Assumes process output is approximately
normally distributed.

Estimates process capability around a target, T. is always greater than

zero. Assumes process output is approximately normally distributed. is also
known as the Taguchi capability index.[2]
 Estimates process capability around a target, T, and accounts for an off-
center process mean. Assumes process output is approximately normally
distributed.

is estimated using the sample standard deviation.

PROCESS CAPABILITY INDICES:

We are often required to compare the output of a stable process with the process
specifications and make a statement about how well the process meets
specification. To do this we compare the natural variability of a stable process
with the process specification limits.

Process capability indices are constructed to express more desirable capability

with increasingly higher values. Values near or below zero indicate processes
operating off target ( far from T) or with high variation.

Being the process capability a function of the specification, the Process

Capability Index is as good as the specification is. For instance, if the
specification came from an engineering guideline without considering the function
and criticality of the part, a discussion around process capability is useless, and
would have more benefits if focused on what are the real risks of having a part
borderline out of specification. The loss function of Taguchi better illustrates this
concept.

At least one academic expert recommends[3] the following:

Recommended minimum Recommended minimum

Situation process capability for two- process capability for one-
sided specifications sided specification

Existing process 1.33 1.25

New process 1.50 1.45

Safety or critical
parameter for 1.50 1.45
existing process
Safety or critical
parameter for new 1.67 1.60
process

Six Sigma quality

2.00 2.00
process

It should be noted though that where a process produces a characteristic with a

capability index greater than 2.5, the unnecessary precision may be expensive[4].

TYPES OF PROCESS CAPBILITY INDICES:

CP
Historically, this is one of the first capability indexes used. The "natural tolerance"
of the process is computed as 6s . The index simply makes a direct comparison
of the process natural tolerance to the engineering requirements. Assuming the
process distribution is normal and the process average is exactly centered
between the engineering requirements, a CP index of 1 would give a "capable
process." However, to allow a bit of room for process drift, the generally accepted
minimum value for CP is 1.33. In general, the larger CP is, the better. The CP
index has two major shortcomings. First, it can’t be used unless there are both
upper and lower specifications. Second, it does not account for process
centering. If the process average is not exactly centered relative to the
engineering requirements, the CP index will give misleading results. In recent
years, the CP index has largely been replaced by CPK (see below).

CPU AND CPL

A major shortcoming of the Cp (and Cr) index is that it may yield erroneous
information if the process is not on target, that is, if it is not centered. We can
express non-centering via CPU and Cpl. First, upper and lower potential capability
indices can be computed to reflect the deviation of the observed process mean
from the LSL and USL. Assuming 3 sigma limits as the process range, we
compute:

Cpl = (Mean - LSL)/3*Sigma

and

Cpu = (USL - Mean)/3*Sigma

CR
The CR index is algebraically equivalent to the CP index. The index simply makes
a direct comparison of the process to the engineering requirements. Assuming
the process distribution is normal and the process average is exactly centered
between the engineering requirements, a CR index of 100% would give a
"capable process." However, to allow a bit of room for process drift, the generally
accepted maximum value for CR is 75%. In general, the smaller CR is, the better.
The CR index suffers from the same shortcomings as the CP index.

CM
The CM index is generally used to evaluate machine capability studies, rather
than full-blown process capability studies. Since variation will increase when
normal sources of process variation are added (e.g., tooling, fixtures, materials,
etc.), CM uses a four sigma spread rather than a three sigma spread.

ZU
The ZU index measures the process location (central tendency) relative to its
standard deviation and the upper requirement. If the distribution is normal, the
value of ZU can be used to determine the percentage above the upper
requirement by using Table 4 in the appendix of The Complete Guide to the
CQM. The method is the same as described in Chapter III.B using the Z statistic,
simply use ZU instead of using Z. In general, the bigger ZU is, the better. A value
of at least +3 is required to assure that 0.1% or less defective will be produced. A
value of +4 is generally desired to allow some room for process drift.

ZL
The ZL index measures the process location relative to its standard deviation and
the lower requirement. If the distribution is normal, the value of ZL can be used to
determine the percentage above the upper requirement by using Table 4 in the
appendix of The Complete Guide to the CQM. In general, the bigger ZL is, the
better. A value of at least +3 is required to assure that 0.1% or less defective will
be produced. A value of +4 is generally desired to allow some room for process
drift.

ZMIN
The value of ZMIN is simply the smaller of the ZL or the ZU values. It is used in
computing CPK.

CPK
The value of CPK is simply ZMIN divided by 3. Since the smallest value represents
the nearest specification, the value of CPK tells you if the process is truly capable
of meeting requirements. A CPK of at least +1 is required, and +1.33 is preferred.
Note that CPK is closely related to CP, and that the difference between CPK and CP
represents the potential gain to be had from centering the process.
CPM
A CPM of at least 1 is required, and 1.33 is preferred. CPM is closely related to CP.
The difference represents the potential gain to be obtained by moving the
process mean closer to the target. Unlike CPK, the target need not be the center
of the specification range.

CNPK

Another set of indices, that apply to non-normal distributions is called Cnpk

(for non-parametric Cpk). Its estimator is calculated by

Where p(0.995) is the 99.5th percentile of the data and p(.005) is

the 0.5th percentile of the data.