Lot-by-Lot Acceptance

Sampling for Attributes

The Acceptance-Sampling
Problem
• Acceptance sampling is concerned with
inspection and decision making regarding
products.
• Three aspects of sampling are important:
1. Involves random sampling of an entire “lot”
2. Accept and Reject Lots (does not achieve
quality improvement) ➔“Lot sentencing”
3. Audit tool
The Acceptance-Sampling
Problem

Application of acceptance sampling is as

follows:
1. A company receives a shipment of product from
a supplier. A sample is taken from the lot, and
some quality characteristic of the units in the
sample is inspected. Accepted lots are put into
production; rejected lots may be returned to the
supplier or may be subjected to some other lot
disposition action.
The Acceptance-Sampling
Problem
2. There are other uses of sampling methods. For
example, frequently a manufacturer will sample
and inspect its own product at various stages of
production. Lots that are accepted are sent
forward for further processing, and rejected lots
may be reworked or scrapped.
The Acceptance-Sampling
Problem
Three approaches to lot sentencing:
1. Accept with no inspection
useful in situations where either the supplier’s
process is so good that defective units are almost never
encountered or where there is no economic
justification to look for defective units.
The Acceptance-Sampling
Problem
2. 100% inspection
useful in situations where the component is
extremely critical and passing any defectives would
result in an unacceptably high failure cost at
subsequent stages, or where the supplier’s process
capability is inadequate to meet specifications
3. Acceptance sampling
The Acceptance-Sampling
Problem
Why Acceptance Sampling and Not 100%
Inspection?
• Testing is destructive
• Cost of 100% inspection is high
• 100% inspection is not feasible (require
too much time)
• If vendor has excellent quality history
The Acceptance-Sampling
Problem
Advantages
• Less expensive
• There is less handling of the product, hence reduced
damage
• It is applicable to destructive testing
• Fewer personnel are involved in inspection activities.
• Reduces the amount of inspection error
• The rejection of entire lots as opposed to the simple
return of defectives often provides a stronger motivation
to the supplier for quality improvements.
The Acceptance-Sampling
Problem
Disadvantages
• Risk of accepting “bad” lots, rejecting
“good” lots.
• Less information generated
• Requires planning and documentation
The Acceptance-Sampling
Problem
Types of Sampling Plans
• There are variables sampling plans and attribute
sampling plans
1. Single sampling plan
2. Double-sampling plan
3. Multiple-sampling plan
4. Sequential-sampling
The Acceptance-Sampling
Problem
Single Sampling Plans
• A lot-sentencing procedure in which one sample of n units
is selected at random from the lot, and the disposition of
the lot is determined based on the information contained in
that sample.
• For example, a single-sampling plan for attributes would
consist of a sample size n and an acceptance number c.
• The procedure would operate as follows: Select n items at
random from the lot. If there are c or fewer defectives in
the sample, accept the lot, and if there are more than c
defective items in the sample, reject the lot.
The Acceptance-Sampling
Problem
Double Sampling Plans
• Following an initial sample, a decision based on
the information in that sample is made either to (1)
accept the lot, (2) reject the lot, or (3) take a
second sample.
• If the second sample is taken, the information
from both the first and second sample is combined
in order to reach a decision whether to accept or
reject the lot.
The Acceptance-Sampling
Problem
Multiple Sampling Plans
• An extension of the double-sampling
concept, in that more than two samples may
be required in order to reach a decision
regarding the disposition of the lot.
• Sample sizes in multiple sampling are
usually smaller than they are in either single
or double sampling.
The Acceptance-Sampling
Problem
Sequential Sampling Plans
• Units are selected from the lot one at a time,
and following inspection of each unit, a
decision is made either to accept the lot,
reject the lot, or select another unit.
The Acceptance-Sampling
Problem
Lot Formation
There are a number of important considerations
in forming lots before inspection:
– Lots should be homogeneous
The units in the lot should be produced by the
same machines, the same operators, and from
common raw materials, at approximately the
same time. Nonhomogeneous lots also make it
more difficult to take corrective action to
eliminate the source of defective products.
The Acceptance-Sampling
Problem
– Larger lots more preferable than smaller lots
It is usually more economically efficient to
inspect large lots than small ones.
– Lots should be conformable to the materials-
handling systems used in both the vendor and
consumer facilities.
The items in the lots should be packaged so as to
minimize shipping and handling risks, and so as to make
selection of the units in the sample relatively easy.
The Acceptance-Sampling
Problem
Random Sampling
• The units selected for inspection should be chosen
at random, and they should be representative of all
the items in the lot.
• Random samples are not used, bias can be
introduced.
• If any judgment methods are used to select the
sample, the statistical basis of the acceptance-
sampling procedure is lost.
The Acceptance-Sampling
Problem
Random Sampling
• The technique often suggested for drawing a
random sample is to first assign a number to each
item in the lot.
• Then n random numbers are drawn, where the
range of these numbers is from 1 to the maximum
number of units in the lot. This sequence of
random numbers determines which units in the lot
will constitute the sample.
The Acceptance-Sampling
Problem
Random Sampling
• Sometimes the inspector may stratify the lot.
• This consists of dividing the lot into strata or
layers and then subdividing each strata into cubes.
• Units are then selected from within each cube.
Single-Sampling Plans For
Attributes
Definition of a Single-Sampling Plan
A single sampling plan is defined by sample size, n, and the
acceptance number c. Say there are N total items in a lot. Choose n
of the items at random. If at least c of the items are unacceptable,
reject the lot.
N = lot size
n = sample size
c = acceptance number
d = observed number of defectives
The acceptance or rejection of the lot is based on the results from a
single sample.
Single-Sampling Plans For
Attributes
Definition of a Single-Sampling Plan
• Suppose the lot size is N = 10.000, a random sample of n =
89 units is inspected and the number of nonconforming or
defective items d observed.
• If the number of observed defectives d is less than or equal
to c = 2, the lot will be accepted. If the number of observed
defectives d is greater than 2, the lot will be rejected.
• Since the quality characteristic inspected is an attribute,
each unit in the sample is judged to be either conforming
or nonconforming.
Single-Sampling Plans For
Attributes
The OC Curve
• The operating-characteristic (OC) curve measures
the performance of an acceptance-sampling plan.
• The OC curve plots the probability of accepting the
lot versus the lot fraction defective.
• The OC curve shows the probability that a lot
submitted with a certain fraction defective will be
either accepted or rejected.
Single-Sampling Plans For
Attributes
The OC Curve
• The operating-characteristic (OC) curve measures
the performance of an acceptance-sampling plan.
• The OC curve plots the probability of accepting the
lot versus the lot fraction defective.
• The OC curve shows the probability that a lot
submitted with a certain fraction defective will be
either accepted or rejected.