Taguchi’s Technique for
Quality improvement
Dr. Genichi Taguchi
• Widely acknowledged leader in
the U.S. industrial quality movement.
• Credited for starting the “Robust Design”
movement in Japan in 1950’s.
• Helped correct postwar Japan's telephone
system.
• 1980 introduced Taguchi method to AT&T.
The Taguchi Technique
Quality
Quality Loss Function
Robust Design
The Taguchi definition of quality
The quality of product is the minimum loss
imparted by the product to society from the time
the product is shipped
What is loss
Returns
Warrant
Customer complaint
Time and money spent by the customer
Eventual loss of market share
Quality characteristics
Nominal-the-best
Smaller- the –better
Larger-the-better
Quality Loss
The traditional model for quality losses
No losses within the specification limits!
Cost
Scrap Cost
LSL Target USL
• The Taguchi loss function
– the quality loss is zero only if we are on target
Quality Loss Function
Nominal the best
L (y) = k (y –m)2
Smaller the better
L(y) = k (y)2
Larger the better
L (y) = k (1/ y2 )
Y = value of the characteristics
L(y) = The loss in Rs. per piece
M = the target value
Reducing Quality loss through
reducing variance
Screening out bad products
Discovering and eliminating the causes of
discrepancy
Narrowing the tolerance
Application of robust design
Types of factors/parameters
Control factors
Parameters whose values are controlled by
design engineer
Noise factors
Causes deviations of quality characteristics
from target. These are difficult to control
Variability due to Noise
External noise
Internal noise
Unit to unit noise
Principle of robustization
Attempt to reduce loss due to noise factors
inherent in any system by considering
control factors
Attempt to reduce σ2
Robust design
System design
Require technical knowledge
The process of examining competing technologies for
producing a product - Includes choices of technology
and process design
Parameter design
Involves determination of parameter values that are
least sensitive to noise
Use of experimental design methods
Tolerance design
Improves the quality by narrowing tolerances on the
process or product parameters
The focus of Taguchi is on Parameter design
Steps in robust design of
experiments
Define the problem
Determine the objective
Define the quality characteristics
Design the experiment
Selection of factors and interaction
Selection of number of levels of the factors, range of
factor levels
Selection of Orthogonal Array (OA)
Assignment of factors and interaction to OA column
Perform the experiment
Analyze the experiment
Verifying the experiment result
Orthogonal array
An orthogonal array is a matrix of numbers
arranged in columns and row
Each column represents a specific factor
Each row represents the state of the factors in a
given experiment
The levels of the various factors are balanced and
can be separated from the effects of the other
factors within experiment
Orthogonal array L 8 (27)
exp A B C D E F G
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
2 1 1 1 2 2 2 2
3 1 2 2 1 1 2 2
4 1 2 2 2 2 1 1
5 2 1 2 1 2 1 2
6 2 1 2 2 1 2 1
7 2 2 1 1 2 2 1
8 2 2 1 2 1 1 2
Has a number of unique properties:
Equal proportions of experiments
Equal proportions of remaining factor levels
Equal proportions of combinations of factor levels
Is denoted as L 8 (27)
Degree of freedom for factors =( number of levels
–1)
Degree of freedom of OA: (Number of
experiment-1)
Interaction
When the effect of one factor depends on the level of another
factor an interaction is said to exist
An interaction occurs when the collective effect of two or
more factor taken together is different from the sum of each
of the factor taken individually
If an interaction effect existed between factor A and B then
effect(A*B) would be confounded with the effect of factor C
Confounded means that the effect of factor A and B would
be mixed up inseparably with that of factor C. We cannot
estimate the main effect due to C
Linear graph
Represents factors and interaction assignments in
diagrammatic form
A given orthogonal array can have several linear graph
1
*7
3 5 3 2
5
1 4
2 4
6
6 7
Interaction Table
Column Column
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1 1 3 2 5 4 7 6
2 2 1 6 7 4 5
3 3 7 6 5 4
4 4 1 2 3
5 5 3 2
6 6 1
7 7
Assigning factors to an
orthogonal array
Count the total degree of freedom needed for the
experiment based on the number of factors and
factor levels
Select an OA that has at least the required number
of degree of freedom
Draw the required linear graph
Select an appropriate standard linear graph
Assign each main effect and interaction to
appropriate column
Ina Sito Tile experiment
Ina sito Tile experiment
Factor Level 1 Level 2
A lime content A1 5% A2 1%
BGranularity B1 Coarse B2 fine
C Agalmatolite C1 43% C2 53%
D agalomatolite type D1 Current D2 Cheaper
E Charge quantity E1 1300 kg E2 1200kg
F waste return F1 0% F2 4%
G Felspar content G1 0% G2 5%
Result of experiment
exp A B C D E F G Resu
lt
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 16
2 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 17
3 1 2 2 1 1 2 2 12
4 1 2 2 2 2 1 1 6
5 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 6
6 2 1 2 2 1 2 1 68
7 2 2 1 1 2 2 1 42
8 2 2 1 2 1 1 2 26
Response Table
A B C D E F G
Level 1 12.7 26.7 25. 19 30.5 13.5 33
2
Level 2 35.5 21.5 23 29.2 17.7 34.7 15.2
Difference 22.2 5.2 2.2 10.2 12.7 21.2 17.7
Rank 1 6 7 5 4 2 3
Wind shield Washer Spray
Nozzle
Problem: to improve the spray pattern and
reduce the velocity effect
Obj.: For a given vehicle design, develop a
superior spray pattern and eliminate velocity
effect
Factors and levels: Fore-aft position, side-to-
side position, number of orifices, orifice dia
with three and two levels
Factors
Trial 1(A) 2(B) 3(c) 4(d)
1 1 1 1 1
2 1 2 2 2
3 1 3 1 2
4 2 1 2 2
5 2 2 1 1
6 2 3 1 2
7 3 1 1 2
8 3 2 1 2
9 3 3 2 1
Popcorn experiment
Statement of the problem
Problem is to find the process factors which
influence popcorn quality characteristics
The obj. is to find the process condition which
optimize the various quality characteristic to
provide improved popping, fluffiness
Measurement method
The number of unpopped kernel in a batch
The fluffiness can be quantified by placing
popped kernels in a measuring cup
Popcorn process factors
Assignment of factors to columns of
orthogonal array
Conducting the popcorn experiment
A batch of 200 seeds was used for each trial
with specified trial conditions.
