PE-7221

Quality Engineering and Management (Taguchi Method) Chapter 2: Quality Loss Function
Prof. Charlton S. Inao Defence University College of Engineering Bishoftu,Ethiopia

Week 2 outline
Introduction to Quality Loss Function Quality Loss Function for Various Quality Characteristics Specification Tolerance Tolerance Design

Quality is often referred to as conformance to specifications. However, Taguchi proposes a different view of quality, one that relates it to cost and loss in dollars, not just to the manufacturer at the time of production but to the consumer and to society as a whole.

Loss is usually thought of as additional manufacturing costs incurred up to the point that a product is shipped. After that, it is society, the customer, who bears the cost for loss of quality. Initially, the manufacturer pays in warranty costs.
After the warranty period expires, the customer may pay for repair on a product. But indirectly, the manufacturer will ultimately foot the bill as a result of negative customer reaction and costs that are difficult to capture and account for, such as customer inconvenience and dissatisfaction, and time and money spent by customers. As a result, the companys reputation will be damaged, and eventually the market share will be lost.

Real growth comes from the market, cost, and customer satisfaction. The money the customer spends for a product and the perceived loss due to poor quality ultimately come back as long-term loss to the manufacturer.
Taguchi defines quality as the loss imparted by the product to the society from the time the product is shipped.

The objective of the quality loss function is quantitative evaluation of loss caused by functional variation of a product.

The loss function is calculated from the square of the reciprocal of the process capability index after multiplying a constant related to economy. It is an economic forecasting value that is imparted to the customer in the market.

The Meaning of Quality

According to Taguchi

Quality is related to the loss to society caused by a product during its life cycle
The loss a customer sustains takes many forms, but is generally a loss of product function or properties. Quality is judged by one true evaluator, the customer

Note:

Genichi Taguchi is a Japanese electrical engineer who studied design of experiments during the 50s and then wrote his own approach to experimentation.

Traditional and Taguchis Definition of Quality

Traditional
There is Good or Bad Products only as per Limits.

Taguchis
When a product moves from its target will cause the loss even if the product lies or not within Limits.

Taguchis U-shaped loss Function Curve

Taguchi loss Fn

Scrap or Rework Cost.

Loss

Measured characteristic LTL Nominal UTL

Robust Design/Robustness
the state where the technology, product, or process performance is minimally sensitive to factors causing variability and aging, at the lowest unit manufacturing cost. -Dr. Genichi Taguchi

Quality Loss Function for Various Quality Characteristics

Classification of Quality Characteristics

1. Nominal is the best (NTB) -dimension = shaft 2. Higher is the better (HTB)= efficiency, profit, yield 3. Lower is the better(HTB) =shrinkage, defect, pollution, contamination

Nominal -the-Best Case

Control of aerosol flow from a spray can Boring an engine cylinder to an aim or target diameter. Controlling the diameter of a filament for a light bulb. Controlling the texture of an ice cream product Controlling the gain of an op-amp Maintaining the part geometry of an injection molded part Creating a particular hue(color) in mixing paint

Smaller -the-Better Case

Microwave radiation leakage Time to first print in the copy or printer machine Paper jams in a copier,pack feed, printer defects Defects on an image Background density on a text image Automotive exhaust pollution Steering column vibration EMI from consumer electronics Corrosion of metals

Taguchis Loss Function

Taguchis Loss Function recognizes the customers desire to have products that are more consistent, part to part, and a producers desire to make a low-cost product. This is modeled three ways.
Nominal the Best (NB)

Loss in $ LSL

USL

As can be seen, the quality loss function has three components:

1) Cost coefficient, k 2) Variance, S2 3) Bias squared, (y-m)2

Loss in $

Higher the Better (HB)

LSL

Loss in $

Smaller the Better (SB)

USL

Taguchis Loss Function

Type Of Characteristic Loss For An Individual Part Average Loss Per Part In a Distribution

NB
L(Y) k(y m)
2

L(Y) k[S ( y m) ]

HB

L(Y) k(1/ y )

L(Y) k[1/ y ][1 (3S / y )]

L(Y) k( y )

L(Y) k[S ( y )]

SB

S2 = variance=2

Loss in a Distribution (more than one piece)

Nominal =115

Example: NTB

Nominal =115

Compute for the average

N 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 average data 112 113 112 113 112 113 114 115 112 113 114 112 114 113

Calculate the variance,MSD

Calculate for the Loss=k(MSD)

L=0.25(4.92)=$1.23

Example for Smaller the Better

Specification Tolerancing

In quality engineering, tolerance is not the deviation between products. Tolerance is defined as a deviation from target. Tolerance is determined so that the loss caused by the manufacturer and the one caused by the customer are balanced.

Taguchis Loss Function

Applying The Loss Function To Determine Factory Tolerances(Specification tolerances)
Example: Solution: Loss = k (y-m)2 $100.00 = k (40)2 k = $0.0625 / rpm2 At the factory level, Loss $10.00 (y-m)2 (y-m) = k (y-m)2 = 0.0625 (y-m)2 = ($10.00 / 0.0625) = 160 = (160) = 13 rpm

In automatic transmissions the shift points are supposed to occur at a certain throttle position. Heavy-duty truck users are particularly sensitive to this characteristic. Usually, it takes the producer $100.00 to adjust a valve body under warranty when a customer complains of the shift point. From the information the engineers have available, the average customer would ask for an adjustment if the shift point is off from the nominal by 40 rpm transmission output speed on the first-to-second gear shift. Determine the limits that would define when an adjustment should be made at the factory to avoid the complaints in the future. Here, the cost of adjustment is only $10.00.

The End