What is quality control?

Quality Control - What do you know? What is quality control? What is quality assurance? What is PDCA? What role does quality control play in a manufacturing facility? How has quality control changed over the years?

What is Quality Control? QC is used in engineering and manufacturing Ensures produces or services are meet or exceed customer requirements

History of Quality Control During the specialized craftsman period, quality control was “let the buyer beware” During the early civil engineering projects specifications became needed The Great Pyramid of Giza – all 4 sides of the base are perpendicular within 3.5 archseconds. Archsecond is an angular measurement equal o 1/60 of one degree The Great Pyramid of Giza, in 2005. Built c. 2560 B.C., it is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza Necropolis. Also called Khufu’s pyramid.

History of Quality Control Middle Ages – guilds took the responsibility of quality control. Royal governments were interested in the quality control of material. King John of England appointed William Wrothan to supervise the repair of ships. The Industrial Revolution led to the system of foreman. A foreman oversees a group of people doing the same task and is responsible for the quality of work. Quality assurance has become the standard in the past century. 2 key principle: “fit for purpose” “right the first time”

Wartime Production Manufacturing became more complex during World War I Foreman supervised large groups of workers to ensure quality Mass production was introduced and workers could earn more money by producing more products This caused a decrease in quality and workmanship Full time inspectors were introduced into the factory This was the beginning of inspection quality control and inspection organizations of the 1920’s and 1930’s

Wartime Production 1930’s began a systematic approach to quality control Mass production and World War II made it necessary to begin a more stringent form of quality control – Statistical Quality Control or SQC SQC – uses sampling and control charts to help make manufacturing as efficient as possible with time, waste, and quality.

Post War Production The U.S. industries continued to use the sampling concept for QC, but other industries wanted a more collaborative approach. General Douglas MacArthur was sent to rebuild Japan. He invited W. Edwards Deming and Joseph Juran. They promoted collaborative concepts of quality to the Japanese who utilized their concepts in the redevelopment of Japanese economy..

Quality Assurance Quality assurance covers: Design, development, production, installation, servicing, and documentation Regulation of raw materials; assemblies; products and components; services related to production; and management, production, and inspection processes. Quality assurance began the guidelines: “fit for a purpose” and “do it right the first time” The largest QA management approach is PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) or Shewhart Cycle.

The PDCA Cycle DO – Implement new processes. PLAN – Establish objectives and processes necessary to deliver results with the expected output. CHECK - Measure new process and compare the results to see differences. ACT – Analyze and make changes for improvement

Failure Testing Failure testing, or stress testing, tests the product until it fails using stresses like vibration, temperature, and humidity. Helps engineers make any necessary improvements to the design.

Company Quality Company wide approach to quality became a concept in the 1980s. 3 aspects of company quality: Controls, job management, adequate processes, performance and integrity criteria and identification of records Competence such as knowledge, skills, experience, and qualifications Personal integrity, confidence, organizational culture, motivation, and team spirit

Total Quality Control The major characteristics, ignored during the search to improve manufacture and overall business performance were: Reliability Maintainability Safety As the most important factor had been ignored, a few refinements had to be introduced: Marketing had to carry out their work properly and define the customer’s specifications. Specifications had to be defined to conform to these requirements. Conformance to specifications i.e. drawings, standards and other relevant documents, were introduced during manufacturing, planning and control. Management had to confirm all operators are equal to the work imposed on them and holidays, celebrations and disputes did not affect any of the quality levels. Inspections and were carried out, and all components and materials, bought in or otherwise, conformed to the specifications, and the was accurate, this is the responsibility of the QA/QC department. Any complaints received from the customers were satisfactorily dealt with in a timely manner. Feedback from the user/customer is used to review designs. Consistent data recording and assessment and documentation integrity. Product and/or process change management and notification.

Quality Control – What do you know? What is quality control? What is quality assurance? What is PDCA? What role does quality control play in a manufacturing facility? How has quality control changed over the years?

Group Activity Thinking about our class project, how can you make quality control checks for our product? You have 5 minutes to discuss ideas with your group. Prepare a brief 1-2 minute presentation for the class. Students should use the class project that was voted on during the design unit.