Conformability Analysis - A Measure of Performance for Design

Conformability Analysis is a structured technique which seeks to identify potential problems in the manufacture and assembly of the parts and expresses the outcome as a cost of quality for the design. The analysis provides process capability estimates based on key features of parts. Considerations of the severity of possible failure of each part enables this process risk to be mapped onto a cost model to assess the expected cost of failure. Given the very high proportion of product cost determined very early in a project, and the typically significant quality costs incurred, such an approach to design evaluation is important in the product introduction process. Applications illustrate how the method is used to evaluate, compare or generate designs and show how awareness of process capability is raised in the team and in discussions with suppliers.