Quality Engineering Techniques in Product Design/Process

There are several quality engineering/statistical techniques that can assist in predicting potential quality problems. One of these, variation simulation has the capability of examining the effect of the product process interaction early in the product cycle. The ability to predict quality related problems in the design and/or process development stage allows re-evaluation of the design/process prior to prototype, pilot, and production build. This can result in substantial cost savings as well as minimizing production interruptions for design and process changes. This paper will examine applications of variation simulation and other quality engineering techniques during product and process design development.