| Internal failures such as scrap and rework are frequently observed as excessive during inspection of printed circuit boards, with the associated cost of quality rarely considered. Furthermore, the nonconforming product occurrence rate during inspection varies with deviations habitually going undetected. Process variation throughout the manufacturing line promotes changing rates of nonconformances, decreasing inspection efficiency. Statistical process control charting can assist engineers and manufacturing personnel in countering this phenomenon. Use of attribute control charts at final inspection will reduce internal failure costs by providing faster corrective action. While engineers continuously juggle their workload, simplistic tools can provide priority and direction to personnel tasked with improving product quality and reducing cost. As a result of the work done in this project, a decision tree was developed and included in the appendices section of this manuscript. This tool can be utilized by personnel when considering cost of poor quality improvements. |
