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On the process design side, a design and iterative perspective often is lacking. In one case, a fairly well-established ultrasonic welding process was being used for prototypes. However, it was not meeting the requirements – was it even the right process for these materials? Were we just using the recommended settings? Were we understanding what would work for this particular design? Opinions were mixed on what the issue was – an overly demanding requirement or a process not tuned properly. With a combination of two DOE tests, a balanced process was found, but it took us outside the traditionally acceptable operating range for these materials. The eventual process was confirmed and the parts accepted by the customer. Years later, the process continues to produce parts that meet the customer needs. This fact is a reflection of the discipline used during the early stages of the project. Another example is from a coating application. A manufacturing facility was being refurbished. In parallel with the equipment installation, lab samples were coated. We wanted to apply enough thickness to be protective without overusing material. At the same time, we wanted to have an attractive finish on the product, which often requires thicker coatings. With the lab optimization, we were able to apply the process setting after the equipment was purchased and put into place. This created the best start-up ever when production was ramped up to full speed. We balanced the requirements of protection, appearance and material usage.
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Product design is a great application of the DOE tools; however, it has historically not been a high percentage of use. I sometimes call these applications “doing your homework.” By developing an early understanding, surprises can be avoided downstream. Manufacturing Applications: Production Efficiency The next application area is production efficiency. This could be reflected as low yields, assuming that a level that made production a good business decision had previously been achieved. If a poor design (product and process design) was released to manufacturing, then the homework was not done. There are two examples here for consideration. In the first, the process had previously been capable for a major client with a multi-million dollar product. Our failure to deliver was creating a huge and noticeable hole for them. We had a few ideas of what the issue could be, but if all ideas were implemented, it would increase production time and costs. How could we “quickly” evaluate them all? Using a DOE approach, we were able to confidently find the solution in an afternoon, and then communicate to the customer, with page 34 u
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