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The role of SPC in printed circuit board manufacture
Author(s) -
Manson M. M.,
Dale B. G.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
quality and reliability engineering international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.913
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1099-1638
pISSN - 0748-8017
DOI - 10.1002/qre.4680050211
Subject(s) - statistical process control , printed circuit board , manufacturing engineering , process (computing) , quality (philosophy) , task (project management) , control (management) , computer science , engineering , process capability , manufacturing process , reliability engineering , operations management , work in process , systems engineering , artificial intelligence , materials science , epistemology , composite material , operating system , philosophy
This paper reports on research which examined the use of statistical process control (SPC) in the quality improvement process of a printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturer. The implementation of SPC is discussed along with the difficulties encountered and benefits achieved. The findings indicate that SPC is a tool which can be of considerable assistance in the quality improvement process of PCB manufacture. However, the variety of manufacturing technologies used and the number of interconnecting processes makes the application of SPC more difficult than in other traditional industries. The lessons learned include that the introduction of SPC must not be rushed, that discipline and support from all levels in the organization are crucial to its success, that SPC cannot be used in isolation—it needs the structure of a continuous improvement initiative, and that getting processes in a state of statistical control and capable, and keeping them there, is a difficult task which involves considerable effort and patience.