Lean Six Sigma for Injection Molders

Teacher USQC
Categories Lean Six Sigma, Quality
Students 21 (Registered)
Review

(1 Review)

Jun

Purpose

The purpose of this Course is to provide a demonstration of the application of techniques for Lean Six Sigma for improvement of the injection molding processes in an injection molding small and medium sized enterprise (SME).

Design/methodology/approach

A critical to quality characteristic (CtQ) which is connected to assembly problems is the subject of investigation. The CtQ is not directly measurable. The variation in a dimension of a product, which is correlated to the CtQ, is studied using design of experiments (DoE) and Taguchi methods. A two-cavity mold is used in the injection molding process. To evaluate the robustness of the process using signal-to-noise analysis, the data were transformed to compensate for the systematic differences between the mold cavities.

Findings

The initial results showed that finding optimal process parameter settings commonly valid for both cavities was impossible. After a modification of the mold, the experiments were rerun and optimal settings could be found.

Practical implications

Applying DoE techniques in small and medium-sized injection molding companies is far from common practice. This case study demonstrates a method to apply DoE with five process parameters which can serve as a standard method to prepare production when a new mold is used for the first time.

Originality/value

The originality is connected to the combination of the applied methods and, in the context of the case study, carried out in an SME unfamiliar with the power of the applied methods. The value of the paper is to demonstrate the power of the most powerful technique in quality engineering to improve an injection molding process within the context of SMEs. The authors would accentuate the point that the true power becomes visible when this powerful technique is introduced into an organization with very little understanding of the technique. In addition, the case study is valuable to practitioners because it proposes a new scientific and systematic approach to understand and optimize the start-up of the molding process.

Instructor

USQC

USQC is the leader organization providing training, consultative services, and third-party certifications and audits. In many industries we are the experts you need (i.e. Oil