Process capability index - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Page 1 of 4

Process capability index

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In process improvement efforts, the process capability index or process capability ratio is a
statistical measure of process capability: The ability of a process to produce output within
specification limits.[1] The concept of process capability only holds meaning for processes that are in
a state of statistical control. Process capability indices measure how much "natural variation" a
process experiences relative to its specification limits and allows different processes to be compared
with respect to how well an organization controls them.

If the upper and lower specification limits of the process are USL and LSL, the target process mean
is T, the estimated mean of the process is and the estimated variability of the process (expressed as
a standard deviation) is , then commonly-accepted process capability indices include:

Index Description
Estimates what the process would be capable of producing if the process could be
centered. Assumes process output is approximately normally distributed.
Estimates process capability for specifications that consist of a lower limit only (for
example, strength). Assumes process output is approximately normally distributed.
Estimates process capability for specifications that consist of an upper limit only (for
example, concentration). Assumes process output is approximately normally distributed.
Estimates what the process is capable of producing if the process target is centered
between the specification limits. If the process mean is not centered, overestimates
process capability. if the process mean falls outside of the specification limits.
Assumes process output is approximately normally distributed.
Estimates process capability around a target, T. is always greater than zero. Assumes
process output is approximately normally distributed. is also known as the Taguchi
capability index.[2]

Estimates process capability around a target, T, and accounts for an off-center process
mean. Assumes process output is approximately normally distributed.

is estimated using the sample standard deviation.

Contents

1 Recommended values

2 Relationship to measures of process fallout

3 Example

4 References

5 See also

Recommended values
Process capability indices are constructed to express more desirable capability with increasingly
higher values. Values near or below zero indicate processes operating off target ( far from T) or

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with high variation.

Fixing values for minimum "acceptable" process capability targets is a matter of personal opinion,
and what consensus exists varies by industry, facility, and the process under consideration. For
example, in the automotive industry, the AIAG sets forth guidelines in the Production Part Approval
Process, 4th edition for recommended Cpk minimum values for critical-to-quality process
characteristics. However, these criteria are debatable and several processes may not be evaluated for
capability just because they have not properly been assessed.

Since the process capability is a function of the specification, the Process Capability Index is only as
good as the specification . For instance, if the specification came from an engineering guideline
without considering the function and criticality of the part, a discussion around process capability is
useless, and would have more benefits if focused on what are the real risks of having a part
borderline out of specification. The loss function of Taguchi better illustrates this concept.

At least one academic expert recommends[3] the following:

Recommended minimum process Recommended minimum process

Situation capability for two-sided capability for one-sided
specifications specification
Existing process 1.33 1.25
New process 1.50 1.45
Safety or critical
parameter for existing 1.50 1.45
process
Safety or critical
parameter for new 1.67 1.60
process
Six Sigma quality
2.00 2.00
process

It should be noted though that where a process produces a characteristic with a capability index
greater than 2.5, the unnecessary precision may be expensive[4].

Relationship to measures of process fallout

The mapping from process capability indices, such as Cpk, to measures of process fallout is
straightforward. Process fallout quantifies how many defects a process produces and is measured by
DPMO or PPM. Process yield is, of course, the complement of process fallout and is approximately

equal to the area under the probability density function if the

process output is approximately normally distributed.

In the short term ("short sigma"), the relationships are:

Cpk Sigma Area under the probability Process fallout (in terms of
Process yield
level (σ) density function Φ(σ) DPMO/PPM)
0.33 1 0.6826894921 68.27% 317311
0.67 2 0.9544997361 95.45% 45500
1.00 3 0.9973002039 99.73% 2700

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1.33 4 0.9999366575 99.99% 63

1.67 5 0.9999994267 99.9999% 1
2.00 6 0.9999999980 99.9999998% 0.002

In the long term, processes can shift or drift significantly (most control charts are only sensitive to
changes of 1.5σ or greater in process output), so process capability indices are not applicable as they
require statistical control.

Example
Consider a quality characteristic with target of 100.00 µm and upper and lower specification limits of
106.00 µm and 94.00 µm respectively. If, after carefully monitoring the process for a while, it
appears that the process is in control and producing output predictably (as depicted in the run chart
below), we can meaningfully estimate its mean and standard deviation.

If and are estimated to be 98.94 µm and 1.03 µm, respectively, then

Index

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The fact that the process is running about 1σ below its target is reflected in the markedly different
values for Cp, Cpk, Cpm, and Cpkm.

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