In this article, I’m looking at the relationship between capability index (Cpk or Ppk) and tolerance intervals.

One hundred years ago this month, Walter Shewhart wrote a memo that contained the first process behavior chart. In recognition of this centennial, this column reviews four different applications of the techniques that grew out of that memo.

Recently, you’ve probably seen the word quantum used everywhere—in computing, in names for tech companies, and maybe even for explanations of love and consciousness. 

Because I’m a microplastics researcher, my friends sometimes jokingly ask me, “How many microplastics do you think I consumed this week?”

The aerospace industry is constantly innovating and pushing the limits of what’s possible. This puts a lot of pressure on manufacturers to ensure their airplanes are top-notch in quality, safety, and efficiency.

In the food industry, it’s common for processors to test—and even retest—their products on the conveyor systems they are considering purchasing.

If a traveler from Germany goes to Vietnam and falls ill, the results of their blood test there should be as meaningful as if the test were taken at home.

In the healthcare sector, precision isn’t just a requirement. It’s a necessity where the margins for error are perilously thin, and the consequences of inaccuracy can be grave.

Calibration, a critical aspect of maintaining equipment precision, involves more than routine checks. It’s a complex decision-making process in which quality, lead time, and price are weighed.

In less than two months we will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the invention of the control chart, a tool most often associated with statistical process control (SPC). Considering SPC from our modern perspective made us ask, “Is SPC still relevant?”