Design for Manufacture and Project Management

Flashcards covering vocabulary and concepts related to design for manufacture, project management systems like Six Sigma and Lean, and quality control measurement devices.

Quality control (QC)

The monitoring, checking, and testing of materials, components, equipment, and products throughout production to ensure they conform to acceptable tolerances.

Quality assurance (QA)

The procedures and policies put in place to reduce waste and ensure manufactured products are produced accurately and within acceptable tolerances, such as TQM, Scrum, and Six Sigma.

Total quality management (TQM)

A project management system focusing on QA through the full involvement of the workforce in continual improvement, valuing the views of employees to contribute to production effectiveness.

Scrum

A project management method, also known as agile manufacture, that focuses on a team reaching goals in short timescale 'sprints' with daily updates to respond to changing customer demand.

Six Sigma

A set of techniques and tools for process improvement introduced by Motorola, aiming to reduce the number of defective products to less than $3.4$ in every million.

DMAIC

The five key stages of Six Sigma: Define (identify the issue), Measure (measure the extent), Analyse (determine where issues occur), Improve (rectify issues), and Control (maintain modified procedures).

Lean manufacture

A systematic approach to production which aims to eliminate all waste, identified as anything that does not benefit the client, from product production.

Muda

The name given to waste in lean manufacture, representing anything that does not benefit the client.

TIMWOOD

An acronym for the seven forms of 'muda' or waste: Transport, Inventory, Movement, Waiting, Over production, Over processing, and Defects.

Critical path analysis (CPA)

A project management method used to analyse all individual stages within a project and plan the effective and time-efficient completion of each element within the desired schedule.

Critical path network (CPN)

A diagram showing each individual stage and its relationship to all other stages within the project to enable completion in the least possible time.

Earliest start time (EST)

The earliest time in hours from the beginning of a project that a specific stage can commence.

Latest finish time (LFT)

The latest time a stage can be completed without impacting the overall finish time of the project.

Slack

The difference between the earliest start time and the latest finish time of a stage, allowing for delays without affecting final project completion.

Feasibility study

A study carried out to assess the practicality of a proposed project or system.

Product design specification (PDS)

A detailed list of the client's essential and desirable requirements used as a clear reference for accurate production planning.

Finite Element Analysis (FEA)

CAD software used to analyse the stresses that a component will face during its working life.

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)

Simulation software, such as Mould Flow Analysis (MFA), used to check the flow of materials within moulding machinery.

Vernier calipers

A precision measuring instrument for external, internal, and depth measurements, providing accuracy to $\pm 0.02\,mm$.

Micrometers

A measuring instrument used for small components that achieves an accuracy of $\pm 0.01\,mm$ via screw thread movement, usually limited to external diameters.

Go/no go gauge

A specific measuring instrument that checks whether a single dimension fits within a tolerance range, providing a simple pass/fail reading without needing recalibration.

Co-ordinate measuring machinery (CMM)

Extremely high-accuracy machinery, such as a probe scanner or non-contact laser scanner, used to check predefined measurements against a 3D CAD model.

Non-destructive testing (NDT)

Methods used to check the internal structure of materials for faults not visible to the naked eye, such as x-rays and ultrasound analysis, without damaging the product.

Lead time

The duration from the initial concept development to the final production of a product.