Defect

How it is used

Used constantly in quality meetings and reports. Inspectors find, detect and record defects; teams aim for zero defects and measure defect rates, often in ppm (parts per million). A part with a defect is called defective.

Example sentences

1. The customer found a surface defect on 12 parts from batch 2207.

2. Our defect rate fell to 150 ppm after we added the vision camera.

Common collocations

• defect rate
• zero defects
• surface defect
• detect a defect
• defective part

Related terms

• scrapMaterial or parts that are defective or left over and cannot be used or repaired, so they are thrown away or recycled. As a verb, to throw such parts away.
• reworkExtra work done to correct a defective product so that it meets the specification, instead of scrapping it. It is also a verb meaning to do this work.
• inspectionLooking at, measuring or testing a product to decide whether it meets its requirements, for example checking dimensions with a gauge.
• first pass yieldThe percentage of units that come out of a process right the first time, with no rework, repair or scrap. Shortened to FPY.
• nonconformanceA failure to meet a specified requirement in a product, a process or a management system, for example a part outside tolerance or a skipped procedure step.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

• defect · Aviation

More terms: Quality Control and Assurance

• quality control
• statistical process control
• control chart
• corrective action
• FMEA
• audit