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Industrial Engineering & Manufacturing vocabulary · Six Sigma and Statistics

Process capability

Meaning in industrial engineering & manufacturing, with examples

nounCommon term

In industrial engineering & manufacturing, process capability means: How well a stable process can produce parts within the specification limits, usually expressed with indices such as Cp and Cpk.

In Turkish: proses yeterliliği, süreç yeterliliği

How it is used

Customers often ask for capability studies before approving a new part. Cp compares the tolerance width with the process spread (6σ); Cpk also checks how well the process is centered. Many automotive customers require a Cpk of at least 1.33, and higher for new processes.

Example sentences

  1. Process capability for the bore diameter is too low: Cpk is only 0.9.

  2. We need a process capability study on 125 parts before the customer approves the new tool.

Common collocations

  • process capability study
  • process capability index
  • Cpk value
  • improve process capability
  • variationThe natural differences between the results of the same process, for example small changes in the diameter of parts made on the same machine.
  • standard deviationA number that shows how widely values are spread around their average; a small standard deviation means the results are close together. Its symbol is σ (sigma).
  • statistical process controlA method of monitoring a process with statistics, usually control charts, to spot unusual variation early and keep the process stable. Shortened to SPC.
  • Six SigmaA data-driven method for improving processes by reducing variation and defects, aiming for no more than 3.4 defects per million opportunities.

More terms: Six Sigma and Statistics

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