Page 100 - Six Sigma for electronics design and manufacturing

Chapter
3
Six Sigma and Manufacturing
Control Systems

Six sigma originally gained acceptance as a measure of product de-
sign for manufacturing (DFM), especially in the process-intensive in-
dustries such as integrated circuit (IC) and printed circuit board
(PCB) fabrication and assembly. Today, it has become as widely ac-
cepted as the traditional measure of quality in manufacturing control
systems such as statistical process control (SPC) and total quality
management (TQM). Its unique blend of production variability versus
design specifications makes it a natural method for setting, communi-
cating, and comparing new product specifications and manufacturing
quality levels for competitive manufacturing plants.
By focusing on six sigma, there is a commitment up front to meas-
uring and controlling manufacturing variability through statistical
process control (SPC) tools and methods such as control charts. In ad-
dition, it is an excellent tool for negotiating and communicating with
suppliers to set the appropriate quality level and expectations.
Six sigma focuses on communication between the design, develop-
ment, and manufacturing parts of an organization. By managing the
relationship of design tolerance to manufacturing specifications, it
shifts attention away from a possible adversarial relationship be-
tween design and manufacturing to a more constructive one, where
the common goal of achieving a particular quality level facilitates ne-
gotiations and cooperation in new product development.
In this chapter, the relationship between six sigma the early tradi-
tions of TQM and SPC will be explored, in the following topics:

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