Run Rules-Based EWMA Charts for Efficient Monitoring of Profile Parameters

Abstract

In usual quality control methods, the quality of a process or product is evaluated by monitoring one or more quality characteristics using their corresponding distributions. However, when the quality characteristic is defined through the relationship between one or more response and independent variables, the regime is referred to as profiles monitoring. In this article, we improve the performance of the Exponentially Weighted Moving Average Range (EWMAR) control charts, which are implemented for monitoring linear profiles (i.e., intercept, slope and average residual between sample and reference lines) by integrating them with run rules in order to quickly detect various magnitudes of shifts in profile parameters. The validation of the proposed control chart is accomplished by examining its performance using the average run length (ARL) criteria. The proposed EWMAR chart with run rules exhibits a much better performance in detecting small and decreasing shifts than the other competing charts. Finally, an example from multivariate manufacturing industry is employed to illustrate the superiority of the EWMAR chart with run rules. © 2013 IEEE.