VIENID Start practicing

Home › Lessons › Industrial Manufacturing - Machinery and Electronics

Quality Control and Inspection

Industrial Manufacturing - Machinery and Electronics · 製造分野 · Written by Tokutei Pass based on the official study texts; not copied verbatim.

Workplace 5S, Hou-Ren-Sou, and Standard Operating Procedures

Workplace 5S consists of five activities: Sort (Seiri), Set in order (Seiton), Shine (Seisou), Standardize (Seiketsu), and Sustain (Shitsuke).

'Set in order' (Seiton) means deciding storage locations for tools and returning them after use, while 'Shine' (Seisou) means cleaning away trash and oil.

'Hou-Ren-Sou' in the workplace stands for Reporting (Houkoku), Communicating (Renraku), and Consulting (Soudan).

Standard Operating Procedures (work manuals) maintain consistent quality and safety; even experienced workers must never skip steps.

Key points


  • (○ True) Workplace 5S stands for 'Seiri, Seiton, Seisou, Seiketsu, Shitsuke', and Hou-Ren-Sou stands for 'Report, Communicate, Consult'.

  • (× False) Saying 'Seiton (Set in order)' means sweeping trash and oil around machines is FALSE (cleaning is 'Seisou'; organizing tool locations is 'Seiton').

  • (× False) Saying work procedure manuals are only for new hires and may be skipped once accustomed is FALSE.
WordMeaning
Sort and Set in order (Seiri - Seiton)
Shine and Standardize (Seisou - Seiketsu)
Report, Communicate, Consult (Hou-Ren-Sou)
work procedure manual (SOP)
standard operation

Building In Quality, First-Article Inspection, and Abnormality Response

Under the principle 'the next process is the customer', quality is built into each process and defective items are never passed downstream.

Inspecting the first product after a changeover (first-article inspection) verifies correct setup and machining conditions to prevent mass defects.

When a defective product is found during inspection, report to your supervisor, label and separate it from good products, and follow instructions.

If a machine makes an unusual noise during operation, ensure safety, stop the machine immediately, and report to your supervisor or maintenance staff.

Key points


  • (× False) Under 'the next process is the customer', passing minor defects along because the next inspection will catch them is FALSE.

  • (○ True) The purpose of inspecting the first piece after a changeover is to verify setup conditions and prevent mass defects.

  • (○ True) Separate and report defective items when found, and stop the machine safely and report immediately if abnormal noise occurs.
WordMeaning
next (downstream) process
setup change (changeover)
defective product
good (non-defective) product
maintenance personnel

Lots, Traceability, PDCA Cycle, and Why-Why Analysis

In production control, a group (unit) of products manufactured under the same conditions is called a 'lot'.

A system that allows tracing back material history, production date, and lot numbers when a defect occurs is called 'traceability'.

The PDCA cycle for continuous improvement follows the order: Plan → Do → Check → Action.

Repeating 'Why?' multiple times when a problem occurs to find its root cause is called 'Why-Why analysis' (Naze-naze analysis).

Key points


  • (○ True) A unit of products manufactured together under identical conditions is called a 'lot'.

  • (× False) Calling the system for tracing back material and lot history 'changeover (Dandorigae)' is FALSE (it is 'traceability').

  • (× False) Stating the PDCA order as 'Do, Plan, Action, Check' or calling repeated 'Why' root-cause analysis '100% inspection' is FALSE.
WordMeaning
lot (production batch)
traceability
PDCA cycle
Why-Why analysis
100% (full) inspection

Seven QC Tools (1): Pareto Chart, Histogram, Check Sheet, and Stratification

A chart that orders defect types from most frequent to least frequent with bars and shows cumulative percentage with a line is a 'Pareto chart'.

A chart that divides measurement data into intervals and uses vertical bars to show frequency distribution and variation is a 'histogram'.

A pre-formatted table used to easily record and tally defect counts or inspection items by checking them off is a 'check sheet'.

Dividing data into groups with shared characteristics—such as by machine, operator, or material lot—to investigate patterns is called 'stratification'.

Seven QC Tools (1): Pareto Chart, Histogram, Check Sheet, and Stratification

Key points


  • (○ True) A chart showing defect counts in descending order along with a cumulative percentage curve is a 'Pareto chart'.

  • (○ True) A bar chart showing data dispersion across intervals is a 'histogram', and grouping data by machine or worker is 'stratification'.

  • (× False) Calling a simple tally table for checking off defect counts a 'Pareto chart' is FALSE (it is a 'check sheet').
WordMeaning
Pareto chart
cumulative ratio
histogram
check sheet
stratification

Seven QC Tools (2): Cause-and-Effect Diagram, Control Chart, and Records

A diagram that organizes the relationship between a result (effect) and its causes in a fishbone shape is a 'cause-and-effect diagram'.

When a candidate cause (such as material hardness variation) is identified on a fishbone diagram, investigate actual data to verify whether it is the true cause.

A chart that tracks process state over time and uses upper and lower control limit lines to detect abnormalities is a 'control chart'.

Always record actual inspection results accurately using the prescribed method, and report any abnormalities immediately.

Key points


  • (× False) Calling a fishbone-shaped diagram that organizes causes and effects a 'histogram' is FALSE (it is a 'cause-and-effect diagram').

  • (× False) Calling a time-series chart with control limit lines a 'cause-and-effect diagram' is FALSE (it is a 'control chart').

  • (○ True) Verify candidate causes from a fishbone diagram against actual data, and record actual inspection results accurately.
WordMeaning
cause-and-effect (fishbone) diagram
control chart
control limit lines
inspection result

Quality Control and 5S

Practice this chapter in the app

Official references