Engineering Methods for Robust Product Design: Using Taguchi Methods in Technology and Product Development [Hardcover]

William Y. Fowlkes (Author), Clyde M. Creveling (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0201633671 | ISBN-13: 978-0201633672 | Publication Date: September 9, 1995 | Edition: 1

With practical techniques, real-life examples, and special software, this hands-on book/disk package teaches practicing engineers and students how to use Taguchi Methods and other robust design techniques that focus on engineering processes in optimizing technology and products for better performance under the imperfect conditions of the real world. The unique WinRobust Lite software included with the book, together with a number of practice problems, enables you to conduct and analyze Taguchi experiments by simplifying the tedious process of performing the many necessary computations. The book contains complete information on the process of engineering robust products that are insensitive to sources of variability in manufacturing and customer use. You will find detailed instructions for planning, designing, conducting, and analyzing the experiments that are used to optimize a product's performance under a variety of "stressed" conditions. An entire section focuses on designing products that achieve additivity, the property that reduces negative interactions. In addition, the book offers a systematic method for optimizing cost, quality, and cycle time. It even discusses the relationship of robust design to such other quality processes as Quality Function Deployment and Six Sigma. Numerous case studies, taken from the authors' extensive practical experience, illustrate how robust design theories and techniques actually work in the real world of product engineering. With the techniques described in this book as well as the WinRobust Lite software, you will be better able to design robust products that are high-quality, durable, and able to perform well in the marketplace.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"I believe this book will help a great deal to clarify misconceptions about Dr. Genichi Taguchi's approach to robust design, such as why dynamic signal-to-noise ratio is used and the role of orthogonal arrays in parameter design and tolerance design. The authors understand the intent of robust design is to prevent fire instead of becoming better fire fighters!"

Ñ Shin Taguchi
President, American Supplier Institute

With practical techniques, real-life examples, and special software, this hands-on book/disk package teaches practicing engineers and students how to use Taguchi Methods and other robust design techniques that focus on engineering processes in optimizing technology and products for better performance under the imperfect conditions of the real world.

The unique WinRobust Lite software included with the book, together with a number of practice problems, enables you to conduct and analyze Taguchi experiments by simplifying the tedious process of performing the many necessary computations.

The book contains complete information on the process of engineering robust products that are insensitive to sources of variability in manufacturing and customer use. You will find detailed instructions for planning, designing, conducting, and analyzing the experiments that are used to optimize a product's performance under a variety of "stressed" conditions. An entire section focuses on designing products that achieve additivity, the property that reduces negative interactions. In addition, the book offers a systematic method for optimizing cost, quality, and cycle time. It even discusses the relationship of robust design to such other quality processes as Quality Function Deployment and Six Sigma.

Numerous case studies, taken from the authors' extensive practical experience, illustrate how robust design theories and techniques actually work in the real world of product engineering. With the techniques described in this book as well as the WinRobust Lite software, you will be better able to design robust products that are high-quality, durable, and able to perform well in the marketplace.

About the Author

William Y. Fowlkes, winner of the prestigious Taguchi Award for his work at Eastman Kodak, is experienced both in using Taguchi methods as well as teaching them. He teaches a course on robust design at the Rochester Institute of Technology, has created a video tape and tele-course on the subject that is used at General Motors, and was instrumental in creating the training materials on robust design that continue to be used at Eastman Kodak.

Clyde "Skip" Creveling is the president and founder of Product Development Systems & Solutions Inc. (PDSS) (http://www.pdssinc.com). Since PDSS' founding in 2002, Mr. Creveling has led Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) initiatives at Motorola, Carrier Corporation, StorageTek, Cummins Engine, BD, Mine Safety Appliances, Callaway Golf, and a major pharmaceutical company. Prior to founding PDSS, Mr. Creveling was an independent consultant, DFSS Product Manager, and DFSS Project Manager with Sigma Breakthrough Technologies Inc. (SBTI). During his tenure at SBTI he served as the DFSS Project Manager for 3M, Samsung SDI, Sequa Corp., and Universal Instruments.

Mr. Creveling was employed by Eastman Kodak for 17 years as a product development engineer within the Office Imaging Division. He also spent 18 months as a systems engineer for Heidelberg Digital as a member of the System Engineering Group. During his career at Kodak and Heidelberg he worked in R&D, Product Development/Design/System Engineering, and Manufacturing. Mr. Creveling has five U.S. patents.

He was an assistant professor at Rochester Institute of Technology for four years, developing and teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in mechanical engineering design, product and production system development, concept design, robust design, and tolerance design. Mr. Creveling is also a certified expert in Taguchi Methods.

He has lectured, conducted training, and consulted on product development process improvement, design for Six Sigma methods, technology development for Six Sigma, critical parameter management, robust design, and tolerance design theory and applications in numerous U.S, European, and Asian locations. He has been a guest lecturer at MIT, where he assisted in the development of a graduate course in robust design for the System Design and Management program.

Mr. Creveling is the author or coauthor of several books, including Six Sigma for Technical Processes, Six Sigma for Marketing Processes, Design for Six Sigma in Technology and Product Development, Tolerance Design, and Engineering Methods for Robust Product Design. He is the editorial advisor for Prentice Hall's Six Sigma for Innovation and Growth Series.

Mr. Creveling holds a B.S. in mechanical engineering technology and an M.S. from Rochester Institute of Technology.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 1 edition (September 9, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0201633671
• ISBN-13: 978-0201633672
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.7 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #450,384 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars How to learn Robust Design, September 11, 2001

By 

Michael Schlueter (Hamburg, Germany) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Engineering Methods for Robust Product Design: Using Taguchi Methods in Technology and Product Development (Hardcover)

I like this book because it gives a very good introduction into the concepts of noise- and control-factors. It treats the concept of "energy transformation" good, which is important to find the appropriate Ideal Function for your product.

The examples are quite nice and most of them are illustrated by the p-diagram (parameter diagram). Unfortunately, examples are mainly form mechanical engineering. For me this is no drawback. Others may want to have a look on dedicated case studies from their field.

To my taste the formulas presented appear a bit uglier than they really are.

If you want to learn, how and why to use Taguchi's method, this book is an excellent tool for self-learning.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent primer on Robust Engineering... how to book, May 10, 2004

By 

Fred F. Kuhlman (Kokomo, IN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Engineering Methods for Robust Product Design: Using Taguchi Methods in Technology and Product Development (Hardcover)

This book is quite readable, considering the topic, and does an excellent job of explaining the high level strategies of Dr. Taguchi's approach to optimization and experimentation. It also covers tactical issues like how to determine your ideal function and noise strategies.

I've had several classes on this subject but found that the book helped clarify some of the finer aspects of the strategy and helped explain why the strategy should work. (e.g particularly the strategy for dealing with interactions).

This book would not be sufficient to teach most people Robust Engineering, but it is a great reference.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Review on Robust Design, February 7, 2007

By 

Atilla Szilagy "szattis" (Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Engineering Methods for Robust Product Design: Using Taguchi Methods in Technology and Product Development (Hardcover)

The book is a good overview of Taguchi's methods with a few very good examples.