Inspection planning by defect prediction models and inspection strategy maps

See our publication: Verna E., Genta G., Galetto M., Franceschini F., Inspection planning by defect prediction models and inspection strategy maps (1.67 MB), PRODUCTION ENGINEERING (2021) 15:897–915 DOI:10.1007/s11740-021-01067-x

Designing appropriate quality-inspections in manufacturing processes has always been a challenge to maintain competitiveness in the market. Recent studies have been focused on the design of appropriate in-process inspection strategies for assembly processes based on probabilistic models. Despite this general interest, a practical tool allowing for the assessment of the adequacy of alternative inspection strategies is still lacking. This paper proposes a general framework to assess the effectiveness and cost of inspection strategies. In detail, defect probabilities obtained by prediction models and inspection variables are combined to define a pair of indicators for developing an inspection strategy map. Such a map acts as an analysis tool, enabling positioning assessment and benchmarking of the strategies adopted by manufacturing companies, but also as a design tool to achieve the desired targets. The approach can assist designers of manufacturing processes, and particularly low-volume productions, in the early stages of inspection planning.