Mechanical Engineering Department

QUEST, N/SHAH

Inspection
3rd Year, 2nd Semester

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Chapter No. 3
Inspection
Introduction
• A worker manufactures products according to his
skill and ability. During manufacturing, he inspects
his assigned job whether he is doing it as per laid
specifications or not. In mass and inter-changeable
production, mostly semi-skilled workers are
engaged to produce goods. Hence separate
inspecting staff is deputed to inspect jobs to
ensure that products manufactured are according
to established standards and to stop doing further
work on spoiled products.
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Inspection (Introduction)

• The reputation and success of any industry largely

depends upon quality of its products. Inspection
does not create quality but it helps to control it. The
aim is to prevent defects by finding and eliminating
the causes of trouble. Inspection sorts out below
standard materials and products and then stops
their manufacturing.
• Inspection is the function of judge the quality of a
product. According to Dr. [Link], “Inspection
is the process of measuring the quality of product or
service in terms of established standards”.

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Inspection (Introduction)

• A broad definition given by Kimball, “Inspection is the

art of comparing materials, products or performance,
with established standards”. Whenever products are
manufactured, some will be in the limits of errors and
some will be outside the allowances provided. With
the help of inspection, those products are selected
which will be satisfactory in all condition of work.
• Definition given by Alford and Beatly, “Inspection is
the art of applying tests, preferably by the aid of
measuring appliances to observe whether a given item
of product is within the specified limit of variability”.

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Inspection (Introduction)

• Inspection is an important aspect of production control.

Products should be checked at various stages for the size,
shape and quality. It stops the wrong production and thus
wastage can be checked. Defective parts cannot reach the
assembly points. To maintain the desired accuracy and
quickness, special gauges and other measuring devices must
be used. Therefore, inspection is a tool for controlling the
quality of product. Inspection controls the quality of the
product and is a must in a production shop, in spite of its
adding to the expenditure. This statement can be justified, if
we first study the objects of inspection.
• Inspection includes measurement of an output and
comparison to specified requirements to determine
conformity. (Figure 44.1 Page on 1042)
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Inspection (Introduction)

Objectives of Inspection
Inspection is carried out for:
(a) Distinguishing between good and bad product;
(b) Determining if a process is changing;
(c) Rating product quality;
(d) Measuring process capability;
(e) Rating inspector’s accuracy;
(f) Determining the precision of measuring
instruments, and
(g) Securing product design information

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Inspection (Introduction)

Objectives of Inspection
• For achieving these objectives, there is inspection
department in every organization and its cost has to be
borne by the employer but if there is no inspection, the
products of poor quality may reach to the consumers.
Material wastage and spoilage will be more, machining time
will be more. Products of poor quality and high cost will
reduce the reputation of the concern and demand of their
products will gradually go on reducing and the business may
come to standstill.
• Therefore, with the little additional cost, inspection system can
be organized which provides large benefits or we can say it is
impossible to run any organization economically and efficiently
whatever its size may be, without proper inspection.
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Inspection (Introduction)

Inspection v/s Test

• Inspection is performed under static conditions on items and can
vary from simple visual examination to complex measurements.
The emphasis in inspection is to determine conformance to a
standard. Whereas ‘TEST’ is performed under either static or
dynamic conditions and is performed on more complex items such
as assemblies or systems. In addition to determining conformance,
test can provide inputs for other analyses such as evaluating a new
design, diagnosing problems.
• The main purpose of inspection is product acceptance. Here
product means a discrete unit, a collection of discrete units or a
complex system, and include services such as banking, financing,
government departments, airlines, transport, tourism etc. in all
the cases, inspection characteristics can be identified, standards
set, and judgment made on conformance.
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Inspection (Introduction)

Conformance
• Conformance means judging whether the product
conforms to specification. Conformance decisions are
taken by inspectors or production workers, for which they
are trained. Acceptable products after inspection are
stamped as ‘OK’ and are sent to packers for shipment or
stockroom.

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Inspection (Introduction)

Non-conformance
• Non conforming products may be fit or unfit for use. An
inspector, on detecting a non conforming lot, prepares a
report to that effect. This lot is marked as ‘Hold’ and is sent
to special holding areas and further investigation takes
place. After investigation non-conformance may be waived
off due to following:
(a) Waiver by the designer by changing the specifications
(b) Waiver by quality department due to non critical
matters
(c) Waiver by customer either due to his pressing needs
or discount offer.

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Inspection (Introduction)

Non-conformance
• If the investigation concludes that the lot should not be
shipped, following alternatives are considered:
(a)Repairing the item,
(b) Downgrading the item and sold as ‘seconds’
(c)Scrapped etc.
• For nonconforming products, disposal is not the only
solution, in such cases corrective action is necessary. The
reasons must be found out and remedial actions are taken. In
case, the non-conformance is of repetitive nature, a serious
thought is required to be given at higher managerial level
and decision is taken to find a permanent solution.
Figure 44.2 page on 1043
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INSPECTION STANDARDS

Inspection Standards
• To meet the requirement of quality control, certain
inspection standards are to be formed. The most important
may be:
(i) Inspection standards for raw material
(ii) Inspection standards for work in process
(iii) Working inspection standards
(iv) Inspection standards for finished product
(v) Inspection standards of the completed mechanism

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INSPECTION STANDARDS

(i) Inspection standards for raw material

• The inspection standards for raw materials are based
upon purchase specifications.
(ii) Inspection standards for work in process
These may be defined in five heads:
(a) Relating to physical condition or properties of materials:
Inspection of the condition of the product after any
given process or may have reference to the result or
to the fitness for the process or operation.
(b) Relating to shape and size: Inter-changeable manufacturing is
based on such standards. To maintain control over quality,
shape and size largely forms the basis for most of the
machine shops, engineering and mechanical industries.
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INSPECTION STANDARDS

(i) Inspection standards for raw material

• The inspection standards for raw materials are based
upon purchase specifications.
(ii) Inspection standards for work in process
These may be defined in five heads:
(a) Relating to physical condition or properties of materials:
Inspection of the condition of the product after any
given process or may have reference to the result or
to the fitness for the process or operation.
(b) Relating to shape and size: Inter-changeable manufacturing is
based on such standards. To maintain control over quality,
shape and size largely forms the basis for most of the
machine shops, engineering and mechanical industries.
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INSPECTION STANDARDS

(c) Relating to degree of finish: Standards are to be fixed

for smoothness, shade, polish, matt, tinit and burnish
etc. Formerly such standards were not available but
today with the help of profilometer, we can compare
surface irregularities so that variations as fine as
0.0000025 mm are comparable.
(d) Chemical: In chemical industries such as food, soap,
cosmetic, drug etc. samples are selected for inspection
and products are tested in accordance with statistical
quality control techniques.

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INSPECTION STANDARDS

(e) Functional or Performance: This standard vary with the

industry, for example in food industry, the product is tested
to see if it has the desired flavor or not. In the same way, in a
diesel engine assembly, fuel pump and injectors are properly
calibrated on specially developed testing equipment before
delivery to the assembly department
(iii) Working Inspection Standards
• After limits and tolerances have been determined, they are
then given on working drawings. Precision in dimension is
transferred to working drawings whose blue prints are given
to operators and the work is carried out by them on specially
designed machines for economical production. The work is
simply inspected by the use of “GO” and “NO GO” gauges.

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INSPECTION STANDARDS

(iv) Inspection Standards for Finished Products

The standards for finished machine parts, sub-assemblies and
assemblies allow:
(a) For components that will assemble with those which
they must fit to make a sub-assembly
(b) For sub-assemblies that will group into final assembly;
and
(c) For final assemblies that will enter a completed
mechanism. Complex and elaborate gauges and fixtures
are used for the inspection of such finished products.
• The standards for other finished products are such so as to
ensure that the product will satisfy the customer.

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INSPECTION STANDARDS

(v) Inspection standards of the complete mechanism

• After the components of a mechanism have been
assembled, a final test or series of tests are conducted. For
example, a life is tested to carry a specified overload
without permanent set. A gun barrel will stand a heavy
proof charge without bursting or bulging

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ORGANISATION OF THE INSPECTION DEPARTMENT

• Inspection department should not be attached directly

under those who are engaged in increasing the quantity of
production, unless the quantity of the products is of much
importance.
• If the production foreman will be the in charge of
inspection work, then quality of product will receive less
attention and he will simply try to increase the quantity of
production. If the quality is of average importance then
inspection department may be kept as a staff department
under the works superintendent. In this system, production
and inspection both work under the supervision of
superintendent.

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ORGANISATION OF THE INSPECTION DEPARTMENT

• If quality is of maximum importance, the inspection should

be a major manufacturing function directly under the
control of works manager. In this way, inspection
department holds a similar position as that of purchasing
department and the engineering department.

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ORGANISATION OF THE INSPECTION DEPARTMENT

Qualifications of Inspectors
In order to carry out the full responsibilities, Inspector must
possess certain special qualifications. Following qualities
are necessary in any inspector:
1. He should know his job thoroughly. For this purpose,
technical knowledge and skill in the art of inspection is
essential.
2. He should be intelligent, capable and of good grasping
power.
3. He should understand his responsibility and be able to
work with patience. Any negligence of his part may lead
serious loss in product quality.

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ORGANISATION OF THE INSPECTION DEPARTMENT

4. He must know statistical quality control techniques well.

5. He should be cost conscious and, therefore, do not set
unnecessary strict and narrow limits.
6. He should be able minimize or present wastage by using a
substitute to the material already in use.
7. He should have the working knowledge of the general
quality standards.
8. He should know the reasons of standard through and
understanding of material and processes.

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ORGANISATION OF THE INSPECTION DEPARTMENT

Duties and Responsibilities of Chief Inspector

• Chief inspector is the head of inspection department. The
inspection is the responsibility of the chief inspector who
organizes this work and supervise the work of the
inspector.
• To maintain the standard of quality, the inspection
department prevents the defective products from passing
forward to next operation or to the stores. Inspectors
should point out the faulty operations and should inform
the way to prevent them.

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ORGANISATION OF THE INSPECTION DEPARTMENT

Following are the main responsibilities of the chief Inspector;

1. To organize and supervise the work of the inspecting staff

2. To train the staff to carry out their duties effectively.
3. To reject the products which are below standard?
4. To sent reports on inspected work and to suggest the ways
to minimize faulty production
5. To see that proper care of costly equipments in inspection
department is being taken.

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ORGANISATION OF THE INSPECTION DEPARTMENT

Functions of Inspection Department

1. To inspect raw materials: this is done to see that raw
materials received are physically and chemically in
accordance with specifications. This is done to eliminate the
loss of labour and machining time on the defective materials.
• For some materials, visual examination may be sufficient
while for others inspection may be necessary to test
especially for the electrical, mechanical and chemical
properties etc.
2. Metallurgical and Metallographical Inspection: to be sure to
see that metallic structure, hardness and other properties,
after various processes or operations have been performed,
are according to specifications.
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ORGANISATION OF THE INSPECTION DEPARTMENT

3. Purchase parts Inspection: the aim of such inspection is to

see that all the purchased parts i.e. tools, spares, jigs and
fixtures, general supplies etc. are according to laid
specifications. This is to make sure that there is no loss,
inferior quality or short counts or damages in accepted
quality.
4. Work-in-Process Inspection: to see that product is correctly
formed and dimensioned in accordance with specifications
during the process of their manufacture at various stages.
This has the advantage of;
(i) Preventing wastage of time and money on defective
units, and
(ii) Preventing delays in assemblies
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ORGANISATION OF THE INSPECTION DEPARTMENT

5. Tool Inspection: to inspect the different tools, which are

purchased or made to see that whether they are capable of
producing the items in accordance with specifications?
6. Periodic gauge and other measuring instrument’s
Inspection: to make sure that these equipment are capable
of giving the desired results, whenever used.
7. To collect errors in design or manufacturing methods that
results in more assembly time or poor performance.
8. Finished Products, Inspection: to inspect finished products
before they are marketed to see that product of poor
quality may be either rejected or in certain industries may
be sold out as ‘Seconds’ at a low price.

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ORGANISATION OF THE INSPECTION DEPARTMENT

9. Salvaging: this is the function of inspection in which poor

quality work is reworked to eliminate the defects or used
for some other purpose or converted to scrap material etc.
10. Complaints Division: it the function of inspection which
receives reports on defective material workmanship,
design, shape etc. from the sales and service division. This
then investigates and makes recommendations to the
manufacturing department so as to prevent future
occurrences.

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KINDS OF INSPECTION

Because of the varieties of manufactured products and the wide

variations in qualities, it is reasonable to expect various kinds of
inspection.
The most important of these are:
1. Tool Inspection (Trail-run-Inspection)
2. First Piece Inspection
3. Working Inspection
4. Sample Inspection
5. Operation Inspection
6. Final Inspection
7. Pilot Piece Inspection
8. Key Operation Inspection
9. Functional Inspection
[Link] Inspection
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KINDS OF INSPECTION

• The above kinds are based on methods. To this list tow

other kinds which are concerned with the location of the
work of inspection are also added. These are:
11. Floor or patrolling Inspection
12. Centralized Inspection
1. Tool Inspection: According to this method; tools, fixtures,
jigs and gauges are inspected in advance to the work of
production. In this method, it has been assumed that when
tools are proper, the products manufactured by them will
be satisfactory. This method can give good results in
automatic production work. Then, the trial run of first piece
is made to see that product is within tolerances.

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KINDS OF INSPECTION

2. First Piece Inspection: In automatic machines, if first 3 or 4

products are inspected and are found to be satisfactory
then it is assumed that product manufactured afterwards
will also be satisfactory. It assures that work has begun
correctly.
3. Working Inspection: According to this type of inspection,
the products should be inspected while they are in process,
to ensure that they are being produced according to
specifications.
• Inspectors should check products at definite intervals to
make sure that they are being produced as per
requirements.

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KINDS OF INSPECTION

4. Sample Inspection: in this, certain percentage from each

lot is inspected and the entire lot is judged by the result of
these samples.
5. Operation Inspection: it is the inspection at the completion
of operation before the work in process passed on to
another operation or machine or department.
6. Final Inspection: in this type of inspection, articles are
inspected when they are completely manufactured before
sending them to the store.

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KINDS OF INSPECTION

7. Pilot Piece Inspection: the product is passed through its

entire sequence of operations on a series of machines
installed for producing that product. After one piece is
manufactured, each tool, each machine is tested so that all
defective tools are replaced and all incorrect adjustments
are made all right. When a good product starts coming, the
production line is allowed for actual production.
8. Key Operation Inspection: there are certain operations
which are quite costly or difficult, i.e. operators usually do
mistake at such places. Such operations are known are ‘key
operation’. Inspection is done prior to and immediately
after the completion of each of these operations.

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KINDS OF INSPECTION

9. Functional Inspection: This inspection is carried out after

the completion of assembly to check the accuracy of
assembly to ensure that it will function as required.
[Link] Inspection: This inspection is carried out to
estimate how much time an assembly will withstand its use
and to determine weakness for its correction.
[Link] or Patrolling Inspection: According to this, inspection
is done at or near the machine. In this inspection, work
ranges from general patrolling-supervision, i.e. keeping an
eye on work at machines, to careful measurement of
product at its place of production.

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Advantages

1. Errors caught in time prevent spoilage of large amount of

work
2. This inspection can help in removing the troubles or
difficulties in doing the work
3. This requires less handling of job because work does not
have to be removed from the place of production. Thus
indirect labor cost will be less.
4. Delays at inspection room and thus wastage of time is
minimized
5. Production layout and mass production can well be achieved
6. The work of routing, scheduling, dispatching is simplified
7. It reduces labor cost
8. Reduction of work in process is possible
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Disadvantages

1. Inspector has to move from one area to another and this

his time is wasted
2. Advance machines for inspection purpose cannot be used
3. Keeping a track of good or bad products is slightly difficult
4. Sometimes work may pile up at work stations. The worker
may complete his work but awaiting for inspection
5. Presence of large quantities of work on the floor
complicates to keep wok moving
6. The inspector may be influenced by some of the workers
and start favoritism
7. Highly skilled inspectors to be engaged
8. There can be delay in deciding doubtful cases
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12. Centralised Inspection

• In this method, inspection is carried out in the inspection

rooms. The parts to be checked are moved to special
rooms where precision measuring devices are located.
Main idea in this is to separate inspection from
manufacturing.
• Centralized Inspection does not mean one inspection room
but a number of such rooms or cribs may be installed, each
located centrally in respect to the machine. The usual
practice is to locate cribs/rooms parallel to the flow of
work through the shop.

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12. Centralised Inspection (Advantages)

1. Inspectors of less skill can perform the job well

2. Better quality can be achieved because of no or little understanding
between workers and inspectors
3. With the aid of fixed and automatic inspection devices, mass
inspection at lower cost is possible
4. Because of better working conditions and less interference, inspector
can check the products with higher speed
5. Accurate inspection with delicate instruments can be done under
controlled atmosphere
6. To avoid displacement or theft, work can be stored in self-routing
trays.
7. Less number of gauges, instruments etc. are required
8. Decision on doubtful cases can be taken at once by higher authorities
9. The shops mostly remain neat and clean as there is no accumulation
of finished parts. They are collected and sent to inspection room.
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12. Centralised Inspection (Disadvantages)

1. Workers will come to know their weak points after the

completion of jobs
2. Materials handling is more
3. Delay at inspection room causes wastage of time
4. Along with routing, scheduling and dispatching the
inspection room, is also included in the work of production
control
5. If the inspection room is not build in the line of flow, there
may be break in the plan of product layout for straight line
manufacture.
6. Due to non-detection of machining errors in time, there
may be more spoilage of work

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13. Combined Method

• This is a combination of floor and centralized inspection

systems. Large and heavy jobs usually require patrolling
inspection. This is essential to keep operations running
and clearing troubles on the spot resulting in the
reduction of spoiled materials and efforts wasted on
them.
• The necessity for more accurate inspection of certain
parts or sub-assemblies cannot be denied and they may
require moving them to the central inspection room.
• Therefore, for introducing any kind of inspection, the
situation must be studied thoroughly before taking the
decision.
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INSPECTION PROCEDURE FOR MASS PRODUCTION
• To control the quality of manufactured products,
following three methods of inspection are usually
adopted in mass scale production. In big industries,
all these methods are used together.
1. Screening or 100% Inspection
2. Lot by Lot Inspection
3. Process Inspection
• Each method has been explained as under:

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INSPECTION PROCEDURE FOR MASS PRODUCTION
1. Screening or 100% Inspection
• It is the method of inspection, in which each and
every unit manufactured is inspected to meet the
desired specifications. The aim is to catch all the
defective products produced. But experience has
shown that screening or 100% inspection does
not guarantee a perfect product due to
monotony. Monotony creates fatigue and lowers
attention. If cent percent correct products are
required then at least 100 percent inspection is
necessary.

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INSPECTION PROCEDURE FOR MASS PRODUCTION
• Further, there are many types of ‘destructive’ testing where
100 percent inspection would result in 100 percent
destruction of products. For example, sharpness testing of
razor blades, tensile strength tests of wire, chip test of
enamel, filament test of electric bulb and firing tests of
ammunition etc. with such products, other methods of quality
control are necessary.
• Hundred percent inspection is necessary for:
(i) Important components upon which the functioning of the
whole assembly depends
(ii) Where a process normally yields a high percentage of
defective products. For example, production of high precision
ball bearings in which generally 20% defective products may
occur.
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INSPECTION PROCEDURE FOR MASS PRODUCTION
2. Lot by Lot Inspection: this method is also known as
sampling inspection. This method was developed to
eliminate the high cost of screening inspection. In this
method, small numbers of samples are drawn from the lot
and the inspector judges from them the acceptability of the
whole lot.
• Here modern statistics of mathematical probability helps
the inspector by furnishing him with readymade sampling
plans.
• Lot by lot inspecting method has been dealt in details in the
‘Acceptance Sampling’ dealt later on.

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INSPECTION PROCEDURE FOR MASS PRODUCTION
3. Process Inspection: The purpose of this method of inspection is to
search out defective products where and when they occur, so
that an immediate and corrective action can be taken. This
inspection deals with causes of defective work; be it operator,
operation, raw material, tool or machine etc. in process
inspection, inspector patrols in assigned area and checks
machines, methods of operations, and occasional pieces of
products from raw material to finished products.
• The limitations of this method are that inspectors cannot be
stationed at all machines at all times. As a result, large quantities
of defective materials may slip from the knowledge of inspectors.
• This method is used for inspecting precision machining, intricate
casting, certain type of spot and resistance welding and in many
chemical, mechanical and electrical measurements.

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INSPECTION PROCEDURE FOR MASS PRODUCTION

When and Where, How and How much to

Inspect
• Following are the problems of inspection,
which should be decided before the
inspection starts i.e. while planning the
inspection activity:
1. Where to inspect?
2. When to Inspect?
3. How to Inspect?
4. How much to inspect?
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INSPECTION PROCEDURE FOR MASS PRODUCTION
1. Where to Inspect.
Inspection may be done either at the machine itself or in a
central inspection room separated from actual production.
Floor inspection saves the cost of transportation of the
material from the place of production to the inspection
room. Floor inspection provides quicker inspection service,
and is very useful especially when the product is very bulky
and when it becomes very difficult to carry the products
from production site to inspection room. In continuous
industries where subsequent operations are linked
together by moving belts or other mechanical handling
devices, then it is out of question to carry the product to
separate inspection room.

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INSPECTION PROCEDURE FOR MASS PRODUCTION
• On the other hand, a separate inspection room provides
accurate and rapid inspection than that provided at
production site. At central inspection room, inspection
conditions will be better, and proper precision instruments
may be utilized. In the case of central inspection room,
there are less chances of the inspector being influenced.
Therefore, one of the above mentioned ways is selected
after considering all the factors.

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INSPECTION PROCEDURE FOR MASS PRODUCTION
2. Where to Inspect:
this problem of ‘when to inspect’ depends upon the nature of
products and the procedure employed for manufacture.
No general rule can be given about whether inspection
should be done after each operation in the process or only
at the final stage of completion. Generally a compromise
between two method is adopted. Usually a product is
inspected when it is transferred from one production
department to another, so that responsibility may be fixed
for any defective work. Inspection is necessary after that
operation in which there are more chances of defects, so
that main aim of inspection (to control the quality with
minimum possible cost) can be achieved.

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INSPECTION PROCEDURE FOR MASS PRODUCTION
3. How to Inspect:
• Different methods of inspection have already been
discussed. One of them should be adopted after
considering all the factors like type of products, operations
involved etc.
• ‘GO’ and ‘NOT GO’ gauges are preferred for inspection
because this system requires very less time and even a
semi-skilled worker can perform the inspection work.
These gauges have replaced the micrometer which
requires more time and a skilled worker. Therefore, the
use of ‘GO’ and ‘NOT GO’ gauges is economical and simple
hence being used widely.

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INSPECTION PROCEDURE FOR MASS PRODUCTION
4. How much to Inspect:
• this factor is decided in the light of the product and
accuracy desired. In some cases, sample inspection is
employed. In this, defective products may reach to the
customers. Therefore, this system is not advisable where
necessary accuracy is most important. Although this system
is cheaper and is adopted for ordinary articles and where
automatic machines are used.
• The products, in which accuracy is an important
consideration, should be inspected through a through 100
percent inspection.

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INSPECTION PROCEDURE FOR MASS PRODUCTION
Factors for Deciding the Amount of Inspection
• The amounts of inspection to decide the
acceptability of a lot vary from ‘no inspection’ to
‘100 percent inspection’. The factor which helps in
deciding the amount of inspection are:
(a)Previous history regarding quality of the product
item and supplier (internal or external)
(b) Critically of the item on overall system
performance
(c) Warranty or use history.

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INSPECTION PROCEDURE FOR MASS PRODUCTION
(d) Minimum inspection for the product having process
which is in statistical control with good uniformity
around a target value and vice-versa.
(e) Degree of self-control for the personnel operating the
process
(f) Homogenous product requires smaller size samples
(g) Nature of the manufacturing process. Sometimes
setup inspections and sometimes first few and last
few items in a production run are adequate.
(h) Allowable degree of risk in accepting a poor quality
item
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TOOLS FOR INSPECTION
• As we know, Inspection is “the function of
comparing or determining the conformance of
product to specifications”. The specifications
provide necessary details as to what is required,
and then inspection is done to see what is actually
produced. This work of inspection requires
equipments. These equipments help to speed up
inspection and precision.
• Following are the important tools for inspection:

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TOOLS FOR INSPECTION
(I) Inspection by measurement: Exact measurements
are determined with the help of micrometer,
vernier calipers, torque indicating spanners.
(ii) Limit gauges: These can be used even by a
unskilled operator to know quickly whether the
dimensions of the product are within the limits of
the specifications.
(iii) Multiple Gauging: These consists of eclectic
contacts operating colored signal lamps to indicate
whether the dimension is correct, oversize or
undersize.
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TOOLS FOR INSPECTION
(iv) Air gauge: this equipment is very useful for inspection in mass
production work
(v) Optical Comparators: the object is magnified 10 to 50 times and
projected on a screen to enable to compare with known
standards.
(vi) Non-destructive Testing: For detecting defects in material,
these testing methods are employed. The test methods are
visual, pressure and leak penetration, thermal, radiography,
acoustic, magnetic, electrical and electro-magnetic induction etc.
• In order that parts produced are of consistent and of acceptable
quality, the inspection gauges and test equipments are always
kept in accurate condition. Adequate past inspection records
should always be kept, because it provides valuable information
about recurring troubles and their remedies.

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INSPECTION PLANNING
• Inspection planning is done considering the quality
characteristics of the product. For simple and
routine quality characteristics, the planning is
generally done by the inspector, but for complex
products, the planning is usually done by senior
engineers/managers of the quality department.
Quality planning includes:
1. Locating the inspection stations
2. Providing facilities for inspection stations

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INSPECTION PLANNING
1. Locating the inspection stations
• (For deciding the locations of inspection stations, flow charts are
consulted. Most usual location for inspection stations are:
(a) At receipt of goods from suppliers, generally known as ‘incoming
inspection’.
(b) At the time of set-up of a production process. The data behind this is that,
if the production process is setup properly, the entire batch may be
treated as acceptable.
(c) During the critical or costly operations, also known as ‘process
inspection’.
(d) Prior to delivery of lot from one processing department to another.
(e) Prior to dispatch of completed products to storage or to customers, also
known as ‘finished goods inspection’.
(f) Sometimes depending upon the circumstances, inspection is performed in
the shipping areas of the supplier’s plant or at the customer’s premises.

58
INSPECTION PLANNING
2. Providing facilities for Inspection Stations
• Based on the product specifications and its application/use,
quality characteristics are decided. Planners prepare a list
of which quality characteristics are to be checked at which
inspection stations. The planner determines the detailed
work to be done for each quality characteristics, which
included the following:
(i) The type of test to be done. This requires detailed
description of testing environment, testing equipment,
testing procedure, tolerance permissible for desired
accuracy.
(ii) Sample size (number of units to be inspected in a lot)
(iii) Method of selecting the samples to be tested
59
INSPECTION PLANNING

(iv) The type of measurement to be made (attributes,

variables, others)
(v) Conformance criteria (tolerance limits)
• There are certain characteristics which are difficult to
measure by instruments. Such characteristics uses sense
of human beings and are known as sensory characteristics,
e.g. aesthetics, tastes, odour etc. Planners in such cases
may try to describe them in words, define limiting factors
for acceptability of the product.

60
SAMPLING INSPECTION
• To understand ‘sampling inspection’ properly, we must first
discuss the two words ‘sampling’ and ‘inspection’.
Sampling: A sample may be defined as the number of items or
component parts drawn from a lot, batch or population.
Sampling is an act of drawing samples from a batch on
random basis. Since sampling depends upon statistical
probability, samples must be drawn from all sides and
different depths of the box containing the batch of the
component parts, for inspection, so that every part has an
equal chance of being selected. The samples should be
collected at regular intervals from entire production run so
as to obtain a sample truly representative of the lot.

61
SAMPLING INSPECTION

Inspection: Every manufactured item or component is

expected to perform certain functions. The act of checking
whether the item or component will be able to perform
that function is known as inspection. The act of inspection
separates defective items from non-defective ones to
ensure the adequate quality of the product. It also locates
defects in raw materials and flows in the processes which
otherwise cause problems at final stage.

62
SAMPLING INSPECTION
Advantages: Advantages of sampling inspection s compared to
100 percent inspection are:
1. Less amount of inspection for achieving a predecided degree
of certainty about the quality
2. It is less expensive and less time consuming
3. Since less fatigue and boredom is experienced by inspectors,
their operating efficiency is high
4. Since fewer parts are inspected, no damage to remaining
pieces
5. Fear of rejection of entire lot, pressurizes for improvement
quality
6. It is suitable where destructive test is necessary for
inspection.
63
ACCEPTANCE SAMPLING
• For the purpose of acceptance, inspection is carried out at many stages
in the process of manufacturing. Theses stages may be: inspection of
incoming materials and parts, process inspection at various points in
the manufacturing operations, final inspection by the manufacturer
himself, and finally inspection of the finished product by the purchaser.
• Inspection for acceptance is generally carried out on a sampling basis.
The use of sampling inspection to decide whether or not to accept the
lot is known as ‘Acceptance Sampling’. A sample from the inspection
lot is inspected and if the number of defective items is more than the
stated number (the number is decided using statistics after a decision
about confidence level depending upon the place of application of the
product and its criticality) known as ‘Acceptance Number’, the whole
lot is rejected.
• The purpose of acceptance sampling is therefore, to decide whether to
accept or reject the lot. It does not control the quality during the
process of manufacturing.

64
ACCEPTANCE SAMPLING
Role of Acceptance Sampling
Acceptance sampling is very widely used in practice due to the following
merits:
1. Acceptance sampling is much less expensive than 100 percent inspection
2. It is general experience that 100 percent inspection removes only 82 to
95 percent of defective materials. Very good 100 percent inspection may
remove at the most 99 percent of the defectives, but still cannot reach
the level of 100 percent. Due to the effect of inspection fatigue involved
in 100 percent inspection, a good sampling plan may actually give better
results than that achieved by 100 percent inspection.
3. Because of its economy, it is possible to carry out sample inspection at
various stages. Acceptance number is evaluated using sampling plan and
confidence level.
4. The 100 percent inspection is not possible, where quality can be tested
only by destroying the items. In such cases, sampling inspection is the
only solution.

65
ACCEPTANCE SAMPLING
Basis of Sampling Inspection
(i) Variable basis and
(ii) Attributes basis
(i) Variable basis: In this, inspection of samples is conducted
on measurement (variable) basis, i.e. on the basis of actual
readings taken. Examples of variables are dimensions in
mm; hardness in units; operating temperature in
Fahrenheit; tensile strength in kg/cm2; percentage of a
particular item in a chemical compound; weight in kg of the
contents of any packet, time in seconds of the blow of a
fuse, life in hours of an electric bulb and so on. Variables
are dealt in (x-bar) and R Shewhart charts.

66
ACCEPTANCE SAMPLING
(ii). Attribute basis: In this, inspection of samples is conducted
on ‘GO’ and ‘NOT GO’ basis, i.e. determining whether or
not the product in the sample conforms to the specified
tolerances.

67
ACCEPTANCE SAMPLING
• Many requirements are necessarily stated in terms of
attributes rather than variables. For example, the glass
cover of a pressure gauge either is not cracked or is
cracked. A lithographic paper either has a certain desired
colour or it has not. Similarly, a spot weld in sheet metal
either has not caused cracked edges of the sheets or it has.
The surface finish of the top of dining table presents a
satisfactory appearance or it do not.
• Since, majority of acceptance sampling is conducted on
attributes basis, therefore, acceptance tables are formed
for ‘GO’ and ‘NOT GO’ datas.
Figure 44.3 Dealing with lot rejected in Sampling Inspection
page on 1055

68
ACCEPTANCE SAMPLING
Defects Classification
• In sampling, the defects in a product can be classified in
three categories. These defects are also known as quality
characteristics of any product and are:
(a) Critical: it is that defect, which renders the use hazardous
and which do not allow the poor performance of the
product when in use.
(b) Major: It is defect, which could result in the failure of the
product or materially affect its usability, operation or
performance.
(c) Minor: It is those defects, which do not materially affect
the usability, operation or performance of the product

69
QUALITY INDICES
Quality indices of acceptance sampling plan are:
1. Acceptance Quality Level (AQL)
• It is a fraction defective that can be tolerated without
serious effect on further processing operation or customer
reaction. In other words AQL is the maximum percent
defective that, for the purpose of sampling inspection, can
be considered satisfactory as a process average. AQL can
also be termed as maximum number or percentage of
defective pieces in a ‘good’ lot.

70
QUALITY INDICES
2. Rejectable Quality Level (RQL)
• This is also known as ‘lot tolerance percent defective (LTPD)’.
It represents the percentage defectives in a lot that can be
tolerated in only a specified proportion of lots. By adopting a
sampling plan that will reject most of the lots offered that
would cause too much unfavorable reaction of the customer.
This RQL helps in real protection against unsatisfactory
material reaching to the customer. RQL or LTPD can also be
expressed by the minimum number or percentage of defective
pieces in a ‘bad’ lot. This can also be termed as ‘limiting quality
level’ (LQL).
3. Average Outgoing Quality Limit (AOQL)
• This is the limit of quality, worst than which, a consumer will
not get any lot.
71
QUALITY INDICES
Figure 44.4 AQL page on 1056

72
QUALITY INDICES
Process Average (Average Percent Defective)
• It determines that before removal of any rejects whether or
not the product is being manufactured under satisfactory
control. It also determines whether normal reduced or
tightened sampling inspection is necessary to ensure the
desire quality level.
Applications of Sampling Inspection
The following are important places where sampling inspection is
widely used:
(i) At all the places where destructive testing of product is not
avoidable, hence inspection is prohibited.
(ii) Where inspection caused lot of ‘Fatigue’
(iii) Where inspection cost is too high
73
QUALITY INDICES
Advantages
(i) This is widely suitable in mass production
(ii) This is much economical and easy to conduct
(iii) It causes less fatigue to inspectors
(iv) The inspectors can easily and efficiently be trained in this
technique
Disadvantages
• It does not give definite assurance for the conformation of
the specifications

74
QUALITY INDICES
Uses of Sampling Inspection in Industry
(a) To determine the acceptability and quality of incoming raw
materials, components parts and finished products
(b) To determine the acceptability and quality of outgoing
product
(c) To determine the acceptability of work in process for
further processing with the plant
(d) To improve and control the quality of product

75
PROCEDURE OF SAMPLING INSPECTION
Following four steps are essential in setting up
acceptance sampling inspection:
(1)Setting of inspection lots;
(2) Arranging for rational lots;
(3) Establishing an allowable percent defective;
(4) Selecting a sampling plan

76
PROCEDURE OF SAMPLING INSPECTION
(1)Setting of inspection lots.
• Under sampling inspection, the lot size varies from about
300 products up to any number. Theoretically, there is no
upper limit for the lot size but in practice lots should be
kept small enough so that they are easy to move and do
not move and do not require special handling. For lots
smaller than 300, either process inspection or screening is
economical and, therefore, preferable.
• Another factor influencing lot size is how frequently you
wish to inspect the work from one machine or process.

77
PROCEDURE OF SAMPLING INSPECTION
(2) Arranging for Rational Lots
• A ‘rational lot’ is one whose units have been produced
from the same sources. As far as possible, a lot should
consist of products manufactured from one batch of raw
materials, one production line, known pattern, mould or
die and in one and the same shift. Often it is not possible in
practice to separate product strictly in this matter but it
should adhere to the rule of arranging rational lots as
closely as possible. If we mix up products from different
sources and find a bad lot, we cannot put out finger
immediately upon the source of trouble which can be
pointed out if there are rational lots.

78
PROCEDURE OF SAMPLING INSPECTION
(3) Establishing an Allowable Per Cent Defective
• In mass production, it is often not possible to continually
produce hundred per cent satisfactory products. It can be
assumed that certain percentage of defectives will always
present on certain processes; however if the percentage does
not exceed a certain limit, it is more economical to allow the
defectives to go through rather than to sort out each lot. This
limit is called the ‘Allowable Per Cent Defective’.
• But how to establish the Allowable Percent Defective? To do
this, watch the product for some time while it is under regular
operation. Collect sufficient data over a period of one to two
weeks to determine the percentage of defective normally
occurring in the product from certain equipment or process.

79
PROCEDURE OF SAMPLING INSPECTION
(4) Selecting a Sampling Plan
Now- a-days, three important plans are in use:
(a) Single Sampling Plan
(b) Double Sampling Plan
(c) Sequential or Multiple Sampling Plan

80
PROCEDURE OF SAMPLING INSPECTION
(a) Single Sampling Plan
• In inspection, defective product is one that fails to conform
specifications. The most common system in this plan is to
take a single sample from the lot at random. Single sample
does not mean unit, it may have number of unit. The
acceptance and rejection of the lot depends on the
number of defective in the sample. For designing a
sampling plan, the following symbols may be used:
N = Number of Products in a given lot
N = Number of Samples drawn from the lot (N) at random
A = Acceptance number. It means the maximum allowable
number of defectives in a sample size, n.
R = Rejection number
81
PROCEDURE OF SAMPLING INSPECTION
• Selection of N and n. The selection of the values of N and n
can be done in an industry by two ways:
1. Sample inspected may have some fix percentage of the lot,
i.e.( n/N)* 100 = constant. In such method, percentage
varies from 10 to 20%.
This method is used when lot size is comparatively small.
2. In this method, the value of n i.e. sample size is obtained
from Master Table for Single Sampling Plan. See table 42.1.

82
PROCEDURE OF SAMPLING INSPECTION
The procedure of single sampling plan is explained as under:

(i) Inspect a sample of n pieces

(ii) If the number of defects found in the sampling does not
exceed (A) accept the lot.
(iii) If the number of defects found in the sample exceeds (A)
inspect all the pieces in remainder of the lot.
(iv) Correct or replace all the defective pieces so found.

83
PROCEDURE OF SAMPLING INSPECTION
• For example let us take the allowable per cent defective for
a certain item as 1 per cent and lot size is 400. From the
Master Table 42.1, the sample size is found to be 75.
Acceptance number is 1 and Rejection number 2. (Refer
table 42.1 on page 1153).
• Now from the lot size of 400 units, take 75 units at random.
Inspect and if not more than one defective piece is found,
accept the lot, since the acceptance number is 1. If two or
more defectives are found, reject the lot, since rejection
number is 2.

84
PROCEDURE OF SAMPLING INSPECTION
(b) Double Sampling Plan
• In the single sampling plan, if the sample size on
inspection is found defective then the entire lot is
rejected. To overcome this, double sampling plan is a
sort of modification on single sampling plan. In this
method, the lot is not rejected but again a second
sample is drawn to judge the quality. The procedure
outlined is explained as under:
Let n1 = Number of products in the first sample
A1 = Acceptance number for first sample
N2 = Number of products in the second sample
A2 = Acceptance number for both samples
85
PROCEDURE OF SAMPLING INSPECTION
The procedure for double sampling plan is as under:
(i) Inspect first a sample of n1 pieces
(ii) If the number of defects found in the first sample does not exceed
A1, accept the lot.
(iii) If the number of defects in the first sample exceeds A 2, inspect all
the products in the remainder of the lot
(iv) If the number of defects in the first sample exceeds A 1 but does
not exceed A2 inspect a second sample of n2 pieces.
(v) If the total number of defects in the first and the second sample
combined does not exceed A 2, accept the lot.
(vi) If the total number of defects found in the first and the second
sample combined exceeds A2, inspect the pieces in the remainder
of the lot.
(vii) Correct or replace all defective products found
86
PROCEDURE OF SAMPLING INSPECTION
• In double sampling plan, less inspection is required as
compared to single compelling plan. The number of
samples drawn from a lot in case of double sampling plan
for first sample is comparatively quite small. In general,
when the products are good enough, the very few second
samples need to be taken. This cause, therefore, less
inspection, i.e. less inspection cost.

87
PROCEDURE OF SAMPLING INSPECTION
(c) Sequential Sampling Plan
• The third form of the sampling plan is the sequential one.
In this plan- one, two, three or more samples are drawn
before it is possible to reach a decision to accept or reject
the lot.
• To illustrate, let us assume that the allowable percent
defective, for a certain product is 2 per cent and lot size is
755 pieces each.
• Now from the master table 42.2 of sequential sampling
plan, the following information is collected (Refer table
42.2 on Page 1158):
• Table here page no 1059

88
PROCEDURE OF SAMPLING INSPECTION
• Now start using the plan, being by selection of 40 sample
pieces at random from the lot. If there is no defective,
accept the lot, since acceptance number is 0. If there are
three or more defectives, reject the lot, as the rejection
number is 3. But what is to be done, if there are 1 or 2
defectives? The defectives, found between the acceptance
and rejection number, the lot can neither be accepted nor
rejected. Now collect additional information by taking
another sample of 20 from the lot. This brings the total
sample size up to 60 (40+20).

89
PROCEDURE OF SAMPLING INSPECTION
• Again compare the total number of defectives found upto
the point to determine whether to accept or reject the lot
or to continue sampling. This process may go on until the
highest sample size of 120 is reached at which the gap
between acceptance and rejection number disappear and
the problem of acceptability is finally solved.
• The following table shows the comparative size of samples
with their acceptance and rejection numbers developed for
single double and sequential sampling plans.

90
PROCEDURE OF SAMPLING INSPECTION
• From the table, it is found that sequential sampling
requires comparatively much less inspection than single
and double sampling hence widely adopted. Still there are
some plants where single sampling is preferred. The reason
being their material handling problems. For example, if the
product is heavy and difficult to transport, such as heavy
coil, large castings, heavy large machine parts etc. it will be
less costly to move a large number of sample articles to a
place of inspection once instead of transport much smaller
number of articles several times.
• Table here page on 1060

91
PROCEDURE OF SAMPLING INSPECTION
Sampling Continuous products
• Continuous products like chains, belts, ropes, metal coil,
yarn wires, cloth and cord etc. often require a considerable
amount of visual examination for defects. For such
products, Master Sampling Tables are also given. In this,
size is considered as the basis of units of length. For
example, for such a product, if 2% defectives are allowed,
then in a single sampling plan for a lot size 9999 or less,
sample size is 675, A = 22, R = 23. It means inspect 675
meters length of product, if 22 meter length or less is found
to be defective, accept the lot but if 23 meter or more is
found to be defective, reject the lot

92
PROCEDURE OF SAMPLING INSPECTION
Disposition of Defective Products
• If a lot considering work-in-process or complete product is
rejected, it can be subjected to 100% inspection to take out all
the defectives or it can be sent directly to repair or sold as
second hand or be scrapped entirely, which ever procedure
involves the least loss.
• Secondly, as soon as any lot is rejected, the shop foreman
must be informed immediately so that he can check the
trouble and correct the faulty worker, process or equipment
that may be responsible for the defective lot. Thus sampling
inspection provides a most important service to the shops. It
immediately stops the flow of defective products and permits
remedy before materials and time are needlessly wasted.

93
PROCEDURE OF SAMPLING INSPECTION
• Selection of Random Numbers (Home Work, Page No.
1061)

94
SAMPLING RISKS
• Neither sampling nor 100 percent inspection can guarantee
that no defective item in a lot will be found. A risk is
involved in the sampling that the sample will not
adequately reflect the conditions in the lot. Even 100
percent inspection has the risk of monotony and other
factors which may result that some of the defectives may
be missed. The sampling risks are of following two types:
1. Manufacturer’s Risk: Good lots can be rejected. There is
some probability that a batch being good i.e. better than
AQL, but due to bad sample, entire lot gets rejected.
2. Consumer’s Risk: Bad lots can be accepted. It is the
probability of a lot being bad, i.e. worse than the limiting
quality but due to good sample, it gets accepted

95
OPERATING CHARACTERISTIC CURVE ([Link])
OC curve quantifies manufacturer’s (Producer’s) risk and
Consumer’s (Purchaser’s) risk. This is a graph of the
percentage defective in a lot versus the probability that the
sampling plan will accept a lot.
• An OC curve drawn for sampling plan of n = 300
• And c = 1.00 at fig. 44.5 below indicates the following”
• AQL = 0.02 or 2%
• Manufacturer’s Risk = 0.05
• Consumer’s risk = 0.10
• LTPD (Bad Quality) = 0.05 or more defectives.
Figure here page no 1065

96
OPERATING CHARACTERISTIC CURVE ([Link])
Parameters of OC curves
• The two parameters of an OC curve are the sample size and
acceptance number. The desired quality levels (p) and the
probability of acceptance (p2) must be selected so that the
proper sampling plan can be designed.
Following factors should be decided for a sampling plan:
(i) Acceptance Quality Level (AQL): To measure the producer’s
risk, a minimum percent of defective items in a lot is decided,
below which the lot should be accepted. This is known as AQL.
(ii) Reject able Quality Level (RQL), p1: To measure the
customer’s risk, we must decide maximum per cent of
defective items in a lot which he can accept. This is called RQL
or Lot Tolerance Percent Defective (LTPD).

97
OPERATING CHARACTERISTIC CURVE ([Link])
(iii) Producer’s risk: This is the probability of rejecting a good
lot.
(iv) Consumer’s risk: This is the probability of accepting a poor
lot.
• In any acceptance sampling plan, three parameters are specified.
The first parameter is number of articles N in the lot from which
sample is to be drawn. The second parameter is the number of
articles n in the random sample drawn from the lot and the third
is the acceptance number C. This acceptance number C is the
maximum allowable number of defective articles in the sample. If
more than C defectives are found in the sample, the lot is liable
to be rejected. Since the lot size has little affect on the probability
of acceptance, therefore lot size is generally ignored in deriving a
sampling plan.
98
OPERATING CHARACTERISTIC CURVE ([Link])
Operating Characteristic Curves:
• OC curve of an acceptance sampling plan (i.e. for a particular
combination of n and c) shows how well the sampling plan
discriminates between good and bad lots. In order to examine the
suitability of an acceptance sampling plan, it is necessary to
compare their performance over a range of possible quality levels
of the product. The graph of this performance is known as
Operating Characteristic Curve. Fig. 44.6 below shows the ideal OC
curve where it is desired to accept all the lots having 3% or less
defective, and to reject all lots having more than 3% defectives. In
this curve, all lots with less than 3% defective have a probability of
acceptance of 100%, while all lots with more than 3% defectives
have a probability of acceptance as 0%. However such a plan does
not exist in reality.
Figure 44.6 page no 1066
99
OPERATING CHARACTERISTIC CURVE ([Link])
• Graph 44.7 is an OC curve for a sampling plan with n = 50 and C=1.
This graph shows the probability of acceptance of lot for various
values of percent defective in the lot. Suppose if the actual lot
quality were 1 percent, samples of n = 50 would accept the lot as
satisfactory about 94 percent of time and reject it about 6 percent
of the time.
 Graph here 44.7 page no 1067
• Note however that if the actual quality of the lot were somewhat
worse than 1% defective, say 6% the probability of accepting,
there lots fall drastically to about 20%. This is the situation, we
would like in a sampling plan. If the actual quality is good, then
there should be a high probability of acceptance, but if the actual
quality is poor, then the probability acceptance should be low.
Thus, in this way, the OC curve shows how well a given sampling
plan discriminates.
100
OPERATING CHARACTERISTIC CURVE ([Link])
Affect of Sample Size on the Sampling Plan
• The discriminating power of any sampling plan depends largely
on the size of the sample. Graph 44.8 shows the OC curves for
sample size of 100, 200 and 300 with acceptance number
remaining in proportions to the sample size. Graph 44.8 shows
that OC curve becomes steeper as the sample size goes up. If
the discrimination power of all the three plans shown in the
graph 44.8 compared, it is found that these would accept lots of
about 0.7% defectives about 80% of the time (the approximate
cross over points of the three curves). However, if actual quality
falls to 3 percent defectives, the plan with n = 100 accepts lots
about 25% of the time, n = 200 about 10% of the time, and n =
300 less than 1% of the time. Therefore, it shows that the plans
with larger sample sizes are definitely more effective

101
OPERATING CHARACTERISTIC CURVE ([Link])
• What happens to the OC curve, if any of the acceptance
number changes? Graph 44.9 shows OC curves for a
sample of n = 50 and acceptance number of C = 0, 1, 2 and
3. Graph indicates that the effect is mainly to change the
level of the OC curve so that lower acceptance numbers
make the plan “tighter”.

102
OPERATING CHARACTERISTIC CURVE ([Link])
• A sampling plan that discriminates perfectly between good and bad
lots would have on OC curve that was vertical; that is, it would follow
the dashed line of Graph 44.8. For all lots having percent defectives to
the left of the dashed line, the probability of acceptance is 100. For all
lots having percent defectives to the right of the line, the probability of
acceptance is zero. But the only plan which could achieve this
discrimination is one requiring cent percent inspection. Therefore, the
proper justification for the selection of a sampling is the balance
between discriminating (increasing sample sizes) or tighter (decreasing
acceptance number) we can approach any desired level of outgoing
quality that we please but at increasing inspection costs. These
increased inspection efforts would result in lower probable costs of
passing defectives and at some point the combination of these
incremental costs will be minimum. This minimum point defines the
most economical sampling plan for a given situation.
Graph 44.9 page no 1068

103
OPERATING CHARACTERISTIC CURVE ([Link])
As discussed in the earlier, double sampling plans are
generally specified by following:
n1 = Number of items in the first sample
c1 = acceptance number for the first sample (i.e. maximum
number of defectives that will permit the acceptance of the
lot on the basis of first sample).
n2 = Number of items in the second sample
c2 = acceptance number for the two samples (i.e. maximum
number of defectives that will permit the acceptance of the
lot on the basis of two samples).

104
OPERATING CHARACTERISTIC CURVE ([Link])
For example, interpretation of following sampling plan is given hereunder:
• n1 = 30 n2 = 60
• c1 = 0 c2 = 3
(1) Inspect a first sample of thirty items from a lot
(2) Accept the lot on the basis of fist sample; if the sample contains 0
defectives
(3) Reject the lot on the basis of first sample, if the sample contains more
than 3 defectives
(4) Inspect a second sample of 60 items, if the first sample contains 1, 2 or
3 defectives
(5) Accept the lot on the basis of both the samples combined together (30
+ 60 = 90 items); if the defective are 3 or less.
(6) Reject the entire lot on the basis of combined sample, if the defectives
are more than 3 items

105
OPERATING CHARACTERISTIC CURVE ([Link])
• Fig 42.10 show three OC curves involved in the analysis of this double
sampling plan. Three curves divide the figure in four zones indicating
following possibilities for acceptance or rejection:
(1) I zone (lowest zone) --Acceptance after first sample
(2) II zone (highest zone) – Rejection after the first sample
(3) III zone (lower without hatching zone) —Acceptance after second
sample
(4) IV zone (higher with hatching zone) —Rejection after second sample
Figure 42.10 page no 1069
 
• Characteristic of the lowest curve is n = 30 and C = 0. Characteristic of
the highest curve is n = 60 and c = 3. Characteristic of middle curve is
the actual OC curve of the double sampling plan.

106
OPERATING CHARACTERISTIC CURVE ([Link])
Zones of the OC curve
OC curve can be divided into following 3 zones:
(a) Acceptance Zone: In this zone, all the batches are accepted. Therefore,
the OC curve should be so selected that its acceptance zone accepts
what is considered to be satisfactory lot.
(b) Rejection Zone: In this zone, all the batches are rejected. Hence the OC
curve selected should be such that it rejects what is considered to be an
unsatisfactory lot.
(c) Zone of Indecision: This is the zone where there is no surety that
whether any particular batch or lot will be accepted or rejected. This
problem can be solved either by adopting 100% inspection or by taking
larger sample, but these will increase the inspection costs. A batch or
lot in this zone is worse than acceptable lot, and better than those what
is considered as unacceptable. Thus its quality is borderline, and
practically does not matter much whether a lot is finally accepted or
rejected from this zone.

107
OPERATING CHARACTERISTIC CURVE ([Link])
Conflicting Interests of Producer and Consumer
• In the selection of a sampling plan, there are always two
affect parties; the party submitting the items for
acceptance, and the party for whom the decision is made
regarding acceptance or rejection. These parties are
referred as “producer” and “consumer”. Both these have
completely opposite viewpoint, as consumer wants to
protects against the acceptance of too many defective
items, whereas on the other hand, producer wants to be
protected against the rejection of too much good items or
products.

108
Questions? Comments?

109