Dan's Biz Bookshelf: 'Getting Naked: A Business Fable'
The Chemical Connection: Common Misconceptions in Wet Processing
It’s Only Common Sense: Selling to Engineers
The Benefits of Statistical Process Control
February 17, 2021 | Kurt Palmer, Bürkle North AmericaEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Statistical process control (SPC) is a method of quality control which employs statistical methods to monitor and control a process. This helps to ensure that the process operates efficiently, producing more specification-conforming products with less waste [1].
The concepts of statistical process control were initially developed by Dr. Walter Shewhart of Bell Laboratories in the 1920s, and were expanded upon by Dr. W. Edwards Deming, who introduced SPC to Japanese industry after WWII. After early successful adoption by Japanese firms, SPC has now been incorporated by organizations around the world as a primary tool to improve product quality by reducing process variation [2].
The use of statistical process control (SPC) was initially ignored in North America for quite some time, but in the 1960s and moving forward, SPC—using control charts to control every step of a process—became an integral part of any manufacturing process. Dr. Robert Deming was the evangelist who advocated the concept of eliminating final inspection requirements if every step in the process was monitored. At the beginning, this program met management head-winds, but over time, the concept, when adopted from senior management down through an organization, has proven to reduce costs and improve quality.
From our experience, and with the development of a host of modern electronic innovations, we have witnessed this program successfully interfaced directly from the machine to an engineer’s computer and stored as history to the cloud.
The Bürkle LFC roller coating machine is another example of how a coating process can be monitored in “real time.”
To read this entire article, which appeared in the February 2021 issue of PCB007 Magazine, click here.
Share on:
Suggested Items
Siemens, Intel Foundry Advance Collaboration
04/30/2025 | Siemens Digital Industries SoftwareSiemens Digital Industries Software announced that its continued collaboration with Intel Foundry has resulted in multiple product certifications, updated foundry reference flows, and additional technology enablement leveraging the foundry’s leading-edge technologies for next-generation integrated circuits (IC) and advanced packaging.
The Knowledge Base: Unlocking the Invisible—The Critical Role of X-ray Technology
04/29/2025 | Mike Konrad -- Column: The Knowledge BaseFrom detecting voids under BGAs to solder defects in high-reliability applications, X-ray inspection has become an indispensable tool in modern manufacturing. But how is the technology evolving? What challenges do experts face in deploying X-ray inspection effectively and what does the future hold for this critical quality assurance method?
KOKI Expands U.S. Sales Coverage with Multiple New Representatives
04/29/2025 | KOKIKOKI, a global leader in advanced soldering materials and process optimization services, is pleased to announce the expansion of its U.S. sales network with the addition of three new manufacturers’ representative firms: Assembled Product Specialists, Diversitech Reps Inc., and Eagle Electronics.
Altus Helps FermionX Enhance Production with Advanced Inspection Solutions
04/29/2025 | Altus GroupAltus Group, a leading supplier of capital equipment for the electronics industry in the UK and Ireland, has supported Contract Electronics Manufacturer (CEM) FermionX in upgrading its Automated Optical Inspection (AOI) system to meet the increasing demand for enhanced precision and faster production cycles.
NEXT Semiconductor Technologies Collaborates with BAE Systems to Develop Next Generation Space-Qualified Chips
04/28/2025 | PRNewswireNEXT Semiconductor Technologies is collaborating with BAE Systems to accelerate the insertion of its latest ultra-wideband antenna processor units (APUs) into high-performing radiation-hardened electronic subsystems to support future space missions.