Prolink is pleased to announce a new strategic partnership with Becker Quality Solutions, Inc. to take quality to the next level.  Becker Quality Solutions' new Process Toolbox combines measurement data from QC-CALC with engineering knowledge to produce very specific operator instructions that are easily executed.

How It Works

The process engineer enters all the typical problems that can cause a failure in his specific process into the Process Toolbox Editor. With each issue that is entered, the engineer builds in the solution to the issue using a combination of messages and calculations. The Process Toolbox Viewer then runs in the background collecting output data from QC-CALC and watching for patterns within the data. When a problem is detected, the operator is immediately notified allowing them to fix a potential issue before it leads to scrap. It's literally like having your best process engineer present 24 hours a day.

Next Steps

We can easily set up live demos with any customers or distributors who are interested in getting more details about the Process Toolbox. Please read our white paper entitled Integrating QC-CALC and Process Toolbox or visit www.BeckerQualitySolutions.com for more information.

This month's tip is an easy way of getting calculations on your inspection data using the Point Properties window in QC-CALC Real-Time. For instance, let's say your process is going well, but then the measurements start to become erratic. In this case, you will certainly want to fix your process, but you may also want to see how you were doing just before the data started to change.

How To Do It

1. Start by making sure your Point Properties window is visible. You can do this by clicking Window > Point Properties. Scroll to the bottom of the Point Properties window so the calculations are visible. The following two pictures show a sample plot and the corresponding section of the Point Properties window containing the Cpk and Cpk by R.

2. Now highlight a set of points by clicking the plot with your left mouse button and dragging the selection across the points you wish to include in your calculations. When finished, release the button. Notice that the Point Properties window has changed. In our example, the Data Points value is now 15 and the Cpk is 2.92. This is because all calculations in the Point Properties window are based on the currently selected points. If none are selected, the calculation is based on all visible points.

3. With the points still selected, move your mouse from plot to plot in the window. You'll notice that the selection follows your mouse until you click the mouse button again. Likewise, the calculations will change each time you move to a new plot. You can also run reports on your selected points by choosing Report > Print Report and choosing Selected Points in the Range of Records to Report section.

Thanks!