X Principles of Manufacturing

Subject 2.8301x – Manufacturing Process Control: Variation Modeling and Control

Syllabus

Pre-requisites:
• Engineering Undergraduate preparation
• Some knowledge of basic manufacturing processes.
• Knowledge or probability theory is helpful but not necessary.

Time Commitment
• Length: 8 Weeks
• Weekly Effort: 10-hours
o include lectures, readings, exercises and 7 weekly assignments.
Deadlines
• Modules Launched Weekly starting on March 6, 2018 @ 15:00 UTC
• Assignments Due 2 weeks later @ 3pm UTC
o Note that week 8 will not have an assignment
• On May 1, 2018 3PM UTC and a timed exam will be released, which must be completed
by May 8, 2018 by 15:00 UTC
Grading
• Grading is based on assignment (60%) and the exam (40%).
• The overall grading scheme is
o A (91-100)
o B (80-90)
o F (<80)
• A passing grade (A or B) is required for the certificate.

Learning Objectives:
• Recognizing inherent variability in continuous production
• Identifying sources of process output variation
• Describing variation in a structured manner
• Applying basic probability and statistics concepts to characterize process variation
• Differentiating between design specifications and process capability
• Synthesizing novel approaches to unfamiliar situations by extending the core material
(i.e. Go beyond the “standard” uses).
• Assessing the appropriateness of various statistical methods for a variety of problems
• Methods for analyzing process changes by looking at general process physics
• Variation modeling using the theory of Random Processes
• Statistical Process Control (SPC) foundations and applications

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• How to used specific tools such as X-bar, EWMA, CUSUM, and multivariate charts to
monitor and control processes
• How to apply these methods to achieve world-class quality in unit manufacturing
processes

Academic Policy

We will follow the edX honor code pledge:

By enrolling in an edX course, you have already agreed that you will:
• Complete all graded material (homework, midterm and final exams) with your
own work and only your own work. You will not submit the work of any other
person.
• Maintain only one user account and not let anyone else use your username
and/or password. Having two user accounts in any single course is grounds for
immediate and permanent dismissal.
• Not engage in any activity that would dishonestly improve your results, or
improve or hurt the results of others.
• Not post answers to problems that are being used to assess student
performance.

We will strictly enforce this honor code pledge. Students found violating this pledge will
be dealt with directly. If we become aware of any suspicious activity we reserve the
right to remove credit, not award or revoke a certificate, ban from any and all POM
courses as well as notify edX for other actions. With the introduction of the
MicroMasters Credential, the importance of honesty in work has been elevated to a
much higher level than before. We will diligently monitor this and be very proactive. So
please, do your own work.

Discussion Forum
(See “Discussion Forum” under “Welcome to 2.8301x” for the complete version of this
document.)

• The Discussion Forum is available to all registered students of this class. It is the online
community of learners that you joined when you registered.
• You may use the forum to ask questions, to seek clarifications, or to start or reply to
topical discussions.
• Please do not use the Discussion Forums for questions or help on Graded Assignments
or on the Final Exam. If you have clarification questions or other problems on these
topics - email your question (stating the specific problem number and issue) to 28301x-
help@mit.edu. We will respond as quickly as possible.



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Forum Best Practices

The forum can be a very useful tool to get help! The discussion forum helps improve your ability
to search and talk about many different topics throughout the course. Here are some simple
guidelines to help you successfully navigate and interact on the forum:
• When starting a discussion thread, it will either be a QUESTION or a COMMENT.
• If your question or comment is on a specific Video Segment, Quick Question, or Practice
Problem, be sure to use its associated "New Post" button.
• Before posting a question, check to see if it has already been posted.
• If you have a question on a Graded Assignment or a Final Exam problem DO NOT USE
THE DISCUSSION FORUM! Instead, send an email to 28301x-help@mit.edu
• Use a descriptive and specific title to your post. This will attract the attention of other
students having the same issue.
• Reply to an already existing discussion if you see someone had the same question.
• Actively upvote other posts, and other students will upvote yours! The more upvotes
your posts have, the more likely they are to be seen.
• Follow “netiquette” or common writing practices for online communication. Your
writing should be neutral and not try to express emotions (positive or negative).
• For example:
• To post mathematical equations, enclose the equation within dollar signs ($) to
activate “math mode”. If you want to practice, go to the discussion forum and
try typing the following into your text box: $x_i = y^2 + 5\cdot y$



The instructors and TA’s are here to ensure you have the best opportunity to learnt he
material. We will monitor the discussion forum and email for the course every day, and
strive to respond to question as quickly as possible. Some delay may occur owing to time of
day or week, and in the interest of collecting similar questions before issuing an answers. In
that case we will try to at least acknowledge receipt of an inquiry.



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Class Schedule

Please note:
• Material for each week will be released on Tuesdays at 15:00 UTC.
• Graded Problem Sets are also always due at 15:00 UTC on the specified day.
______________________________________________________________________________
_
WEEK 1: PROCESS CONTROL INTRODUCTION AND PRODUCTION LAB
Released 3/6/2018
This week defines and introduces the problem of process control and goes through a
production exercise in a shop to illustrate the problems we plan to address.
Graded Problem Sets #1 is due 3/20/2018

WEEK 2: DETERMINISTIC BEHAVIOR AND VARIATION
Released 3/13/2018
This week we look more deeply into the physical causes of variation for the processes used
in week 1, and use these results to develop a generalizable model for understanding
deterministic variations in any process.
Graded Problem Sets #2 is due 3/27/2018

WEEK 3: MODELING RANDOMNESS IN MANUFACTUIRNG PROESSES
Released 3/20/2018
After concentrating on deterministic changes, this week the focus is on identifying and
characterizing random behavior in the process output.
Graded Problem Sets #3 is due on 4/3/2018

WEEK 4: SAMPLING AND SAMPLING PROBABILITY DISTRIBUTIONS
Released 3/27/2018
The focus this week is on “calibrating” our models using sampling of data, sample statistics
(average and sample standard deviation) and on the resulting new probability distributions
(chi-squared and Student’s-t).
Graded Problem Sets #4 is due on 4/10/2019.

WEEK 5: STATISTICAL HYPOTHESES AND CONTROL CHARTS
Released 4/3/2018
Now we use the “calibrated” pdfs to make inferences about underlying behavior, which
leads to the fundamental hypotheses behind control charts for manufacturing processes.
Graded Problem Sets #5 is due on 4/17/2018.

WEEK 6: STATISTICAL PROCESS CONTROL USING SIMPLE CHARTS
Released 4/10/2018
This is an off-week in that no new Graded Problem Sets will be released. It provides you
time to complete previous assignments and get ready for the Mid-Term next week.
Graded Problem Sets #6 is due on 4/24/2018.

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WEEK 7: ADVANCED SPC METHODS
Released 4/17/2018
We introduce alternative methods for looking at the data in a chart, including the
exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) and cumulative sum (CUSUM) approaches,
and also introduce a multivariate version of control charts when the process has multiple
interaction output.
Graded Problem Sets #7 is due on 5/1/2018

WEEK 8: CASE STUDY: SPC IN ACTION
Released 4/24/2018
This week we present a recent project done by students applying the concept of 2.8301x in
a manufacturing shop on a precision machining process, illustrating use of both good
statistical techniques and standard operating procedures.

EXAM 5/1/2018
This is a timed exam that covers all material presented to date. You have one week to
complete the test.
The exam is due on or before 5/8/2018.