Design for Six Sigma Through Statistical Simulation Methods

The United States Navy has identified the need to develop innovative technologies that reduce the costs of manufacturing weapon systems and components. This requires a commitment to using statistics and design of experiments (DoE) methodologies to fully understand and characterize manufacturing processes. The vast amount of data required for full process characterization combined with complex statistical analysis often makes this practice prohibitive for most computer-aided systems. This proposal by AET, Inc., directly addresses dual use methods for achieving advanced industrial practices such as six sigma manufacturing in both the military and the private sector. A practical six sigma design system can be achieved by integrating existing tools and techniques in a unique way that achieves the goals of both the Navy and AET, Inc. The environment to perform this integration is named STADIUM. The use of STADIUM and its design of experiments statistical analysis capability will allow extraction of six sigma design and process parameters to be used in the performance simulation and evaluation.