From release ME6, the creation of inspection plans and the coordination of inspection plan allocations form part of qs-STAT and procella. Inspection plans can be generated and managed centrally, for added convenience. SPC inspection planning involves defining at which workstations and at what time intervals measurements should be performed. If certain characteristics are measured only every ‘n’ parts, or if inspections are performed once only, then this must be reflected in the inspection plans. With SPC inspection planning, inspection plans are generated centrally within qs-STAT. The inspection plans are allocated specifically to individual procella measuring stations by means of a central management function.

Sample inspection/sampling frequency

procella ME 6 enables the management and visualization of sampling frequencies. If some characteristics need only be measured at certain intervals, then a table can be constructed that reflects this, in an easy-to-understand manner.  In the example shown here, the structure of the  graphic is

such that it refers to subgroups of size n = 5. Each row corresponds to the measurement of one part, while the columns represent the different characteristics. Taking a row-by-row approach, this means that in the first subgroup, all characteristics are measured.
In the second subgroup of 5, only the diameter and height are measured. If you look at the individual columns only, you can see that the diameter and height are always measured, that the length is only checked for every second subgroup, and the width only for every third subgroup. The order in which the characteristics are measured can also be specified. In this way, the operator has a complete overview of the measurements he has to perform, and the measurements are made completely transparent by the use of color changes as the status of a characteristic changes.
 

Inspection plan frequency: cyclical inspection

If cyclical testing is specified in an inspection plan (e.g. hourly, every ‘n’ units of time), then as soon as the corresponding time period has elapsed, the operator’s attention is automatically drawn to the fact that another inspection is due. In ME6, a colour change (red) of the navigation surfaces indicates to the tester that the inspection plan needs to be applied. All it takes then is a mouse click to activate the plan and perform the requisite series of measurements. The operator need not refer to a list to identify the next inspection plan to be run.