The Variation Management Framework (VMF) for Robust Design

摘要

Robust Design is an approach to reduce the effects of variation. There are numerous tools,methods and models associated with robust design, however, there is both a lack of a processmodel formalising the step of a robust design process and a framework tying the models together.In this paper we propose a framework for robust design and variation management bycombining central models to Robust Design, namely, the Quality Loss Function, the TransferFunction and the Domains of Axiomatic Design. The framework shows how variation can bemapped from production right through to quality loss in the market place and identifies areaswhere action can be taken against variation. An additional benefit of the framework is that itmakes the link between visual/sensory/perceptual robustness, product robustness, and productionvariation (Six Sigma).