A Case Study in Design of Expermints: Improving the Manufacture of Viscose Fiber

Abstract

This case study illustrates how statistical techniques help improve the quality of a manufacturing process. The study shows how well designed experiments advance one's understanding of the underlying process, and it emphasizes the importance of experimentation for attaining knowledge. The investigation involves the production of a certain viscose fiber. The results of a simple fractional factorial experiment with ten factors in 32 runs point to useful strategies for improving fiber strength and fiber elongation. The study also investigates the relationship between the strength and the thickness of the fiber.

Keywords:

• Block effects
• Design of experiments
• Fiber strength
• Fractional factorial designs
• Regression
• Statistical process control

Acknowledgments