Visual programming of online systems for continuous process improvement

In modern manufacturing environments, pursuit of total quality management and ISO-9000 compliance has lead to widespread application of online statistical process control (SPC) techniques. This paper describes a commercial knowledge-based environment that integrates online SPC with other tools for advanced process management. In addition to basic SPC functions, the environment includes visual programming support for model-based SPC, process and fault diagnosis, advice generation, and procedure enforcement. Advanced techniques such as neural networks and fuzzy logic are also directly supported. The interactive online system facilitates continuous improvement of an automated process. A detailed example of a neural network-based quality management system is presented.<
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