What Is Six Sigma Technology in Mechanical Engineering?

Six Sigma is designed to improve business processes.

Six Sigma was originally developed by Motorola, USA during the 1980s. Six Sigma technology is a methodology used to reduce variation in all levels of business, including mechanical engineering.

Significance

The term "six sigma" stands for a yield of 99.99966 percentage of products made without defects or statistically 3.4 defective products per million produced. Motorola originally used the term as a goal but today Six Sigma is a philosophy and management system implemented in many levels of business, including mechanical engineering.

Types

Six Sigma uses two different methods for improving a process. Define, measure, analyze, improve, control (DMAIC) is used for existing projects and define, measure, analyze, design, validate (DMADV) is used for designing a new project.

Application

Engineers who use DMAIC often use mechanical drawings and written manufacturing and mechanical instructions for analysis, while engineers using DMADV prefer to use system simulations and tools for Six Sigma technology.

References

• Sixsigmaonline.org: The History and Development of Six Sigma