Product category:
Factory data acquisition
News Release from: Adept Scientific | Subject: Version 6 of Quality Analyst
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 24 March 2005
SPC charting and analysis tool cuts
defects
Comprehensive statistical process control charting and analysis tool helps manufacturers understand and improve their processes to increase product quality and reduce defects.
Adept Scientific announces the release of Version 6 of Quality Analyst, the comprehensive statistical process control charting and analysis tool from Northwest Analytical Quality Analyst, the flagship product in the NWA SPC software suite, helps manufacturers understand and improve their processes to increase product quality, reduce defects, waste and costs, meet customer requirements, certify vendors and comply with regulatory requirements
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 11 Sep 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
Adept supplies spectroscopy software to Protea
Adept Scientific has supplied Protea with Grams spectroscopy software from Thermo Scientific for use in its emissions monitoring and analysis.
Adept enhances Measurement's PCI boards
Adept Scientific has announced the introduction of two digital I/O boards for the PCI Express Bus from Measurement Computing.
NWA Quality Analyst Version 6 enables manufacturers to more easily analyse their process data to identify process improvements and execute quality initiatives such as Six Sigma, CAPA (Corrective Action/Preventative Action) and ISO.
The new Version 6 also includes several key enhancements that further simplify the integration of SPC and process quality data with plant-level and enterprise manufacturing information systems such as ERP, MES and LIMS.
NWA Quality Analyst has always been recognised for its ease of integration, and it is even easier now than before.
Further reading
Quality monitor gives realtime SPC feedback
NWA Quality Monitor from Adept Scientific enables a factory to standardise workflow procedures, automate data collection, and provide real-time SPC feedback throughout an operation.
Device acts as Ethernet I/0 slave and more
The 'Cube' is flexible and is capable of being deployed as an Ethernet I/O slave, a standalone data logger, a standalone Linux-based PAC or a Modbus slave.
Simulink users gain powerful, flexible I/O target
A powerful Ethernet tool supports the creation and tuning of a wide variety of applications, including simulation model verification, rapid prototyping and hardware-in-the-loop testing.
* Insight into process data for execution of process improvement programs - many of the enhancements in Version 6 were developed for users engaged in corporate quality initiatives.
These include: * Assignable Cause/Corrective Action (AC/CA) - Add Assignable Cause/Corrective Action information to any data point on a control chart and record the identified cause of an exception (e.g an out of control point or rule violation) and the corrective action that has been taken to address the problem.
Generate consolidated AC/CA reports, view Pareto analysis and transfer information to other applications via XML.
AC/CA is required in many regulated industries such as pharmaceuticals (CAPA), consumer products, medical device manufacturing and food processing.
It also helps to ensure the success of inspection-based programs such as HACCP.
* Better Access to Chart Information - Descriptive characteristics, rule violations, comments and AC/CA can now be viewed with a single mouse-click, delivering easier access to the relevant information needed to identify sources of variation, diagnose process problems and accelerate the implementation of corrective actions.
* More Powerful Presentation of Chart Data - Communicate more information within charts and present information in more revealing ways to deliver sharper insight into process performance: * New graphics viewer - includes unlimited data points on SPC charts, more flexible grouping of graphics output and reports, user-defined plotting symbols, improved call-outs, comments, direct editing of headers and footers, better font and colour control and point-and-click zoom.
* Rainbow charts - Configure green/yellow/red zone options on SPC charts.
* More graphic output formats - Create JPG, PNG, WMF, and BMP files to enable mixed text and graphics reporting.
Automatically export charts to Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and other reporting tools.
Integration of SPC and Quality Programs with Plant and Enterprise Applications Other key enhancements address the growing need to integrate SPC and quality reporting with plant-level and enterprise manufacturing information systems including ERP, MES, LIMS and SCM (supply chain management).
These include: * Improved Setup of Database Connectivity - Expanded user interface for developing complex queries to denormalise data tables.
* Database Synchronisation - Seamless integration of SPC analysis with external databases.
Automatically links comments, Assignable Cause/Corrective Action, SPC limits and tagged data to specific records in external databases, fully integrating SPC analysis with data from multiple sources.
* Read Specifications from External Databases - Automatically reads specifications from databases to support centralised specification management and reduce sources of error and duplicated data.
* XML Output and Parameter Files - All configuration, parameter, and output files now use XML formats for seamless integration with enterprise applications such as ERP, MES, and LIMS.
"Many SPC programs were originally initiated to meet customer and supply chain requirements," said Louis Halvorsen, NWA vice president of development.
"More of these customers now leverage their SPC investment to create greater efficiency and reduce costs through process improvement - the real purpose of SPC.
NWA Quality Analyst 6 was designed to better meet these needs with enhanced graphical analysis, improved integration capabilities and complete database independence.
We believe Version 6 will enable our users to more easily understand their processes and better communicate that understanding." NWA Quality Analyst is supplied and supported in the UK and Ireland by Adept Scientific. Request a free brochure from Adept Scientific ...
• Adept Scientific: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Manufacturingtalk email newsletter
• Manufacturingtalk Home Page
Search the Pro-Talk network of sites
