Arlington realized the importance of SPC and tried implementing it on a written form. However, operators were required to deburr, serialize and check the parts, and to document with SPC. However, even the best operators were having problems with cleaning their hands and writing down the numbers. This process took so much time that the CNC's were sitting idle.

Arlington's QA Manager, who was a former college professor in statistics, wrote a "user-friendly- Real-time SPS program wherein they can adapt the CMM on the floor, any digital gage, bore gages, air gages, micrometers, etc. to check up to 6 dimensions on each part and graphically display the dimension to the operator as soon as it is checked. Immediately, the operator can respond by altering boring bar diameters, offsetting the machine, etc. to compensate as required. If the part's dimension is going towards the upper limits, an adjustment is made. This assures that the process is under control and that there will be no surprises.

There are a number of SPC stations on the manufacturing floor accessible to all operators. All of this in-process inspection eliminates the production of costly scrap.

Arlington has learned a great deal with this SPC and has added new procedures because of it. For example, in seeing that the control process capability of certain CNC's were not holding the same close tolerances as others, Arlington now has an annual laser screw compensation for all of their CNCs. They purchased a $40,000 HP Laser System to assure original manufacturers tolerances at all times.