Design of experiments to study and optimize process performance

Design of experiments is one of the many problem‐solving quality tools that can be used for various investigations such as finding the significant factors in a process, the effect of each factor on the outcome, the variance in the process, troubleshooting the machine problems, screening the parameters, and modeling the processes. Many industries use this tool to stay competitive worldwide by designing robust products as well as improving quality and reliability of a product. By using strategically designed and statistically performed experiments, it is possible to study the effect of several variables at one time, and to study inter‐relationships and interactions. Proposes a strategy to apply the design of experiments to study and optimize the performance of a process. Additionally, the formulation and solution to a multi‐objective optimization problem have been presented. As a case study, experimental design technique used by the authors to study the performance of a wire electrical discharge machining process for machining beryllium copper alloys is presented.