Concurrent maximization of process tolerances using grey theory

Abstract A grey method for designing the manufacturing process tolerances is proposed in the present study. Unlike previous approaches, the standardized process tolerance is viewed as an interval grey number with upper and lower bounds, and the whitening of the grey number is equivalent to allocating the process tolerances. As a result, the grey linear programming model is used to concurrently maximize the process tolerances with respect to each operation by finding a maximum value of the weighting coefficient in whitening the grey number. A comparison of the results indicates that the grey method generates least scrap rate