Fuzzy Failure Mode and Effect Analysis Application to Improve Laser Cutting Process

Failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) is one of the well-known techniques of quality management that is used for continuous improvement in product or process design. It is widely used in manufacturing industries in different stages of the product life cycle and is now increasingly finding use in the service industry. Even through this approach is simple but there are some limitations in obtaining a good estimate of the failure ratings. Thus, a new risk assessment system based on the fuzzy set theory and fuzzy rule base theory is proposed in this study to solve these problems that have arisen from conventional FMEA. Furthermore, an analysis is presented to demonstrate the traditional FMEA. We present of a parallel between the typical and the fuzzy computation of RPNs, in order to assess and rank risks associated to failure modes that could appear in the laser cutting process. This work can also serves as a failure prevention guide those who perform the laser cutting operation.