A generalized mixture model for categorized-components problems with an application to a photoresist-coating experiment

The categorized-components mixture problem involves blending components from different categories. Each category, called a major component, must be represented in every mixture by one or more of its minor components. Modeling the component blending means modeling the interor between-category blending, especially how these blending properties impact or influence the intra- or within-category blending properties. As expected, experimental designs and model forms for studying the inter- and intra-category blending of the minor components are generalizations of the simplex designs and the standard SchefFe models used in the single-category mixture problem. The analysis of data from a photoresist-coating mixture experiment, in which two types of resins make up two major components and each resin type consists of two minor resins, serves to illustrate the impact that inter-category blending can have on the intra-category blending of the minor resins.