Application of DEA in the Taguchi Method for
Multi-Response Optimization

Abstract

Quality and productivity are two important but conflicting criteria in any machining operations. In order to ensure high productivity, extent of quality is to be compromised. It is, therefore, essential to optimize quality and productivity simultaneously. Productivity can be interpreted in terms of material removal rate in the machining operation and quality represents satisfactory yield in terms of product characteristics as desired by the customers. Dimensional accuracy, form stability, surface smoothness, fulfilment of functional requirements in prescribed area of application etc. are important quality attributes of the product. Increase in productivity results in reduction in machining time which may result in quality loss. On the contrary, an improvement in quality results in increasing machining time thereby, reducing productivity. Therefore, there is a need to optimize quality as well as productivity. Optimizing a single response may yield positively in some aspects but it may affect adversely in other aspects. The problem can be overcome if multiple objectives are optimized simultaneously. It is, therefore, required to maximize material removal rate (MRR), and to improve product quality simultaneously by selecting an appropriate (optimal) process environment. To this end, the present work deals with multi-objective optimization philosophy based on Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and Taguchi method applied in CNC end milling operation.