Robust design and setting process and material parameters for electrical cable insulation

This report presents a methodical approach for enhancing industrial production revenue in TIX cable industry. Taguchi robust design approaches were applied to cable insulation process lines in order to appraise and reset process parameters. L9 (3⁴) orthogonal array was used to design and conduct experiments for measuring the quality characteristics. Minitab17.0 software was used to evaluate the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for the optimization of process line machines’ parameters and responses for compounding extrusion and cable insulation process lines. Also, L18 (3⁵) was utilized in the design of experiments for optimal formulation of new insulation compound that would optimize the performance characteristics of the product. The optimal control factor levels that minimized the variabilities in the electrical cable manufacturing process and product were determined and established for TIX industry. In coded units, the compounding extruder parameter setting should be A21B22C23D21, the insulation extruder parameter should be set at BZ1CZ1DZ1 and BZ2CZ1DZ1, and the new insulation compound should be A1B1C1D1E1 for optimal output. The results of this study, when compared with the established standard requirements in electrical cable insulation, met the standards. This shows the importance of Taguchi robust design in optimization of manufacturing processes and products. The findings of this study show that Taguchi robust design is a powerful tool that can improve the product quality, reduce product costs, and achieve significant economic benefits in the manufacturing sector.