Final answer:
The process capability index is a statistical measure used to assess the ability of a process to produce output that meets the specifications. It is calculated by dividing the tolerance range of the specifications by the process variation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The process capability index is a statistical measure used to assess the ability of a process to produce output that meets the specifications. It is used in quality management to determine if a process is capable of producing products within the desired tolerance limits.
The process capability index is calculated by dividing the tolerance range of the specifications by the process variation. A higher value of the process capability index indicates a more capable process.
For example, if the specification range for a process is from 9 to 11 and the process variation is 0.5, the process capability index can be calculated as:
Process Capability Index = (Upper Specification Limit - Lower Specification Limit) / (6 * Process Standard Deviation)
In this case, the process capability index would be (11-9) / (6 * 0.5) = 1.67.