Chapter 3

Introduction to Taguchi Methods

3.1 Background & Overview of Taguchi Methods

After the Second World War, the allied forces found that the quality of the
Japanese telephone system was extremely poor and totally unsuitable for long-
term communication purposes. To improve the system the allied command
recommended establishing research facilities in order to develop a state-of-the-art
communication system. The Japanese founded the Electrical Communication
Laboratories (ECL) with Dr. Genichi Taguchi in charge of improving the R&D
productivity and enhancing product quality. He observed that a great deal of time
and money was expended on engineering experimentation and testing (Ranjit
1990). Little emphasis was given to the process of creative brainstorming to
minimise the expenditure of resources. He noticed that poor quality cannot be
improved by the process of inspection, screening and salvaging. No amount of
inspection can put quality back into the product. Therefore, he believed that
quality concepts should be based upon, and developed around, the philosophy of
prevention.

Taguchi started to develop new methods to optimise the process of engineering

experimentation. He believed that the best way to improve quality was to design
and build it into the product. He developed the techniques which are now known
as Taguchi Methods. His main contribution lies not in the mathematical
formulation of the design of experiments, but rather in the accompanying
philosophy. His concepts produced a unique and powerful quality improvement
technique that differs from traditional practices. He developed manufacturing
systems that were “robust” or insensitive to daily and seasonal variations of
environment, machine wear and other external factors.

His philosophy had far reaching consequences, yet it is founded on three very
simple concepts. His techniques arise entirely out of these three ideas.

13
The concepts are:
1. Quality should be designed into the product and not inspected into it.
2. Quality is better achieved by minimising the deviation from a target. The
product should be so designed that it is immune to uncontrollable
environmental factors.
3. The cost quality should be measured as a function of deviation from the
standard and the losses should be measured system-wide.

Taguchi viewed quality improvement as an ongoing effort. He continually strived

to reduce the variation around the target value. The first step towards improving
quality is to achieve the population distribution as close to the target value as
possible. To accomplish this, Taguchi designed experiments using especially
constructed tables known as “Orthogonal Arrays” (OA). The use of these tables
makes the design of experiments very easy and consistent.

The Taguchi Method is applied in four steps.

1. Brainstorm the quality characteristics and design parameters important
to the product/process.
2. Design and conduct the experiments.
3. Analyse the results to determine the optimum conditions.
4. Run a confirmatory test using the optimum conditions.

Taguchi methods start with an assumption that we are designing an engineering

system - either a machine to perform some intended function, or a production
process to manufacture some product or item. Since we are knowledgeable
enough to be designing the system in the first place, we generally will have some
understanding of the fundamental processes inherent in that system. Basically, we
use this knowledge to make our experiments more efficient. We can skip all the
extra effort that might have gone in to investigating interactions that we know do
not exist. Without going into the details, it has been shown that this can decrease
the level of effort by a factor of ten or twenty and sometimes much more.

14
Another distinction of Taguchi methods is the recognition that there are variables
that are under our control and variables that are not under our control. In Taguchi
terms, these are called Control Factors and Noise Factors, respectively.

This chapter gives a general introduction to Taguchi Methods. A detailed analysis

of results using the method is beyond the scope of the thesis. Hence, we will limit
the technique’s applicability to the main research topic.

3.2 An Insight into Orthogonal Arrays (OA) & Taguchi Methods

The technique of laying out the conditions (designs) of experiments involving
multiple factors was first proposed by Sir R. A. Fisher, in the 1920s (Ranjit 1990).
The method is popularly known as factorial design of experiments. A full factorial
design identifies all possible combinations for a given set of factors. Since most
industrial experiments involve a significant number of factors, a full factorial
design results may involve a large number of experiments.

Factors are the different variables which determines the functionality or

performance of a product or system. Factors are:
 design parameters that influence the performance.
 input that can be controlled.
 included in the study for the purpose of determining their
influence upon the most desirable performance.
In a heat treatment experiment, for example, a factor can be “cooling rate” or
“temperature” etc. Each factor may be set to different levels. Hence for the same
experiment the levels can be “slow cooling” and “fast cooling” or “low
temperature” and “high temperature” etc. depending on the application.

For example, consider a design with three variables (factors A, B and C), each of
which can be set at two different values. For convenience, these values are
denoted as levels, 1 and 2. A full factorial experiment requires 23 = 8 experiments,
as shown in Table 3-1. On the other hand, one can get as much useful data using
four experiments as indicated in Table 3-2, which is an L4 OA (general properties
of OA are given in section 3.2.1 of this chapter).

15
 Experiments A B C
1 1 1 1
2 1 1 2
3 1 2 1
4 1 2 2
5 2 1 1
6 2 1 2
7 2 2 1
8 2 2 2

Table 3-1. Full factorial experiments table

Experiments A B C
1 1 1 1
2 1 2 2
3 2 1 2
4 2 2 1

Table 3-2. Orthogonal Array L4

For example, in an experiment involving seven factors, each with two levels, the
total number of combinations will be 128 (27). To reduce the number of
experiments to a practical level, only a small set from all possibilities is selected.
The method of selecting a limited number of experiments which produces the
most information is known as a partial factorial experiment. Although this
shortcut method is well known, there are no general guidelines for its application
or the analysis of the results obtained by performing the experiments (Ranjit
1990).

Taguchi’s approach complements these two important areas. Taguchi constructed

a special set of Orthogonal Arrays (OA) to lay out his experiments. By combining
existing orthogonal latin squares in a unique manner, Taguchi prepared a new set

16
of standard OAs which could be used for a number of experimental situations. He
also devised a standard method for analysis of the results. A single OA may
accommodate several experimental situations. Commonly used OAs are available
for 2, 3 and 4 levels. The combination of standard experimental design techniques
and analysis methods in the Taguchi approach produces consistency and
reproducibility.

3.2.1 Properties of the OA

A common OA for 2 level factors is shown in table 3-3. This array, designated by
the symbol L8, is used to design experiments involving up to seven 2 level factors.
The array has 8 rows and 7 columns. Each row represents a trial condition
(experiment) with factor levels indicated by the numbers in the row. The vertical
columns correspond to the factors specified in the study.

Factors
Experiments
A B C D E F G
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
2 1 1 1 2 2 2 2
3 1 2 2 1 1 2 2
4 1 2 2 2 2 1 1
5 2 1 2 1 2 1 2
6 2 1 2 2 1 2 1
7 2 2 1 1 2 2 1
8 2 2 1 2 1 1 2

Table 3-3. Orthogonal Array L8 (27)

Assume that a variable (i.e. a design parameter under investigations) can take n
different values, vi…vn. Assume that a total of m experiments are conducted. Then
a set of experiments is balanced with respect to the variable if:
(i) m = kn, for some integer k;
(ii) each of the values, vi, is tested in exactly k experiments.

17
An experiment is balanced if it is balanced with respect to each variable under
investigation. For example, in L8 OA shown in table 3-1, each column contains
four level 1 and four level 2 conditions for the factor assigned to the column. It is
easy to see that all columns provide four tests under the first level of the factor,
and four tests under the second level of the factor.

The idea of balance ensures equal chance is given to each level of each variable.
Similarly, we want to give equal attention to combinations of two variables.
Assume that we have two variables, A (values: ai, …, an) and B (values bi, …, bm).
Then the set of experiments is orthogonal if each pair-wise combination of values,
(ai, bj) occurs in the same number of trials.

For example, in L8 OA shown in table 3-3, two factors with 2 levels combine in
four possible ways:
(1,1), (1,2), (2,1) and (2,2)

Note that any two columns of an L8 OA have the same number of combinations of
(1,1), (1,2), (2,1) and (2,2). This is one of the features that provide the
orthogonality among all the columns (factors).

When two columns of an array form these combinations, the same number of
times (two times in this case), and all columns provide the same number of tests
under the first level of the factor, and the same number of tests under the second
level of the factor, then the columns are said to be balanced and orthogonal. Thus,
all seven columns of an L8 array are orthogonal to each other.

In Taguchi design, the array is orthogonal, which means the design is balanced so
that factor levels are weighted equally. The real power in using an OA is the
ability to evaluate several factors in a minimum of tests. This is considered an
efficient experiment since much information is obtained from a few trials.

18
Consider the following array with 12 rows and 11 columns:

00000000000
11101101000
01110110100
00111011010
00011101101
10001110110
01000111011
10100011101
11010001110
01101000111
10110100011
11011010001

Pick any two columns, say the first and the last.

00
10
00
00
01
10
01
11
10
01
11
11

Each of the four possible rows are,

0 0, 0 1, 1 0, 11

And they all appear the same number of times (three times, in fact). That is the
property makes it an orthogonal array.

Only 0's and 1's appear in that array, but for use in statistics

0 or 1

19
The first column might be replaced by,

"butter" or "margarine" ,

and the second column might be replaced by,

"sugar" or "no sugar" ,

and so on.

Since only 0's and 1's appear, this is a 2-level array. There are 11 columns, which
means one can vary the levels of up to 11 different variables, and 12 rows, which
means one is going to conduct 12 different experiments.

The array forces all experimenters to design identical experiments. Experimenters

may select different designations for the columns but the eight trial runs will
include all combinations independent of column definition. Thus the OA assures
consistency of design by different experimenters (Ranjit 1990).

To design an experiment, the most suitable orthogonal array is selected. Next,

factors are assigned to the appropriate columns, and finally, the combinations of
the individual experiments (called the trial conditions) are described. Let us
assume that there are at most seven 2 level factors in the study. Call these factors
A, B, C, D, E, F and G, and assign them to columns 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7
respectively of an L8 array. The table identifies the eight trials needed to complete
the experiment and the level of each factor for each trial run. Each experimental
set up is determined by reading numerals 1 and 2 appearing in the rows of the trial
runs. A full factorial experiment would require 27 or 128 runs, but would not
provide appreciably more information.

Experimental design using OAs is attractive because of experimental efficiency.

Generally speaking, OA experiments work well when there is minimal interaction
among factors, i.e. the factor influences on the measured quality objectives are
independent of each other and are linear - in other words, the outcome is directly
proportional to the linear combination of individual factor effects. OA design
identifies the optimum condition and estimates performance in this situation
accurately. If, however, the factors interact with each other and influence the

20
outcome in a non-linear manner, there is still a good chance that the optimum
condition will be identified accurately (Ranjit 1990), but the estimate of
performance at the optimum can be poor. The degree of inaccuracy in
performance estimates will depend on the degree of complexity of interactions
among all the factors.

3.2.2 Designing the Experiment

Before designing an experiment, knowledge of the product/process under
investigation is of prime importance for identifying the factors likely to influence
the outcome.

The aim of the analysis is primarily to seek answers to the following three
questions:
1. What is the optimum condition?
2. Which factors contribute to the results and by how much?
3. What will be the expected result at the optimum condition?

Consider an example. An experimenter has identified three controllable factors for

a plastic moulding process. Each factor can be applied at two levels (Table 3-4).
The experimenter wants to determine the optimum combination of the levels of
these factors and to know the contribution of each to product quality.

FACTORS / A. Injection B. Mould C. Set Time

LEVELS Pressure temperature
LEVEL 1 A1 = 250 psi B1 = 150 oF C1 = 6 sec.
LEVEL 2 A2 = 350 psi B2 = 200 oF C2 = 9 sec.

Table 3-4. Factors and levels for molding process

There are 3 factors, each at 2 levels, thus an OA of L4 is suitable which is shown

in Table 3-5.

21
 FACTORS
Experiments
A B C
1 1 1 1
2 1 2 2
3 2 1 2
4 2 2 1

Table 3-5. An experiment layout using L4 OA

This configuration is a convenient way to layout a design. Since an L4 has 3

columns, 3 factors can be assigned to these columns in any order. Having assigned
the factors, their levels can also be indicated in the corresponding column. There
are four independent experimental conditions in an L4. These conditions are
described by the numbers in the rows.

A full set of experiments for this process would require eight different
experiments (full factorial design = 23) as opposed to the four which are needed
for the Taguchi version of the experiment using L4 OA. As previously noted, the
saving involved in using the Taguchi method becomes more significant as the
number of levels or factor increases (Ranjit 1990).

To analyse the results, there must be a way of comparing the results produced by
each experiment. In this example, one could measure the quality characteristic, Y
– the lower the better, of the moulded products.

So, having undertaken the experiments and obtained the results, it is now possible
to calculate the best levels to use with each factor. Let us assume, for example, the
results obtained are as shown in Table 3-6.

22
 FACTORS Result (quality
Experiments
A B C characteristic)
Y1 1 1 1 30
Y2 1 2 2 25
Y3 2 1 2 34
Y4 2 2 1 27

Table 3-6. Results for experiments

One can now find the effect of each level in each factor by averaging the results
which contain that level and that factor.

A1 = (Y1 + Y2)/2 = (30 + 25)/2 = 27.5

A2 = (Y3 + Y4)/2 = (34 + 27)/2 = 30.5
B1 = (Y1 + Y3)/2 = (30 + 34)/2 = 32.0
B2 = (Y2 + Y4)/2 = (25 + 27)/2 = 26.0
C1 = (Y1 + Y4)/2 = (30 + 27)/2 = 28.5
C2 = (Y2 + Y3)/2 = (25 + 34)/2 = 29.5

From the above we can see that the best combination of factors is A1, B2, and C1.
These are the factors which produce the lowest results.

3.2.3 Designs with Interaction

The term interaction is used to describe a condition in which the influence of one
factor upon the result is dependant on the condition of another. Two factors A and
B are said to interact when the effect of changes in level A, determines the
influence of B and vice versa.

Consider the following example. Temperature and humidity appear to have strong
interaction with respect to human comfort. An increase in temperature alone may
cause slight discomfort but the discomfort increases as humidity increases.
Assume the comfort level is dependant only upon two factors T and H, and is
measured in terms of numbers ranging from 0 to 100. If T and H are each allowed

23
to assume levels of T1, T2, H1 and H2, a set of experimental data may be obtained
and is represented by Table 3-7

T1 T2 Total
H1 62 80 142
H2 75 73 148
Total 137 153 290

Table 3-7. Layout for Experiment with Two 2 level Factors with Interaction

The data plotted in Figure 3-1 shows an interaction between the two factors, since
the lines cross each other. If the lines are parallel, it means there is no interaction.
If the lines are not parallel or not crossing each other, the factors may interact,
albeit weakly.

80

T1
75
Response

T2
70

65

60
H1 H2
With Interaction

Figure 3-1. Main effects of factors T and H show Interaction

This graphical method reveals if interaction exists and may be calculated from the
experimental data.

Assigning factors to columns

Experimental design using Taguchi OA’s is simple and straightforward when
there is no need to include interactions. It requires a little more care to design an
experiment where interactions are to be included. In Taguchi OA’s the effect of

24
interactions are mixed with the main effect of a factor assigned to some other
column. For example, in the L4 shown in Table 3-8 with factors A and B assigned
to columns 1 and 2, interaction effects of A x B will be contained in column 3. If
the interactions of A x B are of no interest, a third factor C can be assigned to
column 3. The effect of interaction A x B will then be mixed with the main effect
of factor C.

AxB
Experiments A B C
1 1 1 1
2 1 2 2
3 2 1 2
4 2 2 1

Table 3-8. Orthogonal Array L4 with Two 2 level Factors

The following Standard Orthogonal Arrays are commonly used to design

experiments:
2-Level Arrays: L4, L8, L12, L16, L32
3-Level Arrays: L9, L18, L27
4-Level Arrays: L16, L32

Some standard arrays also accommodate factors with mixed levels. In some
situations, a standard OA is modified to suit a particular experiment requiring
factors of mixed levels which are well explained in many texts (Ross 1988).

One of the limitations of conventional Taguchi Methods for Neural Network

problems is that published Orthogonal Arrays are of fixed and often inconvenient
size for the network. Very large OAs are not often published and these may be
needed for larger networks. One way around these problems is to generate tables
custom-made for the particular network design. The tables used in conventional
Taguchi Methods are actually only a subset of those which it is possible to use.
Taguchi techniques belong to a family of similar methods called “n fractional
methods”. Like the tables Taguchi chose, these are also suitable for optimisation

25
problems and may be applied to Neural Networks in the same way. It is therefore
possible to use these alternative techniques to generate tables of different sizes and
structures. Details of suitable methods for generating tables from first principles
may be found in, for example, (Owen 2004) and (Dey 1985) and a library of over
200 Orthogonal Arrays in (Sloane 2004).

3.2.4 Triangular table of Interaction & Linear Graphs

Each OA has a particular set of linear graphs and a triangular table associated with
it. The Triangular Table of Interaction presents information about which columns
interact. A triangular table therefore contains information about the interaction of
the various columns of an OA. The table 3-9 should be interpreted in the
following way. The number in the parenthesis at the bottom of each column
identifies the column. To find in which column the interaction between columns 4
and 6 will appear, move horizontally across (4) and vertically from (6), the
intersection is “2” in the tables. Thus the interaction effects between columns 4
and 6 will appear at column 2. In similar manner, other interacting columns can be
identified.

Column: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1 3 2 5 4 7 6
(2) 1 6 7 4 5
(3) 7 6 5 4
(4) 1 2 3
(5) 3 2
(6) 1
(7)

Table 3-9. Interaction between two columns in an L8 OA

This triangular table facilitates laying out experiments with interactions. The table
greatly reduces the time and increases the accuracy of assigning proper columns
for interaction effects.

26
To further enhance the efficiency of the experimental layout, Taguchi created line
diagrams based on the triangular tables known as Linear Graphs. These diagrams
represent standard experimental designs.

1 2
3

Figure 3-2. Linear graph for L4

Linear graphs are made up of numbers, dots and lines as shown in Figure 3-2,
where a dot and its assigned number identifies a factor, a connecting line between
two dots indicates interaction and the number assigned to the line indicates the
column number in which interaction effects will be compounded. Factors 1 and 2
are assigned to columns 1 and 2 respectively and column 3 is assigned for
interaction between factors 1 and 2.

In designing experiments with interactions, the triangular tables are essential; the
linear graphs are complementary to the tables.

27