[TML] Personal Armor Noise was Re: Current USAF fleet

[Tom B]

>  I've seen the testing of mass production.  Typically, you measure 3 pieces
>  per 1-6 hours.  These represent however many thousands of pieces you made.
>  You rely on the parts being *statistically* good.  Whereas an artisan
>  measures every single item made, and knows each one is good.

Brief aside:

Chip maker in Ontario had a contract to provide chips to Japan.
Contract specified the quality including distributions and sigma
limits. Canadian company tested *all* chips shipped to Japanese
company to make sure they were within specifications. Every last one.
Japanese rejected the batch. Canadian company said 'pardon me?'.
Japanese said 'we graphed the distribution of the chips you sent us -
they were all in spec, but they showed that you are not hitting the
tight sigma limits specified in the contract'.

Statistical process control (which the Japanese have historically done
more with than the North Americans) can yield some interesting
conclusions and some significant improvements in overall quality.