ABSTRACT
Compounding by computers has a nice ring to it, and certainly calculators and computers can cut to a fraction the time required for the mathematical chores involved in determining costs, densities, test results and so on. Many compounders feel the impingement of statistics in the areas of statistical quality control (SQC) and statistical process control (SPC). In troubleshooting and certain aspects of the compounder's work, it is useful to devise a simple cause-and-effect diagram. Statistical methods for experimental design do not appear to be used by many compounders, especially in smaller companies. Possibly this lack is grounded in fears that the methods are too complex to master, much like earlier prejudices against computers. Determining what the two-factor interactions are and using statistical methods to predict compound properties involve large steps in complexity. Two-factor interaction effects are the most frequent interactions n rubber compounding.
