Topics in the body text of this DOE FAQ Alert are headlined below (the "Expert" ones, if any, delve into statistical details):

P.S. Quote for the month: How not to ‘urn’ your keep when teaching statistics.

(Page down to the end of this e-zine to enjoy the actual quote.)

1: Newsletter alert: The new issue of the Stat-Teaser features articles on the reasons why mixture design works so well for formulators and useful advice on how to augment an experiment that just misses the sweet spot.

Check out the latest issue of our Stat-Teaser newsletter via this link. It features the following articles:

• “Mixture Designs—What Good Are They Anyway?” by Consultant Shari Kraber, and
• “Strategies for Mixture DOE Space Augmentation” by Consultant Martin Bezener.

This issue also provides informative pieces on:

• Stat-Ease Trainer Spotlight: Reed Wahlberg
• Get Up-to-Speed on DOE with Our Instructor-Led Workshops
• Call for Speakers for the 7th European DOE User Meeting in Paris, France!

2: Software alert: Version 10.0.7 of Design-Expert software is released (a free update for licensed users of v10)

Newly-released version 10.0.7 of Design-Expert software is posted at this download site for free trial evaluation. Individual licensees can update by simply following the path from within the program,* or by downloading the full release via the link above and reinstalling it. The release primarily provides maintenance of existing features. View the Read Me file at the download site for details on this update, installation tips, known ‘bugs,’ change history, and FAQs. For installation help, e-mail [email protected].

3: Webinar alert: Formulation Simplified: Finding the Sweet Spot via Design and Analysis of Experiments with Mixtures

Via three world-wide webinars during the second week of October (see times below), I will introduce tools for multi-component product development and optimization. I will brief formulators on tailored tools that hone in on optimal recipes. The webinar begins with a compelling case on the mismatch of factorial design and response surface methods to mixture DOE. Then, via real-world examples, I will lay out more appropriate designs and models for mixtures that ultimately lead to the “sweet spot”—a formulation meeting all product specifications.

Choose from one of three presentations:

• Tuesday, October 10, 2017 at 6:30 am - 7:30 am CDT (for Europe, Africa, India, the Middle East and western Asia, others welcome!)
• Wednesday, October 11, 2017 at 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm CDT (Australia, NZ and eastern Asia, others welcome!)
• Thursday, October 12, 2017 at 11:00 am - 12:00 pm CDT (for the Americas and Caribbean, others welcome!)

Register now for the date and time that works best for you via this GotoWebinar link. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

If this is your first Stat-Ease webinar, please review these suggestions on how to be prepared. If questions remain, direct them to our Client Specialist, Rachel Pollack, via [email protected].

*(To determine the time in your zone of the world, try using this link. We are based in Minneapolis, which appears on the city list that you must manipulate to calculate the time correctly.)

4: FAQ: Assessing damage to a design botched by running wrong factor levels

Original question from a Senior Product Development Engineer:“I set up a half-fraction, 16-run, two-level factorial characterization experiment. Unfortunately, two of the runs got botched by setting the wrong level for one of the factors, causing an imbalance—6 low versus 10 high. Consequently, as warned by your software, the design became non-orthogonal. Nevertheless, the program, being so robust to mistakes like this, analyzed the results. How much of a problem is this?”

Answer: As you no-doubt noticed, the off-kilter matrix causes effect selection via the half-normal plot to get a bit ‘slippery’. However, based on the VIFs (variance inflation factors) being well less than 10 on the two-factor interaction (2FI) model (seen under Evaluation) and what I found working through the analysis, I see no cause for great alarm.
—Mark

P.S. Here’s a bit more detail. Although the correlation matrix went far ‘off color’ from orthogonality (e.g., E vs D going from a perfect 0 to an “r” of -0.74), the highest VIF of 3.80 did not obscure the effects in this case.

Correlation matrices of regression coefficients for design as-planned (left) versus being botched (right)

(Learn more about design evaluation by attending the three-day computer-intensive workshop on Modern DOE for Process Optimization. Click on the title for a description of this class and link from this page to the course outline and schedule. Then, if you like, enroll online.)

5: Events alert: Two talks at the Fall Technical Conference (FTC) in Philadelphia. Call for speakers for Paris in the Spring.

(Second Notice) Stat-Ease software will be on exhibit at the Fall Technical Conference (FTC) in Philadelphia, PA, October 4 through 6, 2017. This annual forum for statistics and quality is co-sponsored by the Chemical and Process Industries Division (CPID) and the Statistics Division of the American Society for Quality (ASQ), and Sections on Physical and Engineering Sciences (SPES) and Quality and Productivity (Q&P) of the American Statistical Association (ASA). Two talks will be presented by our Consultants:

• Martin Bezener: “Strategies for Mixture Design Space Augmentation”
• Shari Kraber: “RSM Split-Plot Designs & Diagnostics Solve Real-World Problems”

Sign up for the Philly FTC here.

Stat-Ease will be exhibiting at the Medical Design & Manufacturing (MD&M) conference here in Minneapolis on November 8–9. Please stop by our booth #2317 to network on DOE and charge up your know-how.

(First Notice) Call for Speakers for the 7th European DOE User Meeting & Workshops in Paris, France. Are you interested in speaking at the 7th European DOE User Meeting & Workshops hosted by Stat-Ease, Inc. and our partner Ritme in Paris, France on June 6-8, 2018?  You are invited to submit an abstract (up to 250 words) on your application of Design-Expert® software. The talks will be 25 minutes, including questions. The deadline for submission is February 15, 2018. Learn more and submit your abstract here. The DOE User Meeting will be held at Le CNAM (or the National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts) in the heart of Paris, close to the Louvre and Notre Dame. The conference will include optional pre-conference workshops on June 6, followed by the 2-day user meeting on June 7-8 with talks by DOE Experts and industry practitioners. There will also be a special evening event on the 7th. You won't want to miss this fun and educational conference in beautiful Paris! Watch this space in the DOE FAQ Alert for information on how to register as an attendee.

Click here for these and other upcoming appearances by Stat-Ease professionals.

6: Workshop alert: Fall classes at Stat-Ease headquarters cover all the DOE tools—Sign up now before classes fill

You can do no better for quickly advancing your DOE skills than attending a Stat-Ease workshop. In these computer-intensive classes, our expert instructors provide you with a lively and extremely informative series of lectures interspersed by valuable hands-on exercises with one-on-one coaching. Enroll at least 6 weeks prior to the date so your place can be assured—plus get a 10% “early-bird” discount.

• Mixture and Combined Designs for Optimal Formulations (MIXC)
• November 7-9, Minneapolis, Minnesota (MN)
• Modern DOE for Process Optimization (MDOE)
• December 5-7, Minneapolis, Minnesota (MN)

See this web page for complete schedule and site information on all Stat-Ease workshops open to the public. To enroll, scroll down to the workshop of your choice and click on it, or call our Client Specialist Rachel Pollack, at 612-746-2030. If spots remain available, bring along several colleagues and take advantage of quantity discounts in tuition. Or, consider bringing in an expert from Stat-Ease to teach a private class at your site.*

*Once you achieve a critical mass of about 6 students, it becomes very economical to sponsor a private workshop, which is most convenient and effective for your staff. For a quote, e-mail [email protected].

I hope you learned something from this issue. Address your general questions and comments to me at: [email protected].

Please do not send me requests to subscribe or unsubscribe—follow the instructions at the end of this message.

Sincerely,

Mark

Mark J. Anderson, PE, CQE
Principal, Stat-Ease, Inc.
2021 East Hennepin Avenue, Suite 480
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55413 USA

P.S. Quote for the month: How not to ‘urn’ your keep when teaching statistics.

"The first few times I taught probability, I was disappointed by many of the examples in the books. They typically involved socks in sock drawers or balls in urns. Most of my students did not even know what an urn was.”

—Frederic Paik Schoenberg, Professor of Statistics at UCLA and author of Introduction to Probability with Texas Hold’em Examples

Trademarks: Stat-Ease, Design-Ease, Design-Expert and Statistics Made Easy are registered trademarks of Stat-Ease, Inc.

Acknowledgements to contributors:
—Students of Stat-Ease training and users of Stat-Ease software
—Stat-Ease consultants Pat Whitcomb, Martin Bezener, and Shari Kraber
—Stat-Ease programmers Hank Anderson, Neal Vaughn, Joe Carriere and Jon Kraber
—Heidi Hansel Wolfe, Stat-Ease sales and marketing director, and all the remaining staff that provide such supreme support!

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