Combining a radial basis neural network with time series analysis techniques to predict manufacturing process parameters

The accurate prediction of the values of critical quality parameters of a product during the production stage is a key factor in the success of a manufacturing operation. Neural network algorithms have been used to successfully predict process parameter values. However; techniques to further improve the predictive capability of neural network models are sought. Thus, an analysis was conducted to determine if the predictive capability of the network would be im proved rf the prediction from a time series model of a manufacturing process parameter were included in the training data set of a radial basis function neural network model. A manufacturing process data set was evaluated and the use of the time series model prediction significantly improved the neural network's prediction of critical process parameters. Often in a manufacturing environment, the collection of adequate amounts of data for network training is difficult. This integrated technique offers potential for improving network performance without collecting additional data.