A new distribution-free control chart for monitoring process median based on the statistic of the sign test

Control charts are used to improve the quality of outputs in manufacturing, industrial, and service processes. The parametric control charts produce more false alarms and unacceptable out-of-control signals when the underlying distribution of the process is not normal. Nonparametric/distribution-free control charts are efficient alternatives to overcome the said situation. In this article, the performance of a distribution-free double exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) chart has been investigated based on the sign test statistic under simple and ranked set sampling schemes. The run-length properties of the proposed charts have been evaluated and compared with nonparametric EWMA sign, parametric EWMA, and parametric double EWMA control charts, using different run-length measures. The comparison reveals the efficiency of the proposed chart over its alternatives in detecting small and medium shifts in the process location. A real-data application using the substrate manufacturing process has been provided to show the implementation of the proposed chart.