Free quality engineering simulators for teaching
For lecturers, trainers and Six Sigma instructors: interactive simulators, quizzes and the same tools engineers use at work, with ready 45-minute lesson plans. Free, no sign-up for you or your students, runs in any browser and on the classroom projector.
Why it works in class
- No installation, no accounts. Students open a link on a laptop or phone; IT approval is not needed and no student data is collected.
- Classic experiments, made interactive: the red bead experiment and the Deming funnel run in seconds instead of a full session with props.
- Real methods, checked results. Calculations follow AIAG SPC, AIAG MSA, ISO 22514 and ISO 2859-1 and are compared with reference software on the validation page.
- From the lesson to the job. Each simulator leads to the tool used in industry (Cpk, Gage R&R, AQL, 8D), which produces a PDF report students can attach to an assignment.
Lesson plans (about 45 minutes each)
Common vs special cause variation
Fits: SPC, Six Sigma Green Belt, quality management
Simulator: Red bead experiment · Quiz: Deming and variation quiz · Tool: Attribute control charts
- 5 min: ask the class to rank the six workers after day 1.
- 15 min: run four days, fire the two worst, replay. Discuss why the ranking changes.
- 15 min: open the np chart and the control limits; change the system (fewer red beads) and compare.
- 10 min: quiz in class or as homework.
Over-adjustment (tampering)
Fits: SPC, process control, metrology
Simulator: Deming funnel · Quiz: Deming and variation quiz · Tool: Control chart and Cpk
- 5 min: students predict which adjustment rule gives the smallest spread.
- 20 min: run rules 1 to 4 and compare the spread; add tool wear and rule 5.
- 10 min: link to operators correcting a machine after every part.
- 10 min: discussion: when is an adjustment justified?
Control charts and Nelson rules
Fits: SPC, statistics for engineers
Simulator: SPC simulator · Quiz: SPC quiz · Tool: Control chart and Cpk
- 10 min: lessons 1 to 3 together on the projector.
- 20 min: pairs play "find the hidden cause" and name the Nelson rule that fired.
- 15 min: students load the sample data in the Cpk tool and export the PDF report.
Measurement system analysis
Fits: Metrology, MSA, quality engineering
Simulator: Gage R&R simulator · Quiz: MSA quiz · Tool: Gage R&R (ANOVA)
- 10 min: build a good gauge and run the study: %GRR and ndc.
- 20 min: add operator bias, worse resolution and repeatability one by one; record %GRR each time.
- 15 min: show how a poor gauge makes a capable process look incapable (Cpk).
Acceptance sampling and AQL
Fits: Supplier quality, incoming inspection, statistics
Simulator: AQL sampling simulator · Quiz: Acceptance sampling quiz · Tool: AQL plan with OC curve
- 5 min: ask how often a lot with 2 % defects passes an AQL 1.0 plan.
- 20 min: ship 60 lots at different defect rates; read the OC curve and the switching rules.
- 20 min: students design a plan for a given lot size in the AQL tool and explain the producer and consumer risk.
Batch vs one-piece flow
Fits: Lean manufacturing, operations management
Simulator: One-piece flow simulator · Tool: OEE calculator
- 5 min: predict the lead time of batch 10 vs batch 1.
- 20 min: run both lines; compare lead time, WIP and when the first defect is found.
- 20 min: apply Little’s law to the results.
8D problem solving
Fits: Quality management, automotive core tools
Simulator: 8D course (9 lessons) · Quiz: 8D quiz · Tool: 8D report with PDF
- Homework: the nine short lessons with the case study.
- In class, 30 min: groups write D2 to D5 for a given complaint in the 8D tool and export the PDF.
- 15 min: groups review each other’s root cause with 5 Why.
Quizzes and certificates
Every quiz explains each answer and gives a printable certificate from 70 %. Use them as an exit ticket at the end of a lesson or as homework; students can show the certificate as proof.
Data for exercises
Every tool has a Load sample button with a complete worked example. Students can also paste their own measurements from Excel. For a seminar paper, the guides, the glossary and the reference tables (Cpk to PPM, AQL tables, control chart constants) give the theory with citations.
Add it to your course page
Link the simulators directly from your LMS (Moodle, Canvas, Teams) or the course syllabus. A short line your students will understand:
Free simulators and tools for this course: QM Bench, https://qmbench.com/education/
How to cite in a thesis: Blažek, Ľ. (2026). QM Bench: free quality engineering tools [Online software]. Available at: https://qmbench.com
Feedback and requests
Missing a simulator for your course, or found something to fix? Write to info@qmbench.com. Requests from teachers get priority, and new simulators are built from them.