Introduction

It is very important to have a reliable and capable measurement system which accounts for variability in measurements. Some variances are due to the item itself being measured or the measurement system itself or the person operating the measurement system or gauge. This experiment is concerned with the R and R testing method which stands for repeatability and reproducibility. Repeatability is whether the same operator gets the same observed values every time when he/she measures the same unit several times under identical conditions. Reproducibility is the difference in observed values when a unit is measured under different conditions such as a different operator, time period etc

The purpose of the gage R&R analysis is to quantify the magnitude of variation of a measurement system. The Gauge Capability Ratio GCR or a Precision to Tolerance Ratio and used as an index of the adequacy of a measurement system to verify the functionality of product. A common rule of thumb is that one needs to be fairly sure that GCR < .1 (and preferably that GCR < .01) before a gauge can be considered adequate for the purpose of checking conformance of x to specifications LSL and USL.

where

3 If the repeatability variance is greater than the reproducibility variance then this could be due to errors in the Gage where it might need to be recalibrated, redesigned or better maintenance. If the reproducibility variance is greater than repeatability then this could be due to operator errors such as each operator measuring the item at different parts of the gage or the operators need better training to get more consistent measurements.

Procedures
This experiment consisted of 3 operators and 10 parts and 3 measurements for each part by every operator. 10 metal cylindrical blocks were taken and the first part was measured using a vernier caliper by the first operator then handed to the second , then to the third and back to the first until each operator measured the first part a total of 3 times. This repeated for the remaining 9 parts and these measurements were plotted on excel and then calibrated. Finally we were able to obtain all the variances using excel for the R & R test and a GCR value of 0.01 was given and

Results

Conclusion

Based on our results it is apparent that the biggest error in our experiment was using a given GCR value and calculating the U-L. Realistically speaking, one should be given the U-L first and from it calculate the GCR to check if the guage can be considered adequate for checking conformance. The reproducibility variance was greater than the repeatability thus it is apparent that each operator had his own way of measuring the part and we did not all share the same measuring method and thus this contributed to the variability.

Refrences

Montgomery, Douglas C. Introduction to Statistical Quality Control. New York: Wiley, 1985. Print.