Standard Number:

QUALITY 300007_C
General Standards Page of Issue Level
1 7

Measurement System Variation Study for Gauges

Contents:

Purpose
Field of Validity
Definitions
Objectives
Repeatability and Reproducibility Study
Results Analysis and Acceptance Criteria
R&R Frequency
Excel Calculation Sheets
Related Standards

Purpose:

This standard defines the minimum requirements for assessing the quality of a gauge or
measurement system. This standard applies to both new and refurbished gauges and
measurement systems used within GKN Driveline and Suppliers. The need to determine the
acceptability of the gauge for use is important to monitoring and assessing of the product
quality and processes control.

Field of Validity:

This Standard is applicable for assessing the quality of the gauge and/or measurement system
used to validate component quality and monitoring of the prototype/production process within
GKN Driveline and its suppliers

Definitions:

The following definitions describe the types of error or variation associated with gauge and
measurement systems.

Accuracy:
The accuracy of a measurement is the closeness of agreement between the result of the
measurement and the value of a true value or an accepted reference value.

Repeatability:
The closeness of the agreement between the results of successive measurements under the
following conditions: same measurement procedure, appraiser, measuring system conditions,
location, characteristic and over a short period of time. This is often called Equipment
Variation (EV) and is used to understand the within system variation

Reproducibility:
The variation in the measurement made by different appraisers using the same gauge, method
of measurement, condition of use and over a short period of time. This is often called
Appraiser Variation (AV) and is used to understand the variation between appraisers.

Gauge:
A device used to obtain measurements often used to specify devices used on the shop floor.

Copyright GKN plc. This Standard is confidential and is supplied on condition that it must only be used for the purpose for which it has been
supplied and must not be copied, exhibited nor communicated to third parties without the consent of GKN plc whose property it remains.
Standard Owner Date Released by Date

M Ravat 20-Aug-07 S Minter A Fenton 20-Aug-07

000175B1_DOE/25.feb.2003
 Standard Number:
QUALITY 300007_C
General Standards Page of Issue Level
2 7

Measurement System Variation Study for Gauges

Measurement system:
The collection of instruments or gauges, standards, operations, methods, fixtures, software
and personnel used to obtain measurements.

Gauge repeatability and reproducibility:

The combined estimate of a gauge or measurement system repeatability and reproducibility.

Ndc (number of distinct categories):

The number of categories which can be reliably distinguished by the measurement system

Discrimination (sensitivity):
The smallest input, which results in a measurable output. The smallest measurement, which
can be distinguished as a measured output. Often called the 10 to 1 rule, which states that
instrument discrimination, should divide the tolerance (or process variation) into ten parts or
more.

Objectives:

The main objectives of performing gauge and measurement system capability studies are:

• To provide a basis for acceptance of new, refurbished and current gauges and
measurement systems.
• To perform an ongoing assessment of the quality, accuracy and stability of existing
measurement equipment.
• To evaluate gauges and measurement systems with suspected performance deficiencies.
• To compare the measurement variation resulting from different gauges or measuring
systems measuring the same product feature.

These will result in a better understanding of the magnitude of the measurement variation and
its contribution to the process variation and keep such measurement variation within
acceptable limits. A high level of measurement variation affects the ability for operators to
make process adjustments and improvements. High variation can lead to possible quality and
product performance risks.

Repeatability and Reproducibility Study:

This study provides a comprehensive process for determining that the amount of gauge and
measurement variation is due to Repeatability and Reproducibility. The result from study
provides more information than just a Gauge R&R (Repeatability and Reproducibility) percent;
consider the following situations:

High repeatability compared to reproducibility:

• Gauge or measurement system maintenance may be required
• Gauge or measurement system may have to be redesigned to improve rigidity
• Clamping or location of the part in relation to the gauge or measurement system may have
to be improved
• Within part variation in form, position, surface finish and taper
• Distortion during the measurement process
• Lack of preventive maintenance
• Environmental changes
• Observation error
• Wrong gauge for application
Copyright GKN plc. This Standard is confidential and is supplied on condition that it must only be used for the purpose for which it has been
supplied and must not be copied, exhibited nor communicated to third parties without the consent of GKN plc whose property it remains.
Standard Owner Date Released by Date

M Ravat 20-Aug-07 S Minter A Fenton 20-Aug-07

000175B1_DOE/25.feb.2003
 Standard Number:
QUALITY 300007_C
General Standards Page of Issue Level
3 7

Measurement System Variation Study for Gauges

High reproducibility compared to repeatability:
• Operator training is required to develop technique, skill and experience
• In cases involving dial indicator the resolution and face size of the dial indicator should be
improved
• Instrument design or method lacks robustness
• Different measurement methods/process between operator

ndc: number of distinct categories (minimum 5)

Low number of distinct categories:
• The gauge or measurement systems lack the discrimination (sensitivity or effective
resolution) to distinguish the values of process variation required for a process to have
effective control. Secondly, it limits the ability to determine the acceptability of part to the
required tolerance.

Preparing for the study:

Checklist:
• What is to be measured?
• What will the results of the study be used for? (Process Improvement, Production
Monitoring, Prototype Inspection, Engineering Study etc.)
• Who will use the gauge or measurement system? (Shop floor personnel, Laboratory
Technician, Engineers.) Limitation? (Glasses, colour blind, hearing.)
• Are those involved in the study trained in gauging and measurement system use?
(Understand basic good measurement practices, use gauges to control manufacturing.)
• Is this a Flexible or Dedicated gauge or measurement system?
• What environment will the gauge or measurement system be used in? (Dirty, Oily,
Vibrations, Temperature, Air Contamination, Low Light, Shop Floor, Laboratory.)
• Is the characteristic to be measured clearly defined on the print? (Datum structure, gauging
locations, electronic filter settings, software filter settings, mechanical filters (tip size).)
• Fixturing Method: free state measurement or clamped?
• Required part preparations? (Cool down, warm-up, wipe down, clean, handling.)
• Does the gauge have the required measurement range for the entire tolerance and
additional range for measuring some level of out of specification parts?
• Does the gauge have a 10 to 1 discrimination ratio with respect to the tolerance and/or the
desired level of process control?
• Does the gauge or measurement system have a setting master? Or a mastering method?
• How many parts, appraisers (operators) and trials will be used for the study?
• Do the samples represent the range of the tolerance and/or the process variation?
• What form or software will be used to calculate the Gauge R&R results?

Optimal and best practice for performing gauge R&R:

The goal of a Gauge R&R is to determine the amount of possible variation within a gauge or
measurement system due to repeatability and reproducibility error sources. In order to capture
as much risk due to these error sources it is best to include as many degrees of freedom as
possible. As we reduce the number of operators, trials and parts we increase our commercial,
warranty and performance risk. The following study conditions provide the optimal and best
practice:

• 3 Operators
• 3 Trials
• 10 Parts
• Average and range method
• 90 degrees of freedom (error sources)
Copyright GKN plc. This Standard is confidential and is supplied on condition that it must only be used for the purpose for which it has been
supplied and must not be copied, exhibited nor communicated to third parties without the consent of GKN plc whose property it remains.
Standard Owner Date Released by Date

M Ravat 20-Aug-07 S Minter A Fenton 20-Aug-07

000175B1_DOE/25.feb.2003
 Standard Number:
QUALITY 300007_C
General Standards Page of Issue Level
4 7

Measurement System Variation Study for Gauges

Minimum required gauge R&R for critical and significant characteristics:
In order to reduce producer and customer risk the following minimum requirement for gauges
and measurement systems on critical and significant characteristics is the following:

• 2 operators
• 3 trials
• 10 parts
• Average and range method
• 60 degrees of freedom (error sources)

Note: if more than 2 Operators use the gauge (or any measurement system), then the
following study conditions should be used:

• 3 operators
• 2 trials
• 10 parts
• Average and range method
• 60 degrees of freedom

For non-critical and non-significant characteristics the minimum requirements:

In some cases certain print characteristics are not identified as significant or critical. The
determination of those non-critical/non-significant characteristics should be determined by a
cross functional team. The minimum requirements are as follows:

• 2 operators
• 2 trials
• 10 parts
• Average and range method
• 40 degrees of freedom (error sources)

Snap shot gauge R&R for gauge and measurement system assessments:
In certain specific conditions such as a perceived gauge or measurement system problem the
following gauge R&R study can be performed to assess a possible gauge or measurement
system concern:

• 2 operators
• 2 trials
• 5 parts

This method shall not be used in place of the minimum gauge R&R for significant, critical and
non-significant, non-critical characteristics. The safe route in such cases should be the
following:

• 3 Operators
• 2 Trials
• 10 Parts

Copyright GKN plc. This Standard is confidential and is supplied on condition that it must only be used for the purpose for which it has been
supplied and must not be copied, exhibited nor communicated to third parties without the consent of GKN plc whose property it remains.
Standard Owner Date Released by Date

M Ravat 20-Aug-07 S Minter A Fenton 20-Aug-07

000175B1_DOE/25.feb.2003
 Standard Number:
QUALITY 300007_C
General Standards Page of Issue Level
5 7

Measurement System Variation Study for Gauges

Study Process:
1. Assure that the gauge has been calibrated and before conducting measuring study validate
the gauge or measurement system with a master.
2. Identify a person to coordinate the study providing the parts to the operators and recording
the parts being measured and the measurement result. This coordinator should be
knowledgeable about the importance of Gauge R&R methodologies.
3. For electronic readouts determine the right most significant digit which represents the
realistic discrimination. For manual dial indicators record to one half the smallest
graduation.
4. Identify the Operators as A, B and C
5. Number the parts 1 through 10 and if possible locate the numbers so the operator does not
know which part is being measured.
6. Operator A shall measure the ten parts and the coordinator will record the results.
7. Operator B shall measure the same ten parts without the knowledge of Operator A results
or order of part measurements.
8. Operator C shall measure the same ten parts without the knowledge of Operators A and B
results or order of part measurements.
9. Steps 6, 7 and 8 shall be repeated using a different order of measurement of the 10 parts.
10.The coordinator will process the data and review any notes which can used to improve the
Gauge R&R results.

Note: if the operators are on different shifts have each operator measure all ten parts for all the
requested trials on the operators’ normal shift. Repeat this for operators on their respective
shift.

Note: if only two operators are available then increase the number of trials to 3 in order to
maintain the desired number of degrees of freedom.

Results Analysis and Acceptance Criteria:

The results shall be evaluated to determine if the gauge is acceptable for the intended
application. The criterion for acceptability is dependent upon the percentage of part tolerance
that is consumed by the gauge system error. For GKN Driveline, the criteria are as follows:

For critical and significant characteristics:

New Gauge:
• Under 10% error: ACCEPTABLE
• Over 10% error: NOT ACCEPTABLE (return to supplier)
Old Gauge: At discretion of on site quality manager, concession of additional 2% error may be
afforded, dependent on importance of application, cost of measuring device, cost of repair etc.
• Up to 12% error: SATISFACTORY
• Over 12% error: NOT ACCEPTABLE (should be repaired and reviewed or replaced)

For non-critical and non-significant characteristics the minimum requirements:

New Gauge:
• Under 25% error: ACCEPTABLE
Old Gauges: At discretion of on site quality manager, concession of additional 5% error may be
afforded, dependent on importance of application, cost of measuring device, cost of repair etc.
• Up to 30% error: SATISFACTORY
• Over 30% error: NOT ACCEPTABLE (should repaired and reviewed or replaced)

Error over “ACCEPTABLE” criteria provides following opportunities: (MARGINAL)

Copyright GKN plc. This Standard is confidential and is supplied on condition that it must only be used for the purpose for which it has been
supplied and must not be copied, exhibited nor communicated to third parties without the consent of GKN plc whose property it remains.
Standard Owner Date Released by Date

M Ravat 20-Aug-07 S Minter A Fenton 20-Aug-07

000175B1_DOE/25.feb.2003
 Standard Number:
QUALITY 300007_C
General Standards Page of Issue Level
6 7

Measurement System Variation Study for Gauges

• To improve the gauge or measurement system by investigating/understanding possible
error within part or operator induced variations, which can be affecting the results.

Graphical tools for analysis:

Using various graphical tools can assist in determining areas for variation reduction:

• Average chart – stacked

• Average chart – unstacked
• Range chart – stacked
• Range chart – unstacked
• Run chart – by part number
• Scatter plot – part number and operator

In this standard further detail on these analytical graphical methods will not be provided. Many
of these graphical methods can be investigated on the Internet, statistical software packages
and textbooks.

Determining bias:
Currently there is much discussion regarding the issue of bias and the determination of the
acceptability of the amount of allowable bias. One current method is described in MSA edition
3 (Measurement System Analysis). The following is a very basic overview of the process
within MSA 3rd edition.

1. Obtain a traceable reference sample. If no traceable standard is available then a gauge

quality harden-manufactured sample replica should be manufactured. If due to cost and
timing issues a suitable production manufactured sample can be used.
2. If a suitable production sample is used then the sample needs to be taken to the
metrology, standard or certified external laboratory and have characteristics to be
investigated measured 10 times and use the mean value of the 10 measurements as the
reference value.
3. Have a single operator with gauging knowledge measure the part characteristic 15 times.
4. Plot the data in either a bar or line graph and look for potential outliers.
5. Compute the average of the 15 measurements.
6. Compute the repeatability standard deviation = (Max measurement – Min
measurement)/d2. The value for d2 comes from the chart on page 195 for g = 1 (operator)
and m = 15 (trials)
7. Compute the bias = (observed average measurement) – (reference value)
8. Compute the t statistic for the bias = (bias) / (bias standard deviation)
9. To be 95% confident in the bias acceptability it needs to be within the 95% confidence
bounds around the bias value this is determined by the following formula:

Bias – [bias standard deviation (t distribution value with two tails)*

*Note: for the degrees of freedom found in the table on page 195 for g = 1 and m = 15) <=
Zero <= Bias + [bias standard deviation x (t distribution value with two tails)*
*Note: for the degrees of freedom found in the table on page 195 for g = 1 and m = 15).

10. If the bias value computed in step 8 is within the 95% confidence band computed in step
ten then the bias level is acceptable.

Copyright GKN plc. This Standard is confidential and is supplied on condition that it must only be used for the purpose for which it has been
supplied and must not be copied, exhibited nor communicated to third parties without the consent of GKN plc whose property it remains.
Standard Owner Date Released by Date

M Ravat 20-Aug-07 S Minter A Fenton 20-Aug-07

000175B1_DOE/25.feb.2003
 Standard Number:
QUALITY 300007_C
General Standards Page of Issue Level
7 7

Measurement System Variation Study for Gauges

Determining stability:
The need for determining gauge and measurement system stability over time is a good
practice and provides evidence of gauge performance and some level of conformance
between calibrations. Charting and tracking of the results on a master over time can reveal
several possible areas of concern including the following:

• Stability between shifts

• Stability during changes of season (temperature)
• Operator fatigue
• Master part wear
• Gauge or Measurement system wear
• Settling or shifting of the gauge or measurement system
• Contamination issues

Stability study processes:

1. Obtain a traceable reference sample. If no traceable standard is available then a gauge
quality hardened manufactured sample replica should be manufactured. If due to cost and
timing issues a suitable production manufactured sample can be used.
2. On a periodic basis measure and record the master value. The schedule for making the
measurement can be based on several factors including:

• Number of parts being measured

• Critical and/or significant characteristics
• Repair
• Operating environment
• Shifts in process capability indexes
• Perceived concern

1. The master value data should be plotted on an Xbar and R chart with predetermined UCL
(Upper Control Limits) and LCL (Lower Control Limit).
2. If the Xbar and R charts exceed the UCL an LCL limits then a investigating is needed to
determine and explain the exceeding limits

Study frequency:
R&R study shall form part of acceptance criteria with the gauge supplier.
• New gauge shall not be accepted unless stated pass-off criterion is met.

Gauge shall undergo R&R study immediately on:

• Repair between calibration period
• Suspect damage
• Re-introduction after significant period of storage

Excel Calculation Sheets:

Excel calculation sheet, conforming to MSA 3rd Edition, is available for access as associated
documents with this standard. However, any other calculation medium, conforming to MSA 3rd
Edition can be used, provided acceptance criterion contained within this standard are applied
and adhered to.

Related Standards:

STD 300007_1, ‘Gauge Repeatability and Reproducibility Study Data Sheet’

Copyright GKN plc. This Standard is confidential and is supplied on condition that it must only be used for the purpose for which it has been
supplied and must not be copied, exhibited nor communicated to third parties without the consent of GKN plc whose property it remains.
Standard Owner Date Released by Date

M Ravat 20-Aug-07 S Minter A Fenton 20-Aug-07

000175B1_DOE/25.feb.2003