Variable study

• INRODUCTION
• METHODS
• PROCEDURE TO BE FOLLOWED
• WORKED OUT EXAMPLE
• DISCUSSIONS

3rd Edition - 2002

 Variable study

 Define the objective of the study

 Define the components of the study

 Make the Measurements

 Calculate the Gage Repeatability and Reproducibility

 Take actions to improve the measurement process

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 Variable study

Define the Objective of the Study

 Make the Purpose of the study very clear.

 The purpose is to evaluate the total measurement
system.

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 Variable study

Define all the components of the study

The various components of the study are

 People (Appraiser)
 Methods (Test Method)
 Environment (Test Condition)
 Material (Test Specimen)
 Gage (Equipment)

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 Variable study

People (Appraiser)

1. The No. of appraisers to be decided (2 or 3)

2. Select people who routinely use the gage.

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 Variable study

METHODS

 Procedure to be followed is to be clearly defined.

 Define how measurements should be made ?
 How will the study be conducted ?
 When it will be conducted ?
 How will the data be recorded ?
 Who will record the data ?

3rd Edition - 2002

 Variable study

ENVIRONMENT (TEST CONIDITON )

Use the same environmental conditions in which the

gage is used. (Eg.. If gage is used in lab, do gage
repeatability & reproducibility study in lab only)

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 Variable study

MATERIALS

• What will be used for the study ?

Min. 5 parts and this should be from actual
production parts. Typically studies are taken for
ten parts.
• Identify the parts.
Make sure the numbers are readable.
• Mark the parts exactly where you want to measure.
(so that part variation can be avoided)

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 Variable study

MATERIALS

The sample must be selected from the process and should

represent the entire sample production operating range.

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 Variable study

GAGE

• Ensure that the gage is calibrated

• Gage that is selected should have least count, that is one
tenth of tolerance or process variation.

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 Variable study

MAKE THE MEASUREMENTS

• The Measurements should be made in random order,

to ensure that any drift or changes that occur will
spread randomly through out the study.
• Randomly select a part and measure it.
• Ask one appraiser to check all the parts and record.
• The appraisers should be unaware of which numbered
part is being checked in order to avoid any knowledge
bias.

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 Variable study

• In reading the equipment, measurement values should

be recorded to the practical limit of the instrument
discrimination.
• Once all the parts have been measured, mix them up
and measure them again.
• Each appraiser should use the same procedure -
including all the steps they normally use to obtain
readings. (The diff. Methods used by diff. appraiser
will affect the gage R & R).
• Repeat the readings based on the number of trials
specified for the study.

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 Variable study

• The No. of appraisers, No. of parts and No. of repeat

(Trials) readings should be determined in advance.

• Critical dimensions require more parts and / or trials.

• Bulky or heavy parts may dictate fewer samples and

more trials.

• Have each appraiser take all measurements before

moving on the next trial or appraiser.

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 Variable study

REPEATABILITY

Repeatability is the variation in measurements obtained

with one measurement instrument when used several
times by one appraiser while measuring the identical
characteristic on the same part.

Inherent variation or Capability of the equipment

Referred to as within appraiser variability.

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 Variable study

REPEATABILITY

Repeatability is within - system variation when the

conditions of measurements are fixed and defined - Fixed
part, instrument, standard, method, operator, environment.

Is the Common Cause (random error) variation from the

successive trials under defined conditions of
measurements.

Commonly Referred to as Equipment Variation.

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 Variable study

REPRODUCIBILITY

Reproducibility is defined as the variation in the average

of the measurements made by different appraisers using
the same measuring instrument when measuring the
identical characteristics on the same part.

Commonly referred to as “between appraisers”

variability.

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 Variable study

Gage R & R or GRR

Gage R & R is an estimate of combined variation of

repeatability and reproducibility.

GRR is the variance equal to the sum of within-

system and between-system variance.

2GRR = 2repeatability + 2reproducibility

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 Variable study

ANALYSIS OF THE RESULTS

The results are to be evaluated to determine if the

measurement device is acceptable for its intended
application.

A measurement system is to be stable before any

additional analysis is valid.

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 Variable study

ACCEPTABILITY CRITERIA

WIDTH ERROR

Criteria as to whether a measurement systems

variability is satisfactory or not is dependent upon the
percentage of the manufacturing production process
variability or part tolerance that is consumed by
measurement system variation.

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 Variable study

ACCEPTABILITY CRITERIA

Under 10 % error - Generally considered to be acceptable

for measurement system.
10 - 30 % error - May be acceptable based upon
importance of application, cost of
measurement device, cost of repair, etc.
Over 30 % - Considered to be not acceptable - Every
effort should be made to improve the
measurement system.
The number of distinct categories (ndc) the process can be
divided into by the measurement system ought to be greater
than or equal to 5.
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 Variable study

The final acceptance of a measurement system should

not come down to a single set of indices. The long term

performance of the measurement system should also be

reviewed using graphical analyses.

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 Variable study

CONTROL
Can be used for control only if :
The process variation is small when compared
to the specifications
The main source of variation causes a mean
1 Data Category
shift.
ANALYSIS
This is Unacceptable for estimating process
parameters and indices.
Only indicates whether the process is
producing conforming or non conforming parts.
Fig: Impact of Number of Distinct Categories of the process distribution on
Control and analysis Activities.

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 Variable study

CONTROL
Can be used with semi variable
control techniques based on the
process distribution.

ANALYSIS
Generally unacceptable for
estimating process parameters
and indices since it only
provides coarse estimates.

Fig: Impact of Number of Distinct Categories of the process distribution on

Control and analysis Activities.

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 Variable study

CONTROL
Can be used with variable control
charts.

5 Or more Data Categories ANALYSIS

Recommended.

Fig: Impact of Number of Distinct Categories of the process distribution on

Control and analysis Activities.

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 Variable study

The variable gage study can be performed using a number

of different methods.

 RANGE METHOD

 AVERAGE AND RANGE METHOD

 ANOVA METHOD.

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 Variable study

RANGE METHOD
• Quick approximation of measurement variability.
• Provides only overall picture of measurement system.
• Does not decompose the variability into repeatability and
reproducibility.
• Used as a quick check to verify that the GRR has not
changed.

This approach has the potential to detect an unacceptable

measurement system 80 % of the time with a sample size
of 5 and 90 % of the time with a sample size of 10.

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 Variable study

RANGE METHOD - Methodology

 Select two appraiser and five parts.
 Each appraiser measure each part once.
 Range for each part is to be calculated. (It is the
absolute difference between the measurement obtained by
appraiser 1 and measurement obtained by appraiser 2).
 Average range R is to be calculated.
 Total measurement variability is to be found by
multiplying the average range by 1 / d2*

 d2* - Found in table for m ( No of appraiser = 2) and No. of

parts (g )

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 Variable study

RANGE METHOD - Methodology

GRR = R / d2*
GRR
% GRR = 100 X
Process Standard deviation

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 Variable study

AVERAGE AND RANGE METHOD

This method will provide an estimate of both repeatability

and reproducibility for a measurement system.
It will not tell their interaction.

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 Variable study

AVERAGE AND RANGE METHOD – Methodology.

1. Obtain a sample of n > 5 parts that represent the

actual or expected range of process variation.

2. Select the appraisers and number the part so that the

numbers are not visible to the appraisers.

3. Ensure that the gage is calibrated.

4. Let appraiser 1, measure all the parts in random manner

and enter the readings of this first trial of appraiser 1
in the corresponding row of the table.

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 Variable study

AVERAGE AND RANGE METHOD – Methodology.

5. Repeat the same for appraiser 2 and 3 and record the

reading under trial 1 in the corresponding row of the
table.
6. Repeat the steps 4 and 5 for different order of
measurement and record the readings obtained from
trial 2 and 3 for appraiser 1, 2 and 3 in the corresponding
column.
7. Ensure that readings of the part are recorded under the
corresponding part which is numbered.

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 Variable study

AVERAGE AND RANGE METHOD – Methodology.

8. When all the parts are not available, then each appraiser
can check the same part and relevant reading to be recorded
in the corresponding column. E.g Let appraiser 1 measure the
first part and record the reading under row and appraiser 2
measure the same part and record the reading under
corresponding row etc.
9. If appraisers are of different shifts, then appraiser 1 can
measure all the parts and reading recorded under trial 1, and
then appraiser1 check all the parts in different order and the
readings to be recorded under trial 2 and in different order
for trial 3. Do the same with appraiser 2 and 3.

3rd Edition - 2002

 Variable study

Appraiser PART
AVERAGE
/ Trial 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
A 1
2
3
Average avg Xa =
Range avg Ra =
B 1
2
3
Average avg Xb =
Range avg Rb =
C 1
2
3
Average avg Xc =
Range avg Rc =
Part
Xp =
Average
(Xp) Rp =
Average of Range => ]
= [ avgR a +avg R b +avg R c / No.of A ppraiser R =
Difference of Average = [ Max. X - Min. X ] => XDIFF =
[ R X D4 ]
Range - Upper Control =Limit => UCLR =
[ R X D3 ]
Range - Lower Control =Limit => LCLR =
3rd Edition - 2002
 Variable study

1. GAUGE REPEATABILITY AND REPRODUCIBILITY DATA SHEET

Appraiser PART
AVERAGE
/ Trial 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1A 1
2 2
3 3
4 Average avg X a =
5 Range avg Ra =
6B 1
7 2
8 3
9 Average Xb =
10 Range Rb =
11 C 1
12 2
13 3
14 Average Xc =
15 Range Rc =
Part
16 Xp =
Average
(Xp) Rp =
17 Average of Range = [ Ra + Rb + Rc / No.of Appraiser ] => R =
18 Difference of Average = [ Max. X - Min. X ] => XDIFF =
19 Range - Upper Control = [ R X D4 ]
Limit => UCLR =
[ R X D3 ]
20 Range - Lower Control =Limit => LCLR =

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 Variable study

NUMERICAL CALCULATIONS

1. Subtract the smallest reading from the largest reading in

rows 1, 2 and 3; enter the result in row 5. Do the same for
rows 6,7 and 8; and enter the results in rows 10 and 15
respectively.

2. Entries in rows 5, 10 and 15 are ranges and therefore

always positive values.

3. Total row 5 and divide the total by the number of parts

sampled to obtain the average range for the first
appraisers trials Ra. Do the same for rows 10 and 15 to
obtain Rb and Rc.
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 Variable study

NUMERICAL CALCULATIONS

4. Transfer the averages of rows 5, 10 and 15 ( Ra, Rb, Rc) to

row 17. Add them together and divide by the number of
appraisers and enter results R ( average of all ranges).
5. Enter R (average value) in rows 19 and 20 which is
obtained from row 17 and multiply by D4 to get the
lower and upper control limits. D4 = 3.27 for 2 trials
and D4 = 2.58 for 3 trials.
6. The value of upper control limit ( UCL R) of the
individual ranges is entered in row 19 and the value of
(LCLR) is entered in row 20.

3rd Edition - 2002

 Variable study

NUMERICAL CALCULATIONS

7. Repeat any readings that produced a range greater than

the calculated ( UCL R) using the same appraiser and
part as originally used or discard those values and re
average and re-compute R and the limiting value ( UCL R)
based on the revised sample size. Correct the special
cause that produced the out of control condition. If the
data were plotted and analyzed using a control chart, this
condition would have corrected and would not occur
here.
8. Sum the rows 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13. Divide the sum in
each row by the no. of parts sampled and enter the values
under average column in each row.
3rd Edition - 2002
 Variable study

NUMERICAL CALCULATIONS
9. Add the averages in rows 1, 2 and 3 and divide the total
by the number of trials and enter the value in row 4 in the
Xa block. Repeat this for rows 6, 7 and 8; and 11, 12, 13, and
enter the results in the blocks for Xb and Xc in rows 9
and 14 respectively.
10. Enter the max and min averages of rows 4, 9 and 14 in the
appropriate space in row 18 and determine the differences.
Enter the differences in the space labeled X diff in row 18
11. Sum the measurements for each trial for each part and
divide the total by the number of measurements (number
of trial times the number of appraisers) and enter the
results in row 16 (Indicated as part averages)
3rd Edition - 2002
 Variable study

NUMERICAL CALCULATIONS

12. Subtract the smallest part average from the largest

part average and enter the result in the space labeled
Rp in row 16. Rp is the range of part averages.
13. Transfer the calculated values of R, X diff and Rp to the
blanks provided on the report side of the from.
14. Perform the calculations under the column entitled
“Measurement Unit analysis” on the left side of the form.
15. Perform the calculations on the right side of the form
entitled % Total variation.
16. Check the results to make sure no errors have been
made.
3rd Edition - 2002
 Variable study

NUMERICAL CALCULATIONS

Number of distinct categories ( ndc)

= 1.41 PV
GRR
PV - PART VARIATION
GRR - GAGE REPEATABILITY AND REPRODUCIBITLITY

This is the number of non – overlapping 97 %

confidence interval that will span the expected
process variation.
ndc ought to be greater than or equal to 5.
3rd Edition - 2002
 Variable study

2. GAUGE REPEATABILITY AND REPRODUCIBILITY REPORT

(Based on Total Variation)
Measurement Unit Analysis % Total Variation (TV)

Repeatability = Equipment Variation (EV) % Repeatability

EV = R X K1 % EV = 100 [ EV / TV ]
Trails K1
= 2 0.8862
= %
3 0.5908

Reproducibility = Appraiser Variation (AV) % Reproducibility

AV = 2 2 % AV = 100 [ AV / TV ]
[(XDIFF X K 2) -(EV /nr)]
= = = %
n = Number of Parts Appraisers 2 3
r = Number of Trials K2 0.7071 0.5231

Repeatability & Reproducibility (R & R) % Repeatability & Reproducibility

R&R = 2 2 %R&R = 100 [ R&R / TV ]
(EV + AV )
= = %

Part Variation (PV) Parts K3 % Part Variation

2 0.7071
PV = Rp X K3 3 0.5231
% PV = 100 [ PV / TV ]
4 0.4467
= 5 0.4030
= %
6 0.3742
Total Variation (TV) 7 0.3534 Number of distinct Data categories (d)
8 0.3375
TV = GRR2 + PV 2 9 0.3249
d = 1.41 [ PV / R&R ]
10 0.3146
= Data Categories

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 Variable study

CORRECTIVE ACTION TO BE TAKEN

HIGH REPEATABILITY E.g:

• Improve equipment maintenance.
• Use a more rigid gage or gage fixture.
• Use a higher discrimination gage.
• Reduce the with in part variation.
• Improve the lighting.

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 Variable study

HIGH REPRODUCIBILITY E.g

• Review the data and its calculations.

• Identify the methods used by different appraisers.
• Retrain the appraisers.
• Change the gage.
• Build a fixture for measuring the part.

3rd Edition - 2002