Measurement System Analysis (MSA)

Discussions at CSIR
S.A.
28-07-2005

Measurement System
Sources of Variations

Manufacturing
Process

Machine

Tooling

Process
design

Input Material

Parameter
variation

Method
variation

Processing
material

Product
Design
(Tolerancing)

Environment

Measurement

Fundamental Properties of a GOOD

measurement system
ADEQUATE SENSITIVITY 10 TO 1 RULE
Instrument ACCURACY (and therefore Least Count)
should divide the tolerance ( or process variation) into 10
parts or more practical minimum point for gauge
selection
Measurement system ought to be in statistical control
presence of only common causes of variation and not the
special causes
Variation of measurement system must be small compared
to specification limits or process variation (6-sigma)
more PRECISION

Inaccurate and imprecise

Accurate and imprecise

Precise but inaccurate

Accurate and precise

RU =
0.0001

U=
0.0001

U : UNCERTAINITY
NATIONAL
STANDARD

RU =
0.001

U=
0.001005

RANDOM UNCERTAINITY
FOUND THRU
CALIBRATION

LABORATORY
STANDARD

SYSTEM UNCERTAINITY OF
MASTER
TOTAL UNCERTAINITY
SQRT( RU*RU + SU*SU)

RU = 0.01

U=
0.01005

WORK

RU = 0.05

U=
0.05099

GAUGE FOR
INSPECTION /
TESTING

STANDARD

Process Capability
Lower Spec.
Limit

Upper Spec.
Limit

6
Tolerance = T
Process Capability = T /
6
Means, 6 < (0.75*T)

> 1.33

Impact of Uncertainty

ERROR identified through

Calibration Process

Lower Spec.
Limit

Upper Spec.
Limit

Uncertainty

6 Process
Tolerance = T

Questions

Can an ISO/TS 16949: 2002 certification program ensure systems

and processes which deliver products which conform to a
technical specification?

Yes, TS SCOPE, point # 1.1, states

This international standard specifies requirements for a quality

management system to demonstrate ability to CONSISTENTLY
provide PRODUCT that meets product, customer and regulatory
requirements

Requirements specified in standard are complementary to product

requirements

Emphasis on PROCESS DESIGN to deliver conformance to

product specifications CONSISTENTLY . Focus on REDUCTION
IN VARIATION by asking ongoing capability evaluationincluding
measurement systems variation, which an process engineer must
evaluate during development

Product and process approval is a requirement throughout

SUPPLY CHAIN, which includes elements such as FMEAs, Control
Plans, SPC & MSA

Questions

Are customer specific MSA requirements addressed in ISO/TS

16949: 2002 audits?

Yes, the scope of certification includes ISO/TS-16949 +

CUSTOMER SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS

ISO/TS 16949:2002,

POINT # 0.5 : Goals of this Technical Specification, Para #2

This Technical Specification, coupled with applicable customer

specific requirements, defines the fundamental quality
management system requirements for those subscribing to this
documents.

Most of the subscribing customers (OEMs asking vendors to get

registered to TS 16949) ask usage of AIAG MSA MANUAL

Questions

To what degree are customer specific MSA requirements

addressed in ISO/TS 16949: 2002 audits?

Audits wrt TS-16949 are planned considering business processes

identified by organization to meet the product and customers
needs and expectations, calibration and MSA is one of such
processes

ISO/TS-16949:2002 (Point # 7.6.1: Measurement System Analysis)

Statistical Studies SHALL BE conducted to analyze the variation

present in the results of EACH TYPE of measuring and test
equipment system.

The requirement shall apply to measurement systems

REFERENCED IN THE CONTROL PLAN

The analysis methods and acceptance criteria used SHALL

confirm to those in CUSTOMER REFERENCE MANUALS on
measurement systems analysis

Questions

Would ISO/TS 16949:2002 auditors benefit from additional training

in Measurement System Analysis?

Certainly Yes. Rather its a REQUIREMENT. Otherwise how could

they assess suitability and impact of MESUREMENT SYSTEM
ERRORs on products quality?

Auditor Qualification requires.

6 years prior experience in AUTOMOTIVE, out of which 4 years in

Quality

Qualification Course contents and examination includes CORE

TOOLS APQP, PPAP, FMEA, SPC, MSA, etc

Ford & GM specific requirements demand even the internal

auditors shall be trained and evaluated wrt knowledge on core
tools including MSA.

 Who conducts the MSA? (supplier/OEM?)

The user of measurement system shall conduct the MSA
Are FOP, (first of production), tests conducted?
Review is Must, if necessary do it!
Who is responsible for conducting these tests, OEMs or suppliers?
Of course the manufacturer (supplier)
Who is responsible for evaluating that the measurement system is capable
of performing the required measurements with the desired level of
accuracy?
Of course the manufacturer (supplier)
Do these tests form part of the control plan?
Yes, they have to be!
Is the understanding that an MSA addresses the measurement accuracy of a
measurement system or merely its repeatability/reproducibility?
It addresses both location (accuracy) and variation (precision)

Application of appropriate method

TYPE OF
GAUGE

BIAS /
UNCERTANITY

LINEARITY

CMM
0-1500mm

SLIP GAUGES

VERNIER
0-150mm

PLUG GAUGE
FOR BORE OF
20.025/20.00
0

STABILITY

GRR

SKILL IN
HOLDING THE
JAWS PARALLALY

SKILL OF
RINGING

SKILL ON
BORDERLINE
CASES