The Standard Winter 04

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The StandardWinter 2004 Page 1The StandardVol. 18, Issue 1 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality Winter 2004

Chai r s Co lum n

Message from the Chairman (2004-2005)

Dilip Shah

Happy New Year!

It seems that my column starts with a report fromone conference or another. Year 2004 started with theDivision participation in the Measurement ScienceConference (MSC) at Anaheim in January. Many thanksto our West Coast Team of Phil Painchaud andDuane Allen for setting up the MQD booth and takingcare of booth setup logistics. Thanks also go to DanHarper, Phil Stein, and honorary member CaroleStein for doing booth duty. This year, our booth wasin the main exhibit area instead of the regular spot nearthe exhibit entrance. The booth location and a numberof other factors attracted a lot more traffic and publicityat the booth for the Division.

We got a lot of inquiries on the CCT exam and theupcoming publication of The Metrology Handbook.Interest is very high in the CCT exam and exam primer/ refresher courses. Some booth visitors were ready topurchase The Metrology Handbook, and we had to tellthem that they could pre-order it through the ASQPress. The information on ordering the book wasdisplayed at different locations during the conference.

We also had Joseph D. Simmons Memorial Schol-arship Award application forms at both the MQD andNCSLI booths. We solicited Call for Papers for ourMQD conference in September that will be co-spon-sored with the Inspection Division.

The Division sponsored a session titled StatisticalApplications in Metrology with Phil Stein, DennisJackson (Navy Corona), and me as session present-ers. The session was attended by approximately 40people.

We also conducted our traditional MQD meeting viateleconference at the MSC. Thirteen members andguests participated during the teleconference.

And, this was just Januarys activities! We plan tohave presence at the AQC in Toronto (May, 2004),NCSLI in Salt Lake City, Utah (July, 2004), and ourown MQD/Inspection Division Conference in Septem-ber at Heath, Ohio.

Continued support for the maintenance of the CCTexam is being planned at many stages by the Divisionduring the year. We are also embarking on strategicplanning for the Division so that its growth is sustained.

Watch this newsletter and our updated website forfurther news about the 2004 events.

E = mc3 Solutions197 Great Oaks Trail #130Wadsworth, OH 44281-8215Voice: 330-328-4400

Fax: 330-336-3974E-Mail: [email protected]

IN THIS ISSUEChairs Column................................................... 1Advertising & Article Info.................................. 2Chris Grachanen-CCT & Website Updates....... 3CCT Exam Pass Lists .................................... 4, 5Phil Painchaud-The Learning Curve..................6Editors Note....................................................... 8Jay Bucher-Metrology Handbook Update.........8Phil Stein-The Contrarian Metrologist...............9William McCullough-Standards Activity..........10Joint Division Conference-Call for Papers......11Canada INMS NRC CMM Workshop ..............12Jack Gale-Zero Sigma ..................................... 13Upcoming Events............................................. 14MQD January CC Meeting Minutes ..............15Division Finances ............................................ 16MSC Photos...................................................... 17MQD Officers List............................................. 18Regional Councilors List................................. 19Simmons Scholarship Application Appendix


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The StandardWinter 2004 Page 2 The StandardVol. 18, Issue 1 The Newsletter of the Measurement Quality Division, American Society for Quality Winter 2004

PublicationStaff

Managing Editor

Mark SchoenleinP.O. Box 206Perrysburg, OH 43552Voice: 419-247-7285Fax: 419-247-8770E-Mail: mark.schoenlein@

us.o-i.com

Advertising2003 Rates for a single publication:

Business card size .....................$201/4 page .....................................$351/2 page .....................................$70Full page ..................................$120

A 15% discount will be applied for multi-edition ads.

Ads must be formatted in MS Word oras a TIF file.Advertising must be clearly identified asan ad and should relate to the field ofmeasurement quality.Ads must not imply endorsement by theMeasurement Quality Division or ASQ.

Letters to the Editor

The STANDARD welcomes lettersfrom members and subscribers. Lettersshould clearly state whether the authoris expressing opinion or presentingfacts with supporting information.Commendation, encouragement,constructive critique, suggestions, andalternative approaches are accepted.If the content is more than 200 words,we may delete portions to hold thatlimit. We reserve the right to edit lettersand papers.

Publication InformationThe STANDARD is published quarterlyby the Measurement Quality Division ofASQ; deadlines are March 15, June 15,September 15 and January 15.Text information intended forpublication can be sent via electronicmail or through postal mail on 3 1/2"diskette in Microsoft Word saved inRich Text Format (RTF). If it is notfeasible to send text in electronic form,clean printed text can be submitted.

Graphics or illustratios must be sent ina TIF file format.Photographs of MQD activities arealways appreciated.Publication of articles, product releases,advertisements or technical informationdoes not imply endorsement by TheMeasurement Quality Division of ASQ.While The STANDARD makes everyeffort to ensure the accuracy of articles,the publication disclaims responsibilityfor statements of fact or opinion madeby the authors or other contributors.Material from The STANDARD may notbe reproduced without permission ofASQ. Copyrights in the United Statesand all other countries are reserved.

2003 ASQ, MQD. All rights reserved.

Website Information

The Measurement Quality Divisionhomepage can be found on the internetat www.measurementquality.org. Pasteditions of the STANDARD in PDFformat are available there.


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The StandardWinter 2004 Page 3

CCT Program Updat e

By Christopher L. Grachanen

The latest offering of the ASQ Certified CalibrationTechnician (CCT) exam was administered on Dec. 7,2003, at various locations across the U.S. There were109 individuals that sat for the four-hour exam with 69of them passing it, yielding a 63% pass rate (the firstoffering of the CCT exam in June, 2003, resulted in a71% pass rate). The next offering of the CCT exam willbe on May 23, 2004 (Application Deadline is April 23,2004), in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, at ASQs AnnualQuality Congress (http://aqc.asq.org). For more infor-mation about the CCT exam please visit the MQDwebsite at www.measurementquality.org or http://

www.asq.org (click on certification).In order to increase the test items (questions)

available for inclusion in future offerings of the CCTexam, ASQ will be conducting four workshops in 2004at ASQ headquarters in Milwaukee, Wis. These work-shops, open to those that have passed the CCT exam,are a wonderful opportunity to interface with calibrationprofessionals from all over the U.S. and to contribute tothe CCT program. ASQ staff personnel will be conduct-ing the workshops and providing training. Hotel reser-vations are set for the following: EXAM REVIEW WORKSHOP (March 5 & 6)

Arrival Thurs., March 4; departure Sun., March 7

ITEM WRITING WORKSHOP (April 23 & 24)

Arrival Thurs., April 22; departure Sun., April 25

ITEM REVIEW WORKSHOP (August 13 & 14)Arrival Thurs., Aug.12; departure Sun., Aug.15

EXAM REVIEW WORKSHOP (Sept 10 & 11)Arrival Thurs., Sept. 9; departure Sun.,Sept.12

You would be responsible for making your travelarrangements. ASQ will reimburse up to $400.00 forairline tickets (no reimbursements will be made forchanged flights) and pay mileage at $0.365 and anyparking fees incurred during your stay. You will beprovided breakfast and lunch on Friday and Saturdayof the workshop. ASQ will pay a maximum of $30.00for dinners. Receipts are required for all reimburse-ment requests. The workshop will be conducted8:00a.m. - 5:00p.m. Friday and Saturday with break-fast being served at 7:30. For more information pleasecontact Mary Martin, ASQ Administrator at:[email protected]

MQD Webs i t e Upda t e

By Christopher L. Grachanen

We are pleased to report the MQD website hasbeen ported over to an ASQ server (special kudos toASQs Pablo Baez for orchestrating the move andmaking long sought-after changes to the website). Thismove will drastically reduce the cost of website mainte-nance and allow for more timely updates. Speaking ofupdates, the website has been brought up to date withcurrent MQD officer information and news about theupcoming MQD conference. The site has also beenpopulated with past issues of The Standard (pdf files).Please visit us at www.measurementquality.org and letus know what you think. We are always open tosuggestions for improvement of the website.

Late breaking news! Congratulations to Chris Grachanen whom Test & Measurement World

Magazine named Test Engineer of the Year on February 24th, 2004!

Sign up fo r t he CCT!

The registration deadline for the next ASQCCT (Certified Calibration Technician) examis April 9, 2004. The exam is scheduled forJune 5, 2004. For more info visit www.asq.organd click on the Certification tab or call ASQat 1-800-248-1946 and request item B1331.

Congratulations to those individuals who passed the June and December

2003 CCT exams! Their names can be found on pages 4 and 5.


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ASQ CERTIFIED CALIBRATION TECHNICIAN (CCT)EXAM PASS LIST

Exam Date: June 7, 2003

Muralidhar Audipudy Claude D. LaneDuane K. Allen Tina M. MarableSteven A. Arndt Sharry MasarekRuxandra M. Avram Randy Lynn MastersDonald R. Babij Howard Walter MaximMichael E. Berry Matthew MaxwellRick Blumhorst Terry L. McGeeNeil T. Bowman Jorge Elias MorenoChristy L. Brandstatt Dennis A. MoutrayHershal C. Brewer Roy L. NicholsDavid E. Brown Steven NiesenJay L. Bucher Adrian A. NovakPatrick S. Butler Tracy P. OmdahlMahlon G. Cashman Graeme C. PayneJose M. Cayuela Randy Lynn PrinceJessie Colvin Roland Provost

Richard Arden Cozier Wesley R. RichardsonAntonio Diaz Richard Dale RobersonJerry L. Eberhart Charles W. RyanWilliam H. Edmundson Brian SamsDonald F. Evans Jay L. ShepherdKelly Michael Finn Gordon A. SkattumNancy A. Foncannon Daniel H. SnufferMichael T. Gaddy Roger W. SpitzAlan C. Germann Bradford L. Stanton

Christopher L. Grachanen Arthur William StauffVince R. Hall Philip G. SteinDavid A. Highlands David M. SuttonWarren P. Hunt Mark R. TiborStephen E. Kappesser Wayne UnderwoodRajinder P. Kapur Charles Jay VarljenBrian V. Keeler Dale E. VarnerKeith P. Kemsley Shane L. WadeFred Surbert King Terrelle J. Wilson


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ASQ CERTIFIED CALIBRATION TECHNICIAN (CCT)

Rakesh Arora

John P. Avery

Charles J. Beargie

Kelly E. Bobo

Brian A. Bollinger

Daniel Sumner Bowman

Robert L. Bryant

Sylvia A. Burton

Albert Frankie Calvo

Brian H. Carver

Raymond Cheng

Ted Clark

Daren Crossman

Sheldon V. Dummer

Steven C. Fant

Melvyn Douglas Fechner

Harold G. FosterSandy L. Frank

Allen Scott Fuller

John R. Fuschino

Jack H. Gale

Duane E. Geske

Scott A. Gingerich

Alan R. Glassel

Antonio F. Granda

Ken W. Hacker

Donald D. Hampton

Stephen C. Hogue

Brian W. Jeffries

David A. Jinks

Grover F. Jones

James D. Klein

Bill H. Klodt

Kevin D. Knight

Robert E. Kukla

EXAM PASS LIST

Exam Date: December 6, 2003

Kevin M. Laird

Dale E. Lanser

Richard N. Lipscomb

Howard G. Mangrum

Ramona K. Marks

Stephen E. Marshall

Bryan J. Martin

Gary R. Martz

Gary C. Meyer

Philip Mistretta

Eric R. Moline

Elias Monreal

Nathan Otis Nelson

Glen S. Ogden

Michael A. Olsen

James Milton Parker

Donald W. PerronMark Lee Price

David L. Richart

Andrew Wayne Ritchie

Ronald Rittenberger

Brian Paul Samuelson

Nicholas Scarpa

Keela Lee Sniadach

James R. Stainsby

Kok-Siang Tai

Steven R. Villa

Eric Y. R. Weng

David C. West

David G. Whitley

Karl Orlin Wigdal

Kevin E. Will

Brian D. Winkler

Luther E. Woolwine


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The Lea rn ing Curve

Phil Painchaud

This is the thirty-sixth in a contiguous series of thesesoliloquies ostensibly directed toward discussions ofMetrology Education but which often drift elsewhere atthe whim of the author as he composes the text.

According to The American Heritage Dictionary ofthe English Language:

SOLILOQUY: 1a) A dramatic or literary form ofdiscourse in which a character reveals his or her

thoughts when alone or unaware of the presence ofothers; b) A specific speech or piece of writing in theform of disclosure. 2) The act of speaking to ones self.

I generally attempt to do this periodic composition tocomply with 1a above. However, the dearth ofresponse, at times, causes me to believe that definitionnumber 2 applies. As usual, this is in the form of anopen letter to our BOSS, the Managing Editor of thissomewhat periodic gazette.

Dear Boss:

I am composing this column during the waning daysof the Year 2003. It is often customary for those of uswho write for public consumption, during such waningdays, to reflect back on the accomplishments and/orlack thereof during the past 12 months. In this case,however, since this is the tenth anniversary of thiscolumn, let us reflect back for a full decade.

For those readers who have not been with us thatlong, in the first column I explained in some detail abouta session that occurred on the evening of September28, 1993, in the living room of the Founding Editor ofThe Standard that resulted in the creation of this THE

LEARNING CURVE. Our charter was cast during thatsession to become a forum to promote MetrologyEducation, academic rather than vocational, compre-hensive educational rather than specific vocationaltraining. Well, over the past decade we have had bothgood and bad; we have had both success and failure.Lets talk about the successes first.

First of all let us direct our view to the metrologyprogram at the Butler County Community College atButler, Penn., and what that relationship with thiscolumn has accomplished. It is quite true that thisprogram existed prior to our involvement; but, sincethen it has, under the leadership of Dr. Don Drum, andwith considerable cynosural attention from us, devel-oped worldwide recognition as a truly academic two-year metrology fundamental curriculum. But evenmore note must be given to the fact that this well-

deserved prominence has earned for them an en-dowed Chair of Metrology, which we believe is the onlyone of its kind anywhere in the world!

The second and possibly the most important aca-demic accomplishment of the past decade is the estab-lishment of the four-year degreed program at theCalifornia State UniversityDominguez Hills underthe brilliant leaderships of Dr. Eugene Watson andDean Margaret Gordon. This program has just com-pleted the first semester of its second year and nowaffords our profession a source for a fully accrediteddegree in the measurement sciences. More about thislater.

Now the bad news; we have failed to accomplishone of the primary objectives of the charter we werefounded under a decade agowe have been unable tocreate the forum specifieda forum designed to pro-vide a platform for bilateral discussions on the subjectof Metrology Education. The response with letters ofdepth from you readers has just been too sparse toeven consider implementing any reasonable discus-sion platform. To illustrate my point let me reprint anexcerpt from that first column from ten years ago: andmost important, we need your inputs; remember this isnot supposed to be a monologue by me, I think I am a(semi?) retired metrologist, not a practicing monolo-gist. We will need papers and articles related toMetrology Education, either pro or con; articles show-ing the necessity for formal training; letters bemoaningthe lack of it; learned treatises from academic theoristssupporting the thesis that Metrology Education shouldnot or does not need to exist (Sound crazy? Well, Iactually had an engineering department head of a veryprominent state university once tell me directly thatmetrology does not exist. His exact words were,Metrology is a non topic, and hence it cannot ever bediscussed!); discussions of how detailed mechanicallly


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should Metrology Education be, i.e., should metrologycurricula be limited to the training in the manual as-pects of calibration and repair procedures, or rathershould it encompass a broad spectrum of physical andchemical disciplines and with a heavy emphasis on themathematical approaches of dimensional analysis,error analysis, and the design of experiments?

I am very much afraid that this has not come about,and I have become the monologist that I feared I mightbecome. Dear readers, it was my intention to becomethe moderator of your discussions or the discussionleader of a Colloquium-in-Print if you prefer. Mostassuredly, I did not intend to become the monologist ofa periodic columnbut it appears that I have.

Now for the latest update on the California StateUniversityDominguez Hills Program. As I haveexplained in past issues, the program is designed to beoffered on-campus, on-site, and on-line. To date,because of lack of space on the campus, the programhas been available only on-line. So far this has beenno particular problem, but a problem has been loom-inghow do you teach laboratory dependent subjectson line? Good news! Dr. Watson informed me duringone of our power lunches that Dr. Zia Khwaja, one ofhis instructors in his graduate quality program, hasrecently received a grant to develop just such a sys-tem. Furthermore, it is not a blue sky, hair-brainedidea, as he has been experimenting with an interactiveon-line laboratory instructional system for some time.This grant will enable him to put the finishing toucheson it, fine tune it, and package it for use by others.

On December 19, 2003, a delivery truck pulled upin front of my house with two surprise packages: aGuildline Dauphine Potentiometer, Model 9444, s/n22173 and a Guildline Standard Volt Ratio Box in oilbath, Model 9700A, s/n 23338. These had been thepersonal property of Mr. Carl Quinn, the now-retiredlong-time Vice-President of SIMCO Electronics. Hewas donating them to our program and didnt know howto get them there. The following Monday, my son andI took them over to Carson and delivered them toDr. Watson. As old as they are, they are in perfectcondition and are superb teaching tools. We estimatedfor tax purposes that together they are worth $25-30,000. This was a very generous and well appreci-ated donation.

That trip to the campus afforded us an opportunityto see the rooms just that week assigned to themeasurement science program. The university is justnow completing an extensive building program, andseveral administrative functions that have been oper-ating in less that adequate quarters have moved totheir new locations. These moves included the centralcomputer facility. The large, central, well-air-condi-

tioned room that formerly housed rows of main frames,and with plenty of power, as well as several peripheralsmaller rooms, has been assigned to the program.While the necessary modifications cannot be accom-plished in time for this Spring semester, the facility willsurely be ready by next Fall.

The Rev. Norman F. McFarland, retired Bishop ofOrange (Calif.), is in my opinion a superb writer. Hismany homilies have covered many topics, both liturgi-cal and secular. With his permission, I have excerptedfrom one he published in his Diocesan Newspaper ofJuly, 2003, the following fragment. I feel that thethought contained therein gives considerable credit-ableness to my consistent insistence that metrologistsneed to be educated academically rather than trainedvocationally or created by fiat as many are.

Mediocrity Wont Cut It

We hold these truths to be self-evident, wrotethe author o f the Declaration of Independence, that allmen are created equal

The only problem, a professor of mine was fondof saying, is that most of them stay that way.

Thomas Jefferson, I feel, would have appreciatedthat laconic observation. While directing his enormoustalents and energies to the cause of freedom and theproposition that all men are created equal, that theyare endowed by their Creator with certain inalienablerights, he nevertheless would not have been inclinedto confuse the ethic of equal opportunity with an ethicof equal results. Not with his intellect, and certainly notfrom his experience.

For the history of the American Revolutioninwhich Jefferson played so large a rolewas not writtenby your average run-of-the-mill taxpayer. It was theunusual coming together of a few men of broad visionand extraordinary genius, of masterful and articulateleadership, that gave expression and direction to theideals and principles of a new American identity. Andinsofar as this new identity has, during the ensuing twoand a quarter centuries, achieved the promise of itsnoble conception, we can be grateful for the dedica-tion, inspiration, and leadership of men and women oflike stature. In a word: the greatness of this country didnot derive from a well of mediocrity. If America is ahaven for the common man, it is only because distinctlyuncommon men and women have made it so.

In metrology in particular Mediocrity Wont Cut It.In every scientific, technical, and commercial activity inthe entire world, measurements of some sort areinvolved; and valid efficacious measurements are vitalto the results as well as to the health, safety, and wellbeing of every being on this planet. Somewhere wellup in the measurement chain, a truly professional,


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competent metrologist must be in control of the mea-surement system; technicians, calibrators, and beancounters who have been created metrologists by fiat

just cannot hack it. They have not been educated forthat level of technical responsibility, irrespective ofwhat level vocational training they might have under-gone. This enforced Mediocrity Cannot Cut It!

I realize that this will raise the hackles on many ofyou. So come back and argue in writing so that we canget that forum going. I am at the same old stand whereI have been for the past 43 years:

Phil Painchaud1110 West Dorothy DriveBrea, CA. 92821-2017Voice: 714-529-6604Fax: 714-529-1109E-Mail: [email protected]

or [email protected]

Manag ing Ed i t o r s No t e

Mark Schoenlein

Thanks for all of the nice compliments about the

newsletter. The next edition will be out after the AQCin May. Still looking for more articles to publish sofire up those PCs.

More late breaking news! Congratulations to Phil Stein who has

been elected as an ASQ National Director for 2004-2006!

Met ro logy Handboo k

U p d a t e

The writing portion of the handbook has been put tobed and sent off to ASQ and their editors and pre-pressgroup.

I would be remiss if I did not thank the team of co-authors and significant support from ASQ. The co-authors were: Graeme C. Payne, ChristopherGrachanen, Dilip Shah, David Eugene Brown, EmilHazarian, Keith Bennett, Hershal Brewer, and Jay L.Bucher.

The support, advice, and sense of humor we re-ceived from Annemieke Hytinen and Ann Benjaminfrom ASQ has been nothing short of outstanding. Thisproject would surely have been Mission Impossible without them.

We anticipate a final product for purchase aroundApril, 2004. It has an item number of H1215 in the latestedition of ASQ Press publications. The list price is$85.00, with a membership price of only $68.00--anoutstanding value for the money.

Jay L. Bucher, ASQ CCTEditor, The Metrology Handbook

Note: See the MQD conference call minutes fromJanuary 15th on page 17 for more details.


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The Cont ra r i anMet ro log i s t

Philip Stein

UNDERSTANDING YOUR STATISTICS

As usual, its time for another scolding from thecontrarian metrologist.

Most of us, myself included, do everything we canto avoid thinking about statistics. It looks hard, itsrarely taught well, and we can usually do without it.Still, though, metrology is an inherently statistical pur-suit. All measurements have error; and without statis-tics, we really cant tell whether this error is largeenough to influence our results or even make theminvalid.

The need for statistical knowledge is also reflectedin the CCT (Certified Calibration Technician) exam.The body of knowledge (BOK) specifies that the appli-cant must be familiar with the following statistical

principles and tools:1. Basic statistical tools:

Define and use basic statistics such as measures ofcentral tendency, (mean, standard deviation, etc.),sample vs. population, degrees of freedom, etc.

2. Common distributions:

Classify data distributions as being normal, rectangu-lar, triangular, or U-shaped.

3. Descriptive statistics:

Calculate the variance, root mean square (rms), rootsum square (rss), and standard error of the mean(SEM) for a data set.

4. Sampling issues:

Recognize various terms, including acceptance sam-pling, sample size, sufficient number of points, etc.

5. Quality tools:

Control charts, histograms, scatterplots

In fact, as readers of this column know well, thestatistical quality tools such as scatterplots and controlcharts are important, powerful tools that can providegreat information for the improvement of measurementprocesses.

Still, many confusions and misinterpretations re-main. Many of us who use statistics arent really clear

on what they mean or how to use them properly.For the rest of this article, Ill discuss a really hard

topic the standard error of the mean (SEM) . As youcan see from the above, its part of the BOK andsomething we should all use occasionally in metrology.Its also the most important and most common sourceof confusion in all of basic stats.

When I have several pieces of data, such as repli-cate measurements of the same quantity (repeatabilitystudy), I take the arithmetic average, or mean, of thosedata; and this average is the best estimate of the actualvalue of the underlying quantity being measured (the

measurand). We can never know the exact value, ofcourse. Our measurements, single ones or repeatones, are estimates of that value; and in most cases themean is the best estimate that can be made.

[I said in most cases because statisticians willalways weasel-word absolute statements. There arecircumstances when better estimates might be pos-sible, usually when the distribution of the underlyingdata is somehow aberrant. Still, in metrology, the dataare almost always well behaved, and its quite safe toalways use the mean as the best estimate.]

Back to the replicates. In addition to the mean,which is a measure of central tendency, there is an-other common statistic: the standard deviation (sd).This is the most common measure of spread for vari-ables data. Again, in metrology, thats almost alwaysthe case. The sd describes the breadth of the spreadof the data around the mean and is an indicator of howrepeatable the measurements were during the studythat produced the data.

Now, for a moment, think about a measurement inwhich several (say j) repeats are done and thereported answer is the mean of those repeats. A typicalsituation here would be a hardness measurement,


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either for steel or for rubber. Often, five shots are takenon the standard or on the unknown and the average isreported. This is because a single shot will often giveunreliable results. Keep firmly in mind here: the datareportedare means of small groups(calledsubgroups)of measurements of size j.

Now what is the sd of these data? Well, since eachdatum is in fact a mean or average, we need tocalculate the sd differently than we do when the dataare individual measurements.

If the sd of a set of individual measurements isrepresented by the symbol , then the sd of a set ofaverages (called the standard error of the mean) is / j, where j is the number of data in each subgroup.

The most common mistake made in metrology inthis area is when calculating the results of a repeatabil-ity study. Usually, the spread of the data is representedby the sd when the individual measurements are usedas data. Sometimes, as with the above-mentionedhardness measurements, the data are averages. Whenthis is true, the correct spread to report for repeatabilityis the standard error of the mean. If the subgroup sizein the data is 5, divide the calculated sd by the squareroot of 5.

Theres one further subtlety to discuss here. Myrepeatability studies are usually done on individualdata. For example, I can measure the repeatability of avoltage measurement or a hardness test by taking 30shots. For data analysis, I take the average of those 30and the sd based on 30 degrees of freedom. Theanswers yielded by this study are the correct values ofthe best estimate of the value and of the spread, andthese are the statistics that should be reported as theresult of this study.

Now when it comes time to write an uncertaintybudget for whatever measurement Im making, I haveto look at how the measurement data are reported tothe user. If, for example, I measure and report voltage,I will likely make only one measurement for the cus-tomer.

The repeatability influence to be put in the budget isbased on 30 measurements during the study, but I amonly making one measurement for the customer. Re-port the sd of the repeatability study on the budget linefor repeatability.

For hardness, though, what is reported to the cus-tomer are the means of subgroups of size j. Report thestandard error of the mean for subgroups of that size onthe budget line for repeatability in other words dividethe repeatability study sd value by the square root of j

before putting it into the budget.

Learn this well, and you will be miles ahead of yourcolleagues in understanding.

P.G. Stein Consultants400 Oak StreetPennington, NJ 08534-3316Voice: 609-737-9144Cell: 908-672-1480Fax: 609-737-9411E-mail: [email protected]

St a n d a rd s Co m m i t t e eA c t i v i t y

The US Technical Advisory Group to TC 176 isproceeding with what promises to be minor changes toISO 9001. There should be more on this after theMarch TAG meeting at San Francisco.

ISO 17025 required a technical change. The state-

ment at 1.6 that by complying with the requirements of17025 they will meet the requirement of ISO 9001/ 9002 turns out to be a technical overstatement. Itappears that they will only meet the principles.

On the NCSLI side of the measurement world,changes are under way to ANSI/NCSL Z540-1. Lastyear the NCSLI 174 committee assigned a work groupthe task to bring Z540-1 up to date. In a very short timethree exploratory documents were prepared by theteam, lead by Del Caldwell. At the MeasurementScience Conference (MSC) a consensus documentwas presented to 174 for their review. The review is to

be completed by March 1st of this year, and from thosecomments a draft is to be prepared and presented to174 at the Salt Lake NCSLI conference.

Bill McCulloughMcCullough Consulting1936 June Cr.Carson City, NV [email protected]


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CALL FOR PAPERSAmerican Society for Qualitys

Measurement Quality Division and Inspection DivisionAre Pleased to Announce a Joint Division Conference

September 23-24, 2004

Conference Location:

USAF Primary Standards LaboratoryConference & Cafeteria FacilitiesNewark Metrology OperationsHeath, OH 43056

Heath, Ohio, is conveniently located 20 mileseast of Columbus off I-70 and served by theColumbus airport. Many hotel and diningfacilities exist in the surrounding area.

Abstract submissions of less than 100 wordsare invited from the following suggested (butnot limited to) categories: Measurement Uncertainty Training Standards Affecting Inspection and

Measurement Measurement Techniques

Inspection Techniques Certification Laboratory Accreditation Inspection and Measurement Quality Statistical Application in Inspection and

Measurement

Deadline for abstract submittal is May 31st,2004. Please forward to Hershal Brewer.

A Workshop is Planned:

The ASQ Certified Calibration Technician(CCT) Exam Review

Proposals for additional workshops on Sep-tember 22, 2004, are also invited. Pleasecontact Dilip Shah.

Exhibit Space is Also Available:

A limited number of EXHIBIT TABLES andPROMOTIONAL SPONSORSHIPS are alsoavailable for a nominal cost. Please contactDilip Shah.

For further information, please contact:

Inspection Division:

http://www.asqinspection.org/

**Gregory S. Gay: [email protected]

**Jenny Persful: [email protected]

Measurement Quality Division:

http://www.measurementquality.org/

**Dilip A. Shah: [email protected]

**Hershal Brewer: [email protected]

MQD officer contact info can be found on page 18.


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INSTITUTE FOR NATIONAL MEASUREMENT STANDARDSNATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL CANADA

CMM Workshop May 3-4, 2004

A two-day CMM workshop is being planned for May3-4, 2004. The workshop is directed toward the indus-trial CMM users and will concentrate on GD&T, CMM-CAD, CMM programming and worked-out practicalexamples.

Reserve the dates! As details become available,they will be posted at http://inms-ienm.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/ courses e.html#upcoming. Or, you can contact DebbieBlack at (613) 990-2999 (email: [email protected]) or Kostadin Doytchinov at (613) 991-0265(email: [email protected]) for information.

Cost:

$450/day for early registration--before April 15

$500/day for registration after April 15

Single-day participation is available

Workshop Subjects

1. Dimensional metrology basics

2. The CMM: understanding the mechanical structure

(traditional Cartesian). The 21 geometrical errorsources.

3. Probe calibration (qualification): why needed, goals,and results.

a. Single stylus

b. Multiple stylii, multiple probe positions

c. Custom probe calibrations, practical advice

4. Things to do before starting the measurements

a. Understanding the goal

b. Putting the drawing (CAD model) under scrutiny

c. What do we really want? Troubleshooting ortolerance compliance?

d. Choosing accessories and clamping

5. Designing the measurement strategy

6. Datum Reference Frame (DRF) and coordinatesystem

a. Do they always mean the same?

b. Principles of building a DRF

c. Examples of ambiguous, over contraint, or notfully constraint DRF (or coordinate system)

d. Best-fitting

e. Understanding how to deal with it--practicaladvice

7. Geometrical tolerances

a. Y14.5M and ISO 1101 standards. Different tolerance zones and practical advice on best way toapproach it.

8. The concepts of MMC, RSF, and LCM

9. Dealing with the conflict between Y14.5M and the

SPC (statistical process control)10. Satisfying both the process engineer and theGD&T drawing requirements

11. Measurements of known surfaces using the ma-terial condition approach

12. Measurements of unknown surfaces

a. Tip radius correction on a free surface--cosineerror

13. Data clouds to CAD model best-fitting

14. Stitching of measurements (part bigger than themeasuring volume)

15. CMM programming

a. Why a good software programmer is not necessarily a good CMM programmer

b. Useful tips for CMM programmers

c. Saving time, gaining accuracy

d. Building important checkpoints in the CMMprogram

All CMM workshop lectures will be presented inEnglish.


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ZERO SIGMA:WHEN YOU ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY CANT PERFORM THE CALIBRATION

by Jack Gale

The phone call comes in, or better yet, the instrument shows up on the loading dock. Your shipping clerk looksat it and gets a technician; the tech scratches his head and calls the manager. You run a Google on thenameplate and find out what the thing does. Now its time to call the client and ask why they sent it in, becauseyou cant calibrate this instrument!

Whether your lab is in-house or commercial, somebody will eventually bring something to you that your labwont be capable of calibrating. The customers will always continue to challenge your capabilities and make youfeel inadequate. There is no little blue pill for this. Calibration clients will purchase new equipment and find out laterif their calibration vendor is up to the task. Every lab has a collection of these stories to share I bought it, so you should be able to calibrate it. You calibrate everything else I have, so you have to do this. The last guy did my gage blocks with a micrometer right here at my facility. Why cant you? Just go out and buy a standard so you can get this done.

So, now it falls upon somebody to explain the logistical, ethical or financial reasons why this instrument wontbe calibrated today. This is a very touchy subject, as all labs, regardless if they are internal or commercialoperations, want to satisfy the customers. Most customers are not aware that it takes more than buying astandard to become capable of performing a calibration. Making the customer understand these issues will goa long way in cementing a business relationship rather than sinking it to the bottom of the river.

These notes explain the reasons behind some capability shortcomings in the hope the customer will betterunderstand:

Legal and Regulatory Requirements : Some fields have legal or regulatory requirements that prevent us fromproviding service to some equipment. We are prohibited from calibrating some weighing and volumetric equipment

(produce scales, gas pumps, etc.) used to measure quantity for commerce because these functions are eitheradministered by the states or require state licensing.

Breadth of Accredited Scope: Some customers wish that our A2LA scope of accreditation were broader, asdo we. Some of the additional costs and efforts to include new areas into our accredited scope include extensiveuncertainty determinations, documentation upgrades, locating accredited vendors and proficiency providers andthe additional costs associated with the assessment procedure. We must weigh these factors against the demandbefore undertaking any scope expansion. We will continue to review customer needs and keep customers awareof any planned scope expansions.

Return on Investment: Just like a manufacturer, we must consider the return on our invested capital,expenses and time before undertaking a new capability. Some equipment is rare, and it is not feasible for manyindependent labs to invest in these capabilities for just a few calibration events per year. We will work with ourcustomers to locate a qualified vendor for their equipment.

Access to Required Standards and Procedures: Some equipment OEMs will not release the standards,procedures, software or parts for outside parties to service or calibrate their equipment. They either are protectinga monopoly on the calibration of this equipment or seek to protect proprietary information by not releasing anyinformation other than the users manual.

Not Geographically Supported: Some equipment may have a large installed base but not prevalent in thegeographic regions we serve. Just as our lab would have trouble calibrating oil-field equipment, it would be likelynot to expect a lot of fiber optic capability in Wyoming.

Industry Structure: Some niches within the metrology field have been traditionally served by specialty firmsand typically can provide this narrow array of services at a lower cost than a wide-scale metrology lab. Commercialscale houses and clean room vendors are just two examples of business segments better served by specialists.


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Employee and Safety Concerns: We have declined to serve certain segments or needs because we havedetermined it is not in the best interests of our people and our business to serve that area. We may decide to notcalibrate radiological equipment (radiacs) or work in environmentally hazardous areas.

Lack of the Universal Black Box Calibrator: While the capabilities of standards have improved, there are

no one piece does it all calibrators that can handle the scope and range of products in the market. The use ofnear state-of-the-art technology on the production floor and the limitless variety of options offered frequentlycauses mismatches between instruments and standards. If every range or band requires another majorinvestment in standards, this segment may be best left to the equipment manufacturer.

Ability to Provide On-site Service: Labs will vary in what services they are willing to offer at the customerslocation. Each lab decides which standards and operations they can perform on site based upon their skills, theirequipment, and the environment. You sometimes have to work hard to explain that you would rather get a rootcanal than put the 1 ppm standard into the trunk of a car.

Once you have an understanding with your client, now is the time to adopt the Can-Do attitude and find asolution to their problem. Discuss the subcontracting options they have to obtain a calibration, and find out whatyou can do to fill the gap with a capable colleague. Most of your clients will value your judgment and assistancein helping them find a solution that works for both parties.

Jack GaleEssco Calibration Laboratory14 Alpha RoadChelmsford, MA 01824 Every man owes part of his time and money to the

Voice: 1-800-325-2201 business or industry in which he is engaged. No

E-Mail: [email protected] man has a moral right to withhold his support from an organization that is striving to improve conditions

www.esscolab.com within his sphere.

-Theodore Roosevelt

Important Upcoming Events

Conference Dates Location Contact Number Website

Quality ExpoDetroit April 19-21, 2004 Novi (Detroit) MI 888-267-3794 www.quality.reedexpo.com

IDW May 10-14, 2004 Nashville, TN 865-574-4261 [email protected]

ASQ AQC May 24-26, 2004 Toronto, Canada 800-248-1946 www.asq.org

NCSL July 11-15, 2004 Salt Lake City, UT 303-440-3339 www.ncsli.org

MQD September 23-24,2004

Heath, OH 330-328-4400 [email protected]


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to be approximately 400-500 pages and cost $85 U.S.for non-members and $65 U.S for members. Dr. JohnR. Rumble, Jr., Acting Director, Office of MeasurementServices, NIST, has agreed to write the Forward for thehandbook. The following were thanked for their contri-butions and hard work:

Jay L. Bucher: Editor, Co-Author Graeme Payne: Co-Author Chris Grachanen: Co-Author Dilip Shah: Co-Author Dave Brown: Co-Author Emil Hazarian: Co-Author

Keith Bennett: Co-Author Hershal Brewer: Co-Author Annemieke Hytinen of ASQ Anne Benjamin of ASQ

CCT Update - Chris Grachanen

One-hundred nine persons sat for the December,2003, exam, with 69 passing it for a pass rate of 63%(very similar to June, 2003, pass rate). There will be twoCCT workshops for Spring, 2004, to develop and

review new test items for the CCT exam (March 5 & 6and April 23 & 24). The workshops will be held at ASQsMilwaukee Headquarters (ASQ pays transportation,lodging and meals) and are open to all those who havepassed the CCT exam. For more information pleasecontact Mary Martin, ASQ Administrator, at:[email protected]. Next CCT exam will be offered atthe AQC in Toronto.

MQD Website Update Chris Grachanen

Pablo Baez, ASQ Community Care Administrator,has imported the MQD site from its existing site to an

ASQ preferred provider site. This will allow for a drasticsavings in site maintenance fees as well as allowing forspeedier updates.

Update of Dominguez Hills Program Phil Painchaud

Discussed academic programs being offered (somevia the internet such as graduate degree in qualityassurance). Also discussed unused scholarship fundsavailable at Dominguez Hills

New Business

The MQD tradeshow display needs to be updated.Phil Stein motion to allocate up to $2k U.S. for repairand updating the display--motion approved.

Change in Division officers: Chris Grachanen isnow MQD Secretary, and Jay Bucher is MQD Chair-elect for 2004/2005. Dilip remains Chair for 2004/2005.

MQD also submitted Phil Steins nomination asASQ National Director. Election process is under way,with each division allowed to vote for four candidates.MQD was first to vote through Sharepoint site.

Action Items w/ champions

Development of MQD strategic plans--Dilip / Jay

Complete MQD Conference Memorandum of Un-

derstanding--DilipEstablish MQD Conference paper review commit-

tee and conference facility committee--Hershal

Complete end of year financials--Mark

Develop Joe Simmons Scholarship action plans--Norm

Repair/Update MQD trade show booth--Dilip

Update MQD website--Chris

Submitted by: Chris Grachanen & Jay Bucher

Div i s ion F inanc es

As of January 31, 2004

Cash:Checking 16,865.00Money Market 72,469.00

Receivables:Advertising 70.00HQ owes 1,497.00

Total Assets: 90,901.00

Total Liabilities:Owe HQ (4,108.00)

Fund Balance: $ 86,792.00


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Phot os F rom MSC, Jan uary 14-16 , 2004


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Measurement Quality Division OfficersChair Examining ChairDilip A. Shah Philip SteinE = mc3 Solutions 400 Oak Street197 Great Oaks Trail #130 Pennington, NJ 08534Wadsworth, OH 44281-8215 Voice (609) 737-9421/Fax (609) 737-9144Voice (330) 328-4400/Fax (330) 336-3974 E-mail: [email protected]: [email protected] or [email protected]

Immediate Past Chair/Nominating ChairSecretary Duane AllenCertification Chair U.S. NavyWebsite Manager P.O. Box 5000, Code MS11NCSLI Representative Corona, CA 92878-5000Christopher L. Grachanen Voice (909) 273-4783/Fax (909) 273-4599Manager, Houston Metrology Group E-mail: [email protected]

P.O. Box 692000 MS070110 Simmons ScholarshipHouston, TX 77269-2000 Norm BeleckiVoice (281) 518-8486/Fax (281) 518-7275 7413 Mill Run DriveE-mail: [email protected] Derwood, MD 20855-1156

Voice (301) 869-4520Treasurer E-mail: [email protected] Schoenlein Standards Committee RepresentativeOwens-Illinois Plastics Group Bill McCulloughOne SeaGate, 29L-PP Consultant, CSC/DynCorp.Toledo, OH 43666 McCullough ConsultingVoice (419) 247-7285/Fax (419) 247-8770 1936 June Cr.E-mail: [email protected]

Carson City, NV 89706Voice (775) 883-3042Chair-Elect E-mail: [email protected] BucherManager, Metrology ServicesPromega Corporation6700 Royal View DriveDeForest, WI 53532Voice (608) 277-2522/Fax (608) 277-2516E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected]

Program ChairHershal C. Brewer

Accreditation Officer5360 Workman Mill RoadWhittier, CA 90601Voice (562) 699-0541, ext. 3309/Fax (562) 692-2845Mobile (949) 632-8762E-mail: [email protected]


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REGIONAL COUNCILORSRegion 1

Joseph Califano , Hemagen Diagnos-tics, Inc., 40 Bear Hill Road, Waltham,MA 02154 (417) 890-3766, FAX (617)890-3748

Region 2 Karl F. Speitel , 14 Kalleston Drive,Pittsford, NY 14534 (716) 385-1838

Region 3 Eduardo M. Heidelberg , CarterWallace, 61 Kendall Dr., Parlin, NJ08859 (609) 655-6521, FAX (609)655-6736

Region 4 Alex Lau , Imperial Oil, 111 St. ClairAve. W., Toronto, Ont., Canada M5W-1K3 (416) 968-4654, FAX (416) 968-5560, E-mail: [email protected]

Region 5 Richard A. Litts, 100 EvergreenDr.,Downingtown, PA E-mail:[email protected]

Region 6 Open

Region 7 Rolf B.F. Schumacher , Coast QualityMetrology Systems, Inc., 35 Vista DelPonto, San Clemente, CA 92672-3122 (949) 492-6321, FAX (949) 492-6321

Region 8 Open

Region 9 Dr. Henrik S. Nielson , HN MetrologyConsulting, Inc., 5230 Nob Lane, India-napolis, IN 46226 (317) 849-9577, E-mail: [email protected]

Region 10 Mark Schoenlein , Owens-Illinois Plas-tics Group, One SeaGate 29L-PP, To-ledo, OH 43666 (419) 247-7285, FAX(419) 247-8770, E-mail: [email protected]

Region 11Raymond Perham , Michelin Tire Corp.,Rt 4 Antioch Church, P.O. Box 2846,Greenville, SC 29605 (864) 458-1425,FAX (864) 458-1807, E-mail:[email protected], orhome E-mail: [email protected]

Region 12 Donald Ermer , University of Wiscon-sin Madison, 240 Mechanical Engineer-ing Bldg., 1513 University Avenue,Madison, WI 53706-1572 (608) 262-2557

Region 13 Thomas A. Myers , Bellevue Univer-sity, PMP, CQM, 1000 Galvin Rd. S.,Bellevue, NE 68123 1-800-756-7920

ext. 3714, FAX (402) 293-2035, E-mail: [email protected]

Region 14 Keith Bennett , Transcat (713) 465-4395, E-mail: [email protected]

Region 15 Bryan Miller , 417 Robinhood Dr., Flo-rence, AL 35633 (256) 764-2733,FAX (256) 764-2733, E-mail:[email protected]

Region 25 Open

Please notify the editor of any errors or changes so that this list

can be updated.

REGIONAL MAP


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Documents

The Standard Winter 04