Range Method (Gage Studies – Variables)

Revised: 10/10/2017

Summary ......................................................................................................................................... 1
Data Input........................................................................................................................................ 3
Operator and Part Plot ..................................................................................................................... 3
Range Chart by Part ........................................................................................................................ 4
Analysis Summary .......................................................................................................................... 5
Analysis Options ............................................................................................................................. 7
Box and Whisker Plot ..................................................................................................................... 7
Calculations..................................................................................................................................... 9

Summary
The Range Method calculates an approximate estimate of the combined repeatability and
reproducibility of a measurement system. It is based on a study in which 2 appraisers measure n
items once each. The analysis can provide a quick estimate of the percentage of the process
sigma attributable to the measurement process if an external estimate of sigma is available, or an
estimate of the precision-to-tolerance ratio is specifications are available for the variable being
measured.

Sample StatFolio: gageshort.sgp

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Sample Data
The file gageshort.sgd contains data from a typical short study, taken from the third edition of
the Automotive Industry Action Group’s (AIAG) reference manual on Measurement Systems
Analysis, MSA (2002). The data in that file is shown below:

Appraiser A Appraiser B
0.85 0.8
0.75 0.7
1 0.95
0.45 0.55
0.5 0.6

The file contains a total of n = 5 rows, one for each part that was measured.

Note: Data reprinted from the Measurement Systems Analysis (MSA) Manual with
permission of DaimlerChrysler, Ford and GM Supplier Quality Requirements Task Force.

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Data Input
The data input dialog box requests the names of the two columns, one for each appraiser.

 Measurements by first of 2 operators: numeric column containing the measurements made

by the first appraiser.
 Measurements by second of 2 operators: numeric column containing the measurements
made by the second appraiser.
 Select: subset selection.

Operator and Part Plot

The Operator and Part plot displays the measurements made by each operator on each part:

Gage Measurements by Operators

1.05 Operators
Appraiser A
Measurement

0.95 Appraiser B
0.85

0.75

0.65

0.55

0.45
0 1 2 3 4 5 6

Part
This plot is useful for showing any consistent differences between the appraisers.
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Pane Options

 Points: plot point symbols.

 Lines: connect the points with a line.

Range Chart by Part

This chart plots the range of measurements Ri made on each part.

Range Chart
0.24
UCL = 0.23
0.2
CTR = 0.07
0.16
Range

0.12

0.08

0.04

0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6

Part

Included on the chart is a 3-sigma upper control limit. Any ranges beyond this limit indicate an
unusual difference between the two appraisers on a particular part.

Pane Options

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 Decimal Places for Limits: number of decimal places to be displayed for the control limits.

 Color Zones: check this box to display green, yellow and red zones.

Analysis Summary
The Analysis Summary displays an estimate of the variability due to the measurement process.
The estimate is of the combined repeatability and reproducibility. Since the same appraiser did
not measure the same part more than once, repeatability and reproducibility can not be separated.

Gage R&R - Range Method - Appraiser A & Appraiser B

Measurements by first of 2 operators: Appraiser A
Measurements by second of 2 operators: Appraiser B

Number of parts: 5
Mean range = 0.07

Measurement Variation
Est. Stnd. Dev. Est. Variance Process Sigma %GRR
R&R 0.0588672 0.00346535 0.0777 75.76

This summary displays:

 Mean range – the average range of the measurements made on the n parts.

 Est. Stnd. Dev. – the estimated standard deviation of the measurement process, ˆ R& R
.

 Est. Variance – the estimated variance of the measurement process, ˆ R2 & R .

 Process Sigma – if a value for the process sigma  process is entered on the Analysis
Options dialog box, that value is displayed here.

 %GRR – the estimated percentage of the process sigma due to gage repeatability and
reproducibility, calculated according to:

ˆ R& R
%GRR  100 % (1)
 process

Alternative Analysis Based on Tolerance

Rather than entering a value for the process sigma on the Analysis Options dialog box, you can
enter a tolerance for the variable instead, where tolerance is defined as the difference between the
upper specification limit (USL) and the lower specification limit (LSL):

Tolerance = USL – LSL (2)

The Analysis Summary table is then slightly different.

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 Gage R&R - Range Method - Appraiser A & Appraiser B
Measurements by first of 2 operators: Appraiser A
Measurements by second of 2 operators: Appraiser B

Number of parts: 5
Mean range = 0.07

Measurement Variation
Est. Stnd. Dev. Est. Variance Tolerance %GRR
R&R 0.0588672 0.00346535 0.5 70.64
Based on 6 sigma limits.

The last 2 columns of this table are:

 Tolerance – the specified tolerance for the variable.

 %GRR – the precision to tolerance ratio defined by

Kˆ R& R
P / T  100 % (3)
tolerance

The multiple K is usually set to either 6.0 (for 99.73% coverage) o5 5.15 (for 99% coverage).
Basically, P/T is a measure of how wide the measurement error distribution is compared to the
specifications for the item being measured. Values of P/T less than 10% usually imply an
acceptably small measurement error, although P/T may be as high as 30% in some cases and still
be acceptable.

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Analysis Options

You may select to estimate %GRR in 2 different ways:.

 Tolerance: by specifying the sigma multiple K used to compare the spread of the
measurement error relative to the distance between the specifications. The default value of K
is determined by the settings on the Gage Studies tab of the Preferences selection on the Edit
menu.

 Process Sigma: by entering a value for the process sigma obtained by some previous study.

Box and Whisker Plot

The box-and-whisker plot provides an additional comparison between the appraisers.

Box-and-Whisker Plot

Appraiser A

Appraiser B

0.45 0.55 0.65 0.75 0.85 0.95 1.05

For each appraiser, a box-and-whisker plot is drawn as follows:

 The rectangular box covers the central 50% of an appraiser’s measurements, ranging between
the lower quartile and the upper quartile.
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 A vertical line is drawn within the box at the median for that appraiser.

 A plus sign is drawn to indicate the mean measurement x i of each appraiser.

 Whiskers are drawn from each end of the box to the minimum and maximum value for each
operator, unless outside points are detected, in which case the whiskers are drawn to the most
extreme data values that are not outside points.

 Any outside points are indicated using point symbols such as a small square, or a square with
a plus sign through it if the points are far outside.

For more details on outside points and other features of box-and-whisker plots, refer to the
documentation for the standalone Box-and-Whisker Plot procedure.

In the above plot, no single measurements appear to be outliers since there are not any outside
points.

Pane Options

 Direction: the orientation of the plot, corresponding to the direction of the whiskers.

 Median Notch: if selected, a notch will be added to the plot showing an approximate 100(1-
)% confidence interval for the median at the default system confidence level (set on the
General tab of the Preferences dialog box on the Edit menu).

 Outlier Symbols: if selected, indicates the location of outside points.

 Mean Marker: if selected, shows the location of the sample mean as well as the median.

 Add diamond: if selected, a diamond will be added to the plot showing a 100(1-)%
confidence interval for the mean at the default system confidence level.

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Calculations

 Average range
m

R i
R i 1
(4)
m

 Measurement Error ( Repeatability and Reproducibility)

R
ˆ R&R  *
(5)
d (2, n)
2

where

 1 
d 2* ( s, t )  1  d 2 ( s) (6)
 4v 

and

1
v (7)
2d 3 ( s) / d 2 ( s)
2
 2  2 1
t

Values for d2(s) and d3(s) are tabulated in textbooks such as Introduction to Statistical Quality
Control, sixth edition, by Douglas Montgomery (Wiley, 2009).

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