Dimensional Metrology

Quality System and Calibrations

Ted Doiron

Quality Manager

• Quality System and SIM• Calibration Performance• New Capabilities

“Realizing and Disseminating the SI meter”

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In October 1999, the directors of the national metrology institutes (NMIs) of thirty-eight Member States of the Metre Convention signed a Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA) for national measurement standards and for calibration and measurement certificates issued by national metrology institutes.

NIST Quality System

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SISTEMA INTERAMERICANO DE METROLOGÍA (SIM) (INTERAMERICAN METROLOGY SYSTEM)

CAMET• Belize• Costa Rica• El Salvador• Guatemala• Honduras• Nicaragua• Panama

ANDIMET• Bolivia• Colombia• Ecuador• Peru• Venezuela

CARIMET• Antigua & Barbuda• Bahamas• Barbados• Dominica• Dominican Republic• Grenada• Guyana• Haiti• Jamaica• Saint Kitts and Nevis• Saint Lucia• St. Vincent and the

Grenadines• Suriname• Trinidad and Tobago

SURAMET• Argentina• Brazil• Chile• Paraguay• Uruguay

NORAMET• Canada• Mexico• United States of America

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PED Quality System

Based on ISO 17025Primary standard for laboratory accreditation

world-wide.PED Quality Manual is quite small – 61 pages

with no secondary SOPs.In preparation for 2009 audit, PED had an

outside trainer present the standardized 5 day training course for assessors.

Technical assessment by metrology students at Butler County Community College.

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Quality Event SystemQuality Event Log Entries

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

En

trie

s

The quality event log captures complaints, compliments, intercomparisons, and virtually any other events that happen.

The system has been very stable, and the activity of the system impressed our assessors, since it is documentation that we actually use the Quality System.

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PED Quality System

• Assessment had 19 actionable findings.

• Corrective actions accepted by assessment team in March 2009.

• Final Approval in Summer 2009

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Country System Declaration SIM Review

Argentina 17025 Accreditation En progress

Brazil 17025 Self Declaration Approved

Canada 17025 Self Declaration

/Accreditation

Approved

Chile 17025 Accreditation En progress

Ecuador 17025 Accreditation

Mexico 17025 Self Declaration Approved

USA 17025 Self Declaration Approved

Uruguay 17025 Accreditation Approved

Jamaica 17025 Accreditation En progress

Current status (2005) of Quality Systems of MRA Signatories

SIM is the final arbiter of the successful implementation of a ISO 17025 based Quality System. The results of the 2009 NIST internal assessments were rejected by SIM in the Fall of 2009. The submission of details of NIST support for calibration systems, international comparisons and documentation of assessor qualifications resulted in acceptance.

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Calibration Program

The number of division calibration staff has been roughly constant, although there have been more turnover in the last few years. The primary change has been that an increasing calibration load is handled by engineers rather than technicians.

The change from fairly simple comparators to more complex automated measuring machines has driven the trend.

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Customer Income by Group

There are calibrations in each group, but the primary method for providing traceability in 821.13 and 821.14 is SRMs.

821.11 has begun to develop new calibrations for the first time in decades.

821.12

821.13

821.14

Average Sales $103,000

821.11

821.12

821.13

821.14

Average Sales $1,045,000

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Calibration ProgramPED Income

0

200,000

400,000

600,000

800,000

1,000,000

1,200,000

0 2 4 6 8 10 12

month

dolla

rs

FY06

FY07

FY08

FY09

FY10

Income in 2009 dollars

0200400600800

10001200

1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

FY

$K

Items IncomeDivision Income

2001 7,538 926,649 639,558

2002 6,642 930,830 652,076

2003 5,883 799,886 564,081

2004 5,860 913,281 642,169

2005 6,541 988,467 689,348

2006 5,029 1,061,289 738,073

2007 6,291 1,128,831 786,788

2008 6,213 1,257,148 876,517

2009 5,646 1,168,248 820,098

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Turnaround

Turnaround by year

0

20

40

60

80

100

1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

days

On Time Calibrations

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010

% o

n t

ime

Folders per year

0

100

200

300

400

500

1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

Fol

ders

Turnaround has continued to be a problem. We have had fewer gages and more folders and more income, which is a result of a slow change in the types of gages we calibrate. An increasing part of our workload are one of a kind gages measured on CMMs. These are more complex and expensive, but less efficient types of calibration.

On the bright side, we no longer lie as much about estimated calibration time.

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Calibration Program - AML

The AML has proven to be an excellent environment for dimensional measurements. The improvements in temperature control has lowered uncertainties in key areas, and the reliability of the electrical system and general cleanliness has allowed for much longer unattended measurements, increasing our efficiency.

Reproducibility Step Gage Measurement

0.000000

0.000020

0.000040

0.000060

0.000080

0.000100

0.000120

0.000140

0.000160

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100

Puck Position (mm)

Sta

nd

ard

Dev

iati

on

(m

m)

B side 220

B side AML

The control chart for the M48 and 1020 mm step gage shows dramatic improvement in the long term reproducibility, and nearly no linear dependence which implies superior temperature control.

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Calibration ChangesThe tape tunnel has undergone significant upgrades, including new instruments for tape calibrations, ranging systems, and special tests like a mile of optical fiber.

Surface finish calibrations will have upgraded instrumentation with new AMETEK / Taylor-Hobson Form Talysurf PGI 1240

Studies of thermal management of manual calibrations found that while thermal isolation is good, lots of air is better. Nearly all workstations have fans.

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New Equipment

Clockwise from bottom left:

Nikon Nexiv 6555 multisensor CMM (video & triangulation)

Moore M48 CMM was installed in AML

Mitutoyo UMAP was purchased at end of CRADA

Mahr/Federal long waybed micrometer for sphere diameter and large cylinders

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Calibration Program

New Taylor Hobson - Form Talysurf will take over most surface roughness, and large step height calibrations, as well as measuring hardness indenters, and bullet signature profiles for the standard bullets project (SRM 2460). 

NIST Microform Calibration System for Rockwell diamond indenters: (1) stylus tip; (2) Rockwell indenter; (3) rotary stage; (4) x-y stage.

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Special Tests

James Webb Space Telescopealignment fixture.

ABFO No. 2 Bite Mark Rulers

Spheres for BFRL

Fluid flow nozzles and cylinders for Calculable Capacitor

Sub-mm volume standards

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