I’m going to go through an incredibly quick rundown of how to conduct your own Gage Repeatability and Reproducibility study using Minitab. The first thing you should keep in mind is that there are ways you “should” conduct a GR&R and there are ways you “shouldn’t”. You “should” be doing a blind, randomized study that doesn’t allow the “operator” to influence the study with what he expects. This isn’t always the easiest way to begin your first study or introduce yourself to these types of studies. For your first study, just do your trials in order.

Statistical Analysis of Variance. Using standard deviations six times higher and six times lower than your target, determine whether your process is “in control” or “out of control”. Good stuff.

It’s also part of the framework for determining the reproducibility and repeatability of gaging. I’ve discovered that Minitab is one of the best software suites for achieving what you need in calculating ANOVA for your GR&R. It’s a great deal faster than laying out your own Excel spreadsheet, and it allows you to completely automate the process. Doing capability studies, GR&R’s, and X̅&R charts becomes a task that requires seconds, rather than having to deal with irritating Excel spreadsheets or plotting by hand. I’ve learned a ton about statistical process control. I’ve also learned a ton about what works, and what doesn’t.