Measurement Precision in Quality Management : An Empirical Investigation on Using Gauge Blocks as a Calibration Standard

A major problem encountered by high‐tech management is that of managing the precision of product components and their assembly. For dimensional metrology, management’s ultimate tool for technologically assuring measurement precision to the microinch, and the product reliability depending on this precision, is the use of gauge blocks for calibration. Using three comprehensive sets of data from high precision primary laboratories in the US and from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), not only explores, but also provides insights on, how reliable a calibration standard are gauge blocks. The results show that individual blocks do expand or contract over time. The true value of blocks was found to differ significantly from their specified nominal values. There was strong evidence that some blocks are in fact manufactured much above or below their nominal specification. Also a significantly higher range was displayed in measurements on larger blocks.