Gauge R&R and Troubleshooting

Teaching Gauge Repeatability & Reproducibility (GR&R) to engineering and engineering technology students enables them to possess a practical skill that is popular in industry. It is especially important for engineering technology students, since many of them will conduct testing, take measurements, and analyze data. The ability to analyze data is an important aspect of engineering technology students pursuing B. S. degrees, since this differentiates them from low level technicians who are only responsible for data collection but not necessarily for data analysis. As a part of the curriculum enhancement effort, GR&R was taught to students in a Six Sigma and Applied Statistics course in the Electronic Systems Engineering Technology program at Texas A&M University. A laboratory was developed for the course to provide students with the opportunity to learn how to conduct Gauge R&R analysis. During the laboratory in the first semester, it was discovered that Gauge R&R could also be used as a troubleshooting tool. This paper discusses the details of how Gauge R&R was introduced in the class, implemented in the laboratory, and used as a troubleshooting tool in the laboratory. The students self-evaluated their knowledge of GR&R before and after the course; the results show that on a scale of 10, they improved by more than 4, with a confidence level of 95%. It is proposed that GR&R be used in other courses to reinforce the knowledge students learned.