Gage R&R Study Requirements for Shop Gages that are used at the Machine

We have an argument at our work place concerning whether it was necessary to set up the QA gages(Lab Masters) in addition to the shop gages that are used at the machine on first piece checks off new machine set-ups. This verifies that the gages on shop floor are set-up correctly by getting the same results as the Lab Masters. The set-up people only want someone to check there parts on the shop floor gages as verification to save time.

The Lab Tech. stated that is how we can pass (TS audits) not having to perform Gage R&R studies on every gage in the company only on the master gages if we correlate the masters to the shop floor gages.

Is this correct?

Are these gages calibrated to a national standard? How would they prove accuracy and repeatability/reproducibility of each gage to a excepted standard? I am no expert but would not allow that in my department. It may be workable if the floor gage is go/nogo type but even then........

Yes, all the gages are calibrated to certified standards every three months.

Have you considered doing a Gage R+R on all gages over time?
Let me explain, I like to do a G R+R on all my gages but wrote into my procedure time lines for recertification.
Example: I have a Length Gage that per my procedure gets calibrated every three months (different gages have different calibration due dates)
In addition to calibration, I verify twice a year with a Gage R+R. (again different gages different time lines)
This seems to work not only with my auditor but with my customers as well, for example PPAP requirements.
Hope this helps..................

I like the idea of doing gage R&R on every gage but due to lack of resources it makes it very difficult to manage that due to the large amount of gages. Don't ask me for a total but it is significant.

I may be missing some of the details concerning the gage R&R's being done at our facility but we been TS 16949 certified for six years.: Maybe the certification auditor has missed something in our system?

I dont know if anything in TS states that every gage needs to have a GR+R done to it but, my question would be how are you corralating the shop gages to the masters? I realize the number of gages on the floor would be greater than in the lab, but if your only performing GR+Rs on the masters and not the shop gages it kind of defeats the purpose of what a Gage R+R is used for. Gages in calibration dont always pass a GR+R study.
You should be ok in an audit, but I think you would have to show the shop gages being in sync with the lab masters with some sort of documentation.