Digital vs Dial Caliper Comparison

Eredhel

Quality Manager
#11
I feel like common sense suggests the digital would be better suited to the needs of having metric as well as inches. But there are a lot of factors that go in. Are these used for final acceptance or prior to that?
 
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Stijloor

Staff member
Super Moderator
#12
A co-worker has just brought me a new 6" Dial Caliper, 0.001" resolution. We have been using 6" Digital Calipers, 0.0005" resolution.

:argue: He said he wanted to use the new ones because he felt that they were easier for him to "read". I on the other hand feel like he's not on the right track. We have both inch and metric tolerances on our drawings. He will now either have to have a metric caliper or do calculator conversions. Or use the digital ones for metric measurements.

So, I would like to know what is out there, Statistical wise (excel spreadsheet preferably), that can be used to prove this? And the instructions to perform this. Is there any other info out there that can be used to help him or I see that it does(n't) matter.

Any help on this matter would be greatly appreciated!
I am curious about the tolerances on the part dimensions. Can you share those with us?
 
N

notadog

#13
I know a little bit about MSA studies but we have not performed any.

Is there any help that can be given as to how the MSA is to be performed?
I would like to use only the following:

1 operator
2 calipers: 1 dial, 1 digital
5/10 parts:
 

normzone

Trusted Information Resource
#14
What kind of tolerance ranges are you working too? If being within .010" is your goal, either will work fine. If you're dealing with anything smaller than a few thousandths of an inch, calipers are not the most reliable way to get that answer.
 

bobdoering

Stop X-bar/R Madness!!
Trusted Information Resource
#16
You would need a lot of data to show the effect of calculation error that you can have if you use inch calipers to measure metric and vice versa OR the error from misreading the dial gage.

To verify statistically the issue as far as whether the operator can use one as good as the other, do a gage R&R - one operator, two gages, 10 parts 3 trials. Do a study on each dimension. Your gage R&R <10% will indicate they are both OK. If not, you need to look deeper into the data or do separate studies for each gage.
 
Last edited:

bobdoering

Stop X-bar/R Madness!!
Trusted Information Resource
#17
I know a little bit about MSA studies but we have not performed any.

Is there any help that can be given as to how the MSA is to be performed?
I would like to use only the following:

1 operator
2 calipers: 1 dial, 1 digital
5/10 parts:
This is what will happen with that approach: Use the standard calculation procedure, just replace operators with gage (two gages instead of two operators). If you "pass" the gage R&R with gage R&R<10% use either one. If you fail, then one or both are inadequate. If the AV is large, then one is much worse than the other. If you use Minitab, the charts should show you the one with the most problem. The only way to tell if either one is adequate on their own is to have a separate study for each gage.
 

bobdoering

Stop X-bar/R Madness!!
Trusted Information Resource
#18
I have had this conversation and study. The "Old School" machinist with his calipers (that he's been using for 20 years) was able to measure the parts within .0001" - .0002" of the CMM measured result.
Also, not sure how you can measure "within tenths" when a caliper measures in thousandths. Machinists may be the only ones I would give a micrometer to, but I still think they overstate their capability - especially noting their loathing of calibration and gage studies. He must not use that caliper much if he has had no wear in 20 years - they don't have hardened faces on their jaws.

I've also had an inexperienced operator use digital calipers and fail a measurement test because they weren't using the tool properly/consistently.
No readout can fix that....but that is why you MUST watch operators when doing gage R&R!
 
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