Wednesday 26th January 2022 GAUGING MEASUREMENT CONFIDENCE Sencon Knowledge Transfer Partnership with Coventry University Sencon has recently been engaged in a three year UK government sponsored Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with Coventry University. The focus of this has been to gain a deeper working knowledge of an internationally recognised method for calculating and documenting all the factors which may affect the certainty of results yielded by measurement systems under reasonably expected operating conditions. A SCIENTIFIC METHOD FOR ASSESSING AND CONTROLLING UNCERTAINTIES This method, known as “GUM” (from the ISO Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement), is used by NASA and Rolls Royce, among others, to assess the conformance of their aerospace components. It is also used by leading suppliers of metrology devices such as Mitutoyo and Micro-Epsilon in order to give assurance that their systems are fit for purpose. Sencon engineers worked closely with a postgraduate researcher from Coventry University’s Faculty of Engineering, Environment and Computing under the direction of the university's Head of Metrology, to apply these GUM principles to can making metrology and specifically to the design and build of can and end measurement gauges. Most gauge suppliers rely only on GR&R testing (Gauge Repeatability and Reproducibility) to qualify the performance of their products. GR&R is important for showing how consistently a gauge is measuring, but it cannot prove its actual degree of accuracy nor its ongoing stability across all components and environmental changes. Only the GUM method can show whether the overall margin of error resulting from these cumulative factors is safely within the tolerance of the process for which the gauge is designed. From the university’s point of view, this project produced cutting edge research that resulted in a published academic paper. For Sencon, this state-of-the-art knowledge not only results in fully comprehensive statements of gauge capabilities, it is also allowing the company to fine tune every aspect of the design and build of their gauges so can makers can have optimum confidence in them. It also enhances the company’s ability to carry out reliable calibrations that are traceable to national and international standards. In these uncertain times, Sencon is ensuring that can makers will at least have real confidence in what their gauges tell them about their products and their process. See our White Paper for a more detailed explaination of GUM and its application to can making metrology.