"As Found"

[[Me...]]

We are going through an ISO audit. The Auditor looked at the calibration certificate of one or the CMMs and said," This is nice but where does it state 'As Found ?'"
I called Zeiss and so far it seems that if we wanted a calibration report to state "As Found" we needed to pay more for another level of calibration so that they can report as such. Does this sound right?
As it was the machine was practically flawless. You'd think it would fit right under that umbrella since no adjustments were needed.

[[La...]]

Yes, there are different tiers or levels of calibration, and if you need "As found" reports, the technician will perform their tests before making any mechanical or electronic adjustments to your machine. The "As left" portion is after they have made any necessary adjustments to your system.

Because they execute the runs twice, there is conventionally a price difference.

The report you receive would correspond with the level of calibration service you had paid for.

Edited to add that I have nothing to do with calibration services quoted or performed by Zeiss, just a response from my experience.

[[Da...]]

I assume it's a 9001 audit, yeah? Unless your company's procedures state that calibration reports require they be labeled "as found" and "as left", I don't see how this would be an issue. What would most likely be the issue is if there was not a way to determine if the equipment failed the "as found" calibration since events like these tend to initiate the corrective action process (which is indicated in most company's written procedures).

[[To...]]

This is the reason it is a good practice to create a "gold master" part and do your own "verifications" throughout the year and after collisions. Obviously, it may have to be written into your procedures but I would think it might satisfy an overzealous auditor.

[[Mi...]]

Hardware service


Below is the 3 levels of Cal from Zeiss. As others have stated you pay for the before. I get the Complete Cal with accreditation. I think its in the 10k range with the SMA.



Basic calibration service
The calibration process determines the accuracy of the measuring machine. Minor errors can be corrected via mathematical compensation.


Enhanced calibration service
Enhanced calibration Service covers activities such as calibration, electronic alignment, visual inspection and corresponding corrections.


Complete calibration service
Complete Calibration Service also includes checking and aligning all mechanical and pneumatic systems such as drive and air bearings. This comprehensive service package provides peace of mind and ensures optimal inspection results. You benefit from a longer service life, reduction of unscheduled repairs and lower maintenance costs.

[[Me...]]

Accreditation is $1,550 over and above all calibration choices. We have already arranged to implement it in future calibration.
So Tom, I like your idea about a "Gold master" part. How do you designate something like that?

[[To...]]

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I would take a program from one of your more complex parts and save it as a "gold master" program. Measure the part to be deemed the "gold master". Edit all of the actuals to nominals and apply a +/-.0001" tolerance. In other words, the part does not have to be a "good" part. You're just interested to see if it repeats. By editing the nominal locations, diameters, etc., based on the actuals, anything that falls out of the tolerance will show up red. This way you don't need to look at the actual values to determine where they are. Make sure this part is kept clean and handled with care so as not to damage it. It basically becomes an artifact. Treat it like a Reference Sphere.

[[Me...]]

Why not buy a ball bar and write a program to do a volumetric check. It would also include a sphere size and distance between. I feel like this would be way better than a gold standard part.

[[Ni...]]

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Personally I would challenge the auditor on that one. We've been audited many times under ISO 9001:2015, Z299.2 & AS9100 and its never been an issue. A long as you have calibration records from a accredited source under ISO 17025 than you're good and of course as long as your QMS/QAP doesn't state a different procedure contradictory to that than this is a non issue.