exchange of Quality Measurement Process Plans (eQuiPP)

QuiPP summary

eQuiPP specifies all the information needed to generate a complete and precise measurement process plan for the execution of all types of quality measurements: dimensional, non-dimensional, attribute, and binary, both off-line and in-process. Therefore, eQuiPP defines information such as measurement features and tolerances, datum features, part geometry, part set-ups, part surface characteristics, sensing resources, measuring machine resources, measuring system uncertainties, and measurement priorities.

Developmental history of eQuiPP

IMIS 2006

eQuiPP grew out of the International Metrology Interoperability Summit meeting held at NIST in March of 2006. Attending IMIS06 were 70 metrologists representing metrology supplier, end user, and standards organizations from Europe, Asia, and North America. Attendees assessed the worldwide status of metrology information exchange interoperability and developed a unified roadmap for future efforts.

The element given the highest urgency at IMIS06 was the “lack of implementations of non-proprietary data formats (such as the STEP Application Profiles (AP)) for CAD + PMI (Computer-Aided Design + Product Manufacturing Information) data downstream to inspection process planning (IPP).” (see http://www.isd.mel.nist.gov/projects/metrology_interoperability/imis.htm).

HIPP 2007

To address this high priority element, the HIPP (High-level Inspection Process Planning) meeting was held at NIST in April 2007 with 28 metrologists in attendance. Relevant action items of this group were to “complete the definition of requirements from the metrology community perspective that would define HIPP and relate to AP 203, AP 238[, after which] NIST will produce strawman of HIPP requirements document to rework for ISO folks. Generate the strawman in time for Japan ISO meeting, 1^st week of July, 2007,” and “schedule [a] HIPP meeting collocated with ISO meeting in Dallas, Oct 2007.”

ISO STEP AP238 integration

NIST (Kramer, Feng, and Horst) generated a HiPP ARM (Application Reference Model) for AP238 (graphical representation of high-level measurement-unique information integrated into AP238) along with IDEF0 diagrams summarizing HIPP information, integrated into AP238 (also known as STEPNC). This work was presented at two ISO STEP (SC4/TC184) meetings (Ibusuki, Japan and Dallas, Texas).

As a result of their familiarity with the STEP standards, NIST workers became increasingly concerned about the unlikelihood of metrology software suppliers actually implementing STEP AP238, due to high learning curve and high cost of implementation.

HIPP in UML

Subsequent to HIPP 2007 meeting, the Dimensional Metrology Standards Consortium (DMSC) chose to establish a HIPP subcommittee to provide an organizational home for the HIPP effort. Coincident with the Dallas ISO STEP meeting, the DMSC HIPP committee met to discuss, among other things, the scope of HIPP information. It was argued that quality requirements, such as PPAP and APQP, specify FMEA and Control Charts for all kinds of measurements necessary for quality control, not just dimensional measurement. Therefore, the scope of HIPP was expanded to include non-dimensional, attribute, and binary measurements, as well as dimensional measurement.

Subsequent to the DMSC HIPP committee meeting, NIST workers advised the HIPP committee, to 1) define HIPP information in a “modeling language” like UML or XML, since metrology software suppliers would then be more likely to implement HIPP, and 2) eventually integrate HIPP information into AP238, since AP238 is pursuing integrated machining and on-machine measurement, which is the future of metrology, namely, process-integrated metrology.

Feng defined a first draft of dimensional-information-only HIPP in UML and presented that to the HIPP committee at the DMSC meeting April 2008. At that meeting, the committee/specification name was changed to eQuiPP (exchange of Quality Measurement Process Plans). John Horst, NIST, was designated the interim chairman until an appropriate industry champion steps forward.

List of eQuiPP Documents

· Specification versions

o Feng eQuiPP/UML work

§ IDEF0 diagrams

§ UML diagrams

o Kramer HiPP/AP238 ARM representation of HIPP

· Presentations

o DMSC eQuiPP meeting April 2008 (Horst)

· Meeting notes

o IMIS 2006 Roadmap

o HIPP 2007

o ISO STEP (SC4/TC184) meetings

§ Ibusuki, Japan

§ Dallas, Texas

o DMSC HIPP meeting Arlington, Texas

o DMSC April 2008 meeting (Renishaw America, Hoffman Estates, IL, USA)

· Meeting agenda

o DMSC Oct 27, 2008 meeting (Xspect Solutions, Wixom, MI, USA)