# Gauge Found Out of Tolerance: How to Find Affected Product Using ERP and Calibration Data > Source: https://netray.co/erp-help/qms-calibration-out-of-tolerance-impact-erp-lots > Publisher: Netray (netray.co), AI and integration engineering for ERP and manufacturing systems. > Section: ERP Help ## Short answer When a calibration finds a gauge out of tolerance, you must assess every product it measured since its last in-tolerance calibration. That is only possible if inspection records carry the gauge ID. Record the gauge on each inspection result, then query by gauge and date window to list lots, jobs and shipments, and raise NCRs for any that are doubtful. ## Kind how-to ## System mfg-systems ## Erp Calibration system (CMMS/QMS) to ERP integration ## Module Calibration / Gauge Control ## Query gauge found out of tolerance which products were inspected ERP ## Alternate Queries - calibration out of tolerance impact assessment - link calibration records to ERP inspection and lots - AS9100 7.1.5 measuring equipment out of calibration product validity - calibration management software ERP integration ## Applies To ISO/IEC 17025 and ISO 10012 style calibration programs, AS9100 and ISO 9001 clause 7.1.5, ANSI/NCSL Z540.3 where contractually required; any calibration tool (spreadsheet, CMMS, QMS module) with any ERP ## Steps ### Running an out-of-tolerance impact assessment **Items:** - Record the as-found data and the date of the last calibration where the gauge was in tolerance; the window runs from that date to the date it was removed from service. - Query inspection results for the gauge ID inside that window, in the ERP, QMS or inspection software. - Resolve each result to its job, lot or serial, part number and operation, then to downstream shipments. - Decide for each affected characteristic whether the as-found error could have moved a part across its tolerance, using the size of the error against the tolerance. - Quarantine on-site doubtful lots through the NCR process and re-inspect with a calibrated gauge where parts are still available. - Assess shipped product and decide on customer notification where re-inspection is not possible or shows nonconformance. - Record the assessment, decisions and approvals against the calibration record, and review whether the interval should shorten. ## Sections ### The requirement and why ERP data matters **Body:** AS9100 and ISO 9001 clause 7.1.5 require that when measuring equipment is found unfit for its purpose, the organization determine whether the validity of previous measurement results has been adversely affected and take appropriate action. In practice an auditor will pick a gauge that failed and ask you to show what you checked. The answer depends on being able to answer a plain question: which parts did this gauge measure? Calibration systems know the gauge and its history. ERP and inspection systems know the parts. Unless inspection records store the gauge ID, nobody can connect the two except by asking inspectors to remember. Many shops discover this the first time a micrometer fails and they cannot say whether it was used on aerospace parts or on scrap. ### Make the gauge ID a field, not a comment **Body:** Add the gauge or instrument ID as a structured field on every inspection result: in-process inspection, final inspection, receiving inspection and FAI Form 3. In an ERP with inspection plans, put it on the plan characteristic as the required instrument type and capture the actual ID at result entry. Where the ERP does not support it, capture it in the QMS or inspection software and carry the job and lot numbers there. Validate at entry: the ERP or QMS should refuse a result if the gauge's calibration due date has passed or if its status is quarantined or out of service. That prevents the problem at source and is easy to demonstrate to an auditor. **Code:** -- Shape of the impact query (names vary by system) SELECT r.job_no, r.lot_no, r.part_no, r.characteristic, r.result_date FROM inspection_result r WHERE r.gauge_id = :gauge AND r.result_date BETWEEN :last_good_cal AND :removed_from_service ORDER BY r.result_date; ### Judging whether the failure matters **Body:** An out-of-tolerance gauge does not automatically mean bad parts. Compare the as-found error with the tolerance of the characteristics it measured. A caliper reading 0.02 mm off on a feature with a plus or minus 0.5 mm tolerance has not changed any decision. The same error on a 0.05 mm tolerance feature probably has. Direction also matters: a gauge that read small might have passed oversize parts but not failed good ones. Document the reasoning per characteristic and keep to your own written criteria. Where the error is significant and parts are available, re-inspect. Where parts have shipped, the decision on customer notification should be made by quality with the contract in view, and recorded. ### Preventing repeats **Body:** Use the as-found history to adjust calibration intervals: instruments that repeatedly fail should be calibrated more often or replaced, and those that never drift can sometimes be extended with a documented rationale. Link gauges to the part numbers or processes that use them so a failure immediately shows the exposure. For ERP and CMMS integration, a small interface is enough: the calibration system publishes gauge status and due date, and the inspection step reads it. Keep a single authoritative gauge master and avoid duplicating the list by hand in several places. ## Pitfalls - Recording the gauge as free text such as caliper 3, so queries by gauge ID miss records. - Starting the impact window at the failed calibration date instead of the last good one. - Treating every out-of-tolerance finding as a recall without comparing error to tolerance. - Ignoring in-process checks and looking only at final inspection records. - Keeping separate gauge lists in the CMMS, the QMS and the ERP that disagree. - Allowing results to be entered against a gauge whose due date has passed. ## Ai Angle Given a failed gauge ID and an as-found value, an assistant grounded in the inspection and ERP data can list the lots, jobs and shipments measured in the window, show the query, and flag the characteristics whose tolerance is small relative to the error. It saves the hours of manual searching that usually delay the assessment. The accept or reject judgement and any customer notification stay with quality. ## Faq ### Does every out-of-tolerance finding need a customer notification? **Answer:** No. It depends on whether product could have been affected and on the contract. If the error is small relative to the tolerance, or re-inspection confirms conformance, notification may not be required. If nonconforming product has shipped, most aerospace and defense contracts expect notification. Follow your procedure and the purchase order terms. ### Where should calibration data live, ERP or a dedicated tool? **Answer:** Small shops do well with a spreadsheet or the QMS module. Larger shops use a calibration or CMMS tool with certificates, as-found data and scheduling. Few ERPs do this well natively. What matters is a single gauge master with a status the inspection step can read. ### What is the difference between as-found and as-left? **Answer:** As-found is the gauge's error when it arrives for calibration, before any adjustment. It tells you whether past measurements were reliable. As-left is the error after adjustment. The impact assessment uses as-found data, so a calibration certificate that reports only as-left values is not enough. ## Search terms out of tolerance gauge impact assessment, calibration ERP integration, AS9100 7.1.5 measuring equipment, as-found as-left calibration, gauge ID inspection record, calibration interval review, ISO 10012 measurement management, CMMS calibration QMS, Z540.3 out of tolerance --- Talk to an engineer: https://netray.co/contact?intent=erp_ai | Machine catalog: https://netray.co/agent/catalog.json