Mudcats Users

[mkrmetrologist]

Do you have specifications for laboratory standard assets and assets that are not laboratory standards in Spectrack? We are considering developing specsheets for all of our standards as well as assets that are not standards. Does anyone rely only on Mudcats Spectrack to manage and document specifications for all assets?

Keith Roberts

[beadwork]

Talk to the guys @ Cal Lab Co., Inc. www(dot)callabco(dot)com. They've been using MudCats for over 5 years now.

[Phillies_2012]

Disclaimer:  I work for SCE as part of the MudCats Sales and Implementation/Development Support team. 

To answer your question, SpecTrack was originally developed to record the performance specifications for standards that are used to calibrate UUTs.  The SpecTrack System is more than just a "Text" based list of functions, with associated ranges and specs for an instrument or standard.  The specification data in SpecTrack is functional, and can be used in the automated  calculation of TURs/TARs, plus can be used as part of the MudCats calculation of the EMU for calibration test point.  It also associates a standard's function & range information with every test point that that is is associated with which provides an additional level of reverse traceability--down to the function/range of a standard.  This makes impact analysis for an OOT Standard a much simpler task , because in addition to knowing every UUT that was cal'd with a standard, you know what UUTs were cal's using each function & range of standard.

As for entering all of your instruments into SpecTrack, while it may be a major undertaking, it may have a significant return on that investment.  Once an instrument is in SpecTrack, the specification information in SpecTrack can be used to automate the development of a CPM datasheet (calibration) using a special "Myself" development mode. In the Myself mode, SpecTrack specifications are assigned to the instrument being calibrated to generate tolerances, Units of Measure, etc.

The CPM Data Sheet Designer's tolerance calculator has an "ST" (SpecTrack) function that allows the user to select the applicable SpecTrack instrument function & range. If a SpecTrack instrument range is selected, CPM uses the SpecTrack instrument range's specifications to configure the Data Sheet Designer's tolerance calculator. When new test points are created by the tolerance calculator, CPM automatically assigns the selected SpecTrack instrument function/range/specifications as the datasheet's function/range/tolerance.

To be clear, SpecTrack self awareness (Myself) is particularly important when the instrument is a calibration standard. When a calibration record is loaded into the MudCats Calibration Process Manager, the Statistics mode can be used to generate an Instrument Range Utilization Report. The report is generated for the currently selected data sheet row's applicable SpecTrack instrument range. The report shows the instrument ranges' use in other calibrations. This report is extremely useful in performing calibration standard failure analysis.  Bu there is also value in having every instrument that will be calibrated in MudCats CPM entered into SpecTrack.

Finally, SpecTrack is a document control system for instrument specifications.  Once a SpecTrack instrument is approved into the MudCats system, it becomes a controlled document.  MudCats will operate as the document management system for that SpecSheet, restricting edit access to authorized users, and keeping an audit trail of any modifications that are made to the record, with access to all previous versions of the document.

I hope this helps you to understand the pros and cons of taking on the task of entering all of your indtruments into SpecTrack.

[rjf1957]

Yea, what Phillies_2012 said. We have both UUTs and standards in SpecTrack. SpecTrack sheets are the foundation of our system. They are the first piece of the puzzle put in place when developing a new cal procedure. We use them to not only document the specifications but also any conditions or caveats to its use.