Abstract
Calibration of the measurement and inspection instruments is important to ensure high-quality production. It is difficult to maintain a complete database for the calibration service when the variety of instruments is large. If a calibration center has no computer assisted tools to help the service procedure, the service efficiency and the calibration quality will decline. In this research, a computerized calibration supporting system is developed to access the database and assist the calibration procedure efficiently and effectively. The calibration service procedure is first modeled using IDEF0 method. The IDEF0 model depicts the key processes of the calibration service. Then, a complete calibration service data model defined using the EXPRESS data modeling language is generated based on the required data types of the entire calibration service. The real data are converted into the STEP file format according to the EXPRESS data model and stored in an object-oriented database. The system implementation follows the STEP-enabling information system development procedure. The procedure includes process modeling, data modeling, database building, and programming of the decision supporting system integrated with the database. This system takes advantages of calibration data accessing and management, and provides the calibration data center a computerized tool to serve its customers efficiently and effectively.