Articles · 2026-09-16
How to check readings against your own tolerance limits
Many acceptance limits are not an ISO 286 fit. A client drawing gives 80.002 to 80.021, and a minimum wall thickness has no upper limit. Enter those limits on the form and Stratum Track checks every reading against them as the technician types, then gives the same Pass or Fail on Job Details and in the report.
You set this up once for each form, and it takes about two minutes per table.
What you need
- A manager login. Only a manager can open Templates.
- A computer. The template editor is built for a desktop screen.
- A grid of readings on the form: a row for each position, a column for each reading.
Step 1: Open the form
Go to Templates, press Actions on your form, then Review. The form opens on the Preview tab, which shows it as the technician sees it, and every step below is done there.
Step 2: Add a specification to the table
Skip this step if the table already has a specification column.
Under the table, press Add column. Enter a Column heading such as Result, set What goes in it to Specification, then choose What it measures and a Tolerance code. Choose any code for now; step 3 replaces it with your own limits. Press Add column.
The new specification checks the readings in its grid straight away. Use Map fields only to change which readings it checks.
Step 3: Enter your own limits
Select a cell in the specification column. The panel beside the form shows a Specification section. Open Limits from.
| Choose | When |
|---|---|
| ISO 286 fit code | The drawing calls up a fit such as H7 or h6 |
| Limits you type | The limits are the same on every job using this form |
| Limits on the job | The limits change job to job, and the technician records them on the step |
For Limits you type, enter Lower limit and Upper limit. Leave one empty for a single-sided limit such as a minimum wall thickness, and it prints as at least or at most your number. Add a Maximum spread if the drawing limits the difference between readings, and a Shown as name such as the drawing number. Press Save limits.
For Limits on the job, choose the fields holding the lower and upper limits from the Measurement fields on the same step as the readings; a field inside a repeating section is not offered. You still set Maximum spread and Shown as on the form.
Use the same units as the readings, because Stratum Track does not convert them.
Then set Shows to Pass / Fail for the result or Range for the limits. A new column starts on Range in every row, and Shows is set per cell, so set Pass / Fail on each cell that should show the result.
Use the limits already typed in your Word report document
If your Word report document already has the limits typed into the table, as a pair such as 80.002 / 80.021 between the readings and a Yes/No box, Stratum Track finds them. Press the strip above the table to select it, and the panel shows a card headed Limits already typed in this table.
Press Use these limits on each row you want. Stratum Track saves them as that row's limits, connects its readings, and converts its Yes/No box to the Pass or Fail result, so you skip steps 2 and 3 for that row. Yes/No filled in automatically marks each row whose box will convert. Limits taken this way are named Client specification until you change Shown as.
Step 4: Make the change live
On a form that already has jobs, Stratum Track saves the column from step 2 to a draft, and the form your team is using stays as it is. Press Activate Template and every job switches to the updated form, including jobs under way, keeping the answers already recorded.
Save limits, Use these limits and the Shows choice do not open a draft. With no draft open they reach every job as soon as you save, so tell your technician before you change limits on a job in progress. If you already have a draft open, after adding a column in step 2 for example, they join that draft and wait for Activate Template with it.
Step 5: Check it on a job
Open a job on that form, and open the step. A Range cell shows the limits beside the readings with the Shown as name under them. A Pass / Fail cell reads Waiting... until the technician enters the readings, then Pass or Fail, updating as a reading changes.
On Job Details, Pass shows in green and Fail in red, and any reading outside the limits is marked in red.
Put a cell's report name in your report document and the report prints it there: a Range cell prints your limits, lower then upper, such as 80.002 / 80.021, and a Pass / Fail cell prints Pass or Fail. Select the cell and the panel shows its Report name, with a Copy button. The form's Field Reference page, on the Actions menu, lists them all under Specifications.
Worth knowing
- Stratum Track checks the spread once every reading is inside the limits. The largest reading minus the smallest must not exceed Maximum spread, and a reading or spread exactly on a limit passes.
- A specification cannot sit in a repeating table or a repeating section, and it is never a required field.
- Your report document does not change when you save. If it prints the limits as typed text, swap that text for the Range cell's report name, or retype the limits to match, and upload it again. A checked reading prints with three decimal places, whatever the Decimal places setting.
Common questions
Do tolerance limits have to come from ISO 286?
No. Choose ISO 286 fit code when the drawing calls up a fit, and Limits you type or Limits on the job for limits from a client drawing or your own procedure. The technician sees the same Waiting..., Pass and Fail either way. Stratum Track does not convert typed limits into an ISO 286 code; it checks the readings against the numbers you entered.
Can the limits change from one job to the next?
Yes. Choose Limits on the job and pick two Measurement fields on the same step as the readings. The technician enters the limits from that job's drawing and the result updates with each entry. While both limit fields are empty, the result reads Waiting... on the step and No Data on Job Details.
Does changing the limits change reports for jobs already done?
It can. Stratum Track calculates the result from the readings each time a report is generated, so a report made after you change the limits uses the new ones. A job that already recorded a Yes or No in a converted box keeps that answer on Job Details and in the report, while the step form works the result out from the readings, so on that job the two can differ. Decide whether your finished jobs should be judged against the new limits before you change a form they use.
Do I need to ask you to switch this on?
No. Your own limits are available on every form with a grid of readings, for every company, and any manager can set them up today. If you would rather we did it with you, send us the form you use. We will add the specifications, enter the limits and hand the form back for you to approve.