Metrologists are often faced with measurement processes that are repetitive and time-consuming. It’s not uncommon for a set of measurements to be taken repeatedly under different conditions and with different materials to maintain quality control. Afterward, the measurements must be formatted and analyzed, and reports need to be created for review. How many times have you wished you could push a play button and have the software drive the instruments, take the measurements, and build a report?

Automation is an obvious solution, but the question metrologists often face is: Is building a measurement plan worth the effort, or is it easier to trudge through repetitive, time-consuming tasks?

Learning the process of scripting often deters users from further exploring measurement plans and automation, despite the advantages. Here are a few basic examples of scripting a measurement plan using SpatialAnalyzer (SA), which offers two approaches to automation:
• Provides the control to automate nearly any operation within SA
• Provides a simple user interface (bypassing the need to learn a new language or set of syntax) that uses a set of discrete actions in a logical, stepwise progression

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