When you enter Operators and Parts, Minitab analyzes the data using a balanced two-factor factorial design. Both factors are considered to be random. The model includes the main effects of Parts and Operators, plus the Operator by Part interaction. (If you don't enter Operators, the model is a balanced one-way ANOVA with Part as a random factor, as described in the next section.)
Some of the variance components could be estimated as negative numbers when the Part by Operator term in the full model is not significant. Minitab displays the full model in the Two-Way ANOVA Table with Interaction. If the p-value for the operator and part interaction is greater than or equal to the significance level, Minitab omits the interaction term to fit a reduced model, and displays that model in the Two-Way ANOVA Table Without Interaction. By default, the significance level is 0.05. This reduced model includes only the main effects of Part and Operator.
When you enter only the parts, the model is a balanced one-way ANOVA, and Part is considered a random factor. Minitab calculates the ANOVA table and estimates the variance components for Part and Gage. The variance component for Gage is the same as Repeatability, and Minitab does not estimate a Reproducibility component. Thus, the variance component for Gage is the error term from the ANOVA model.
Minitab first calculates the sample ranges from each set of measurements taken by an operator on a part. Then, Minitab uses the sample ranges to calculate the average range for repeatability.
Minitab calculates the variance for reproducibility from the range of the averages of all measurements for each operator. Reproducibility, in this case, is the same as the variance component for operator. Minitab calculates the variance for parts from the range of the averages of all measurements for each part.
All ranges are divided by the appropriate d2 factor.