Is calibration important for your business?  It is essential that the devices take accurate measurements.  From weather to the medical field, automotive to agriculture, oil and gas, or water and wastewater obtaining accurate measurements are essential to making decisions and performing tasks.

In measurement technology and metrology, calibration is the comparison of measurement values delivered by a device under test with those of a calibration standard of known accuracy. Laboratories rely on calibration to verify that the measurements they perform are consistent.

When you are using your equipment regularly, they can degrade, which shortens the accurate calibration of that instrument.  Let’s look at the reasons as to why regular calibration is so important to your business.

What is Calibration?

Calibration is a comparison between a known measurement, the standard, and the measurement using your instrument.  The accuracy of your instrument will be somewhat different from the accuracy of the standard.  Standards organizations set acceptable accuracy ratios, and your instrument will need to measure up to the requirements.

The calibration of your measuring instruments has two objectives.  It checks the accuracy of the instrument and determines the traceability of the measurement.  Calibrations work differently for different instruments and an accredited lab will be able to provide the standards and requirements for your tools.

Keep Processes Safe

When measuring any parameter, it is important that the quantity measurement is accurate to maintain product safety.  For example, if you are measuring a force or electric current, it could pose a safety hazard if it is not accurate.  If a component on a vehicle were to fail at a certain measured force, but that measurement was performed with an instrument that was not calibrated to ensure accuracy, a valid failure analysis couldn’t be performed.  In a science lab that works with volatile chemicals, small changes in numbers can quickly put your staff in danger.

Calibration Reduces Costs from Errors

In manufacturing, a production process resulting in defects can be very costly.  Small errors in measurement, such as in the temperature of molded plastic part causing it to set improperly and can be faulty.  The process would need to stop, restarted, and have parts remade.  This is expensive both in time and resources, or worse the defect parts could get to the customers.

To help reduce the potential for manufacturing defects from occurring, the sensors monitoring these processes should be accurate.  Calibrating gauges and instrumentation will reduce the possibility of production defects.

Calibration Maintains Certification

In a number of industries, certification is a must for certain tasks. In this case, you must have up-to-date calibrations on your instruments to stay in business.

A calibration certificate documents vital information about a piece of equipment and details surrounding its calibration.

Calibration certificates must contain certain information to assure compliance with the ISO 17025 Calibration.  A calibration report gives a pass or a fail for each specific function.  They adjust a device that does not meet the specifications and provide detailed reports.

ISO 17025 Accredited Laboratory

Using an accredited calibration laboratory is important, it ensures that equipment sent to it will come back properly calibrated.

ISO/IEC 17025 Accreditation is an internationally recognized standard and the lab is accredited by an outside independent agency.  They are explicitly technically able to help your lab and are competent in your instrumentation.  If you do your due diligence, then you will have a stress-free experience with your calibration service provider.  Hidden costs and risks associated with uncalibrated measuring devices could be much higher than the cost of calibration.